Scan our barcode linking to Losasso.com

Almost everyone knows what a barcode is – it is used to collect information via a scanner into an internal system that then tracks the price, as well as other information, of a particular item.  Recently, barcodes have began to evolve into a way to quickly and easily share and transfer information about yourself (or whatever you may be scanning) with others, in the form of mobile barcodes, also known as QR codes.

According to Wikipedia, a mobile bar code, or “QR Code is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with camera, and smartphones.  The code consisting of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.”

Mobile barcodes are currently being used in advertising campaigns across the globe (they have been using them in China since the mid-90s).  From billboards to print advertisements, QR codes are showing up in a number of traditional advertising mediums.   This concept also has great potential as a networking tool.  Imagine walking into a conference or trade show where each person’s name tag displays a mobile bar code that when scanned links to their virtual business card or company landing page.  Take that a step further and each booth could have a mobile barcode that links to a PDF about their products or more information about their company in general.

Although this is not new technology, it is just beginning to show up in the US as a mainstream form of information exchange.  Mobile barcodes are a very interesting concept, but only time will tell how useful this technology will prove to be in the world of marketing and advertising.

*To download a free mobile barcode reader application, click here.

As an interactive agency we pay close attention to trends and statistics that relate to web usage and user experience. It is important for us to know that the sites we design and the user experiences we plan for our campaigns will be in step with the technological capabilities of the target market we are communicating with. A good example of this is the vexing browser compatibility issues that can cause websites to display differently on different computers. The biggest problem in this arena is with Internet Explorer version 6 and older. Inevitably, there will be some report of a customer or client that has some wonky issue when they look at a certain page on the site. This sends the account team into a panic and the developers to the medicine cabinet.

The proper question here has to do with frequency. If you are taking advantage of newer technologies that allow your sites to look and behave the way you want, you may have some old timers that run into issues. So how much time and money do you spend on finding the “fix”? The answer is a value judgment you need to make while looking at your web analytics.

Because we have a concentration of accounts in the metalworking industry we have fantastic data related to the web usage of this market. One of our clients is the Practical Machinist www.practicalmachinist.com – it is a manufacturing forum that is probably the largest and most heavily trafficked social media site specific to the metalworking industry. Within the first few months of 2010 we have had more than 685,000 absolute unique visitors to the site. This provides a clear snapshot of certain statistics that we need to develop sites targeted to that industry. Here are some we can share:

These are top-line statistics that represent just the tip of the iceberg. The web world is constantly evolving, which provides an incredible opportunity to bring you closer to your customers. Making your company findable, friendly, and informative requires a lot of focus and commitment. But if you develop this capability and build a new set of skills, you can learn how to understand your market better than ever before.

LoSasso Advertising is Chicago interactive marketing agency that combines competencies in advertising, direct marketing, branding, online marketing, and public relations to build integrated programs that drive measurable response.  For more information, contact LoSasso Advertising at 773-271-2100.

Geolocation-based services are slowly gaining exposure with platforms like FourSquare and Gowalla, but the trend hasn’t completely caught on – yet.  That may soon change if Facebook makes good on the recently speculated launch of a new application that will allow users to share their location via status updates.  The launch may take place as early as this month, though Facebook has yet to confirm.

Though at launch the application will probably only include consumers, marketers will likely be allowed in on the action shortly after.  According to Ad Age, fast food giant McDonalds is already busy creating an app that will allow users to “check-in” at restaurants.  Once “checked-in” to the restaurant, user’s location will then be shared with friends via their Facebook status.  Users may receive some kind of incentive for posting their location, but details of the application are yet to be released.

With the use of social media in marketing on the rise, geolocation technology seems to be a logical addition to the wide repertoire of available marketing strategies.  It brings even more personalization to advertising, allowing marketers to target users based on physical location at any given moment, when they are “checked-in” to the location.  This will give marketers an improved ability to connect with end users at a very personalized level.

The big question that remains is how will users react to this application?  That is yet to be seen, but with today’s obsession with connectedness, it is not a stretch to assume that many users will feel comfortable sharing their location.  And while current geolocation services are seemingly slow to take off, adoption by a trusted social media giant like Facebook may be just the push they need to get off the ground.

Apple recently introduced iAd, a software system that puts ads into the applications available at the App Store. Over the years Apple has gained the reputation that its products are pricey, but they are also innovative, cutting edge, and just plain cool – and usually worth the extra money. Will iAd prove the same? No definitive word on that yet, but one thing is clear, the price tag is certainly keeping with the Apple tradition. With ad space reportedly at a whopping $1 million and even more to get in at the launch, an Apple spokeswoman said the company will sell and serve the ads, while app developers will receive 60 percent of the revenue and Apple gets the other 40 percent. Currently, similar mobile deals are costing marketers between $100,000 and $200,000. Essentially, Apple is charging $10 per-thousand impressions (CPM), as well as an additional $2 every time a user clicks through the ad (CPC) – most mobile ad systems generally charge for one or the other, but Apple has taken it to a whole new level by charging for both.

Furthermore, even though companies are paying big bucks for the space, they will be forced to hand over creative control to Apple (at least for the time-being). According to the Wall Street Journal, “The ads will go through an approval process, and Apple will build the ads itself during the first couple of months to make sure they work well and attain a certain aesthetic and functionality. Eventually, Apple plans to create a developer kit so that agencies will be able to design and create the ads themselves.”

While it is understandable that Apple wants to make sure everything is perfect, not everyone is totally comfortable with the arrangement, “…as a creative director, I don’t feel completely comfortable letting Apple do the creative,” says Lars Bastholm, chief digital creative officer at WPP’s Ogilvy. Aside from questions about the cost and creative control of iAd, marketers are excited about the new outlet. Advertisers will be able to reach a very large audience (According to Apple, it has sold 85 million iPhones and iPod Touches so far and says consumers spend approximately 30 minutes using applications per day) and will be able to target users based on things like download preferences and general location.

IAd is expected to launch on the iPhone and iPod Touch in June and on the iPad later in the year.

Twitter made the long-awaited announcement Tuesday that the company will finally be getting into the money-making business.  Twitter launched an advertising campaign that will put contextually relevant “promoted tweets” [read: paid] at the top of its search results pages.  Twitter says these tweets are a lot like a regular tweet and users are able to interact with them in the same ways: replying to them, favoring them, or retweeting them.

So what’s the big difference between promoted tweets and regular tweets?  According to Twitter’s blog, promoted tweets “must resonate with users.”  Unlike normal tweets, users must interact with the promoted tweets in order for them to stick around on the site.

So is Twitter selling out?  No, just trying to make a living.  Twitter points out that all of the promoted tweets are already an organic part of Twitter before becoming a paid advertisement, meaning that the ads start off as normal tweets in the company’s Twitter stream before users ever see them as a promoted tweet at the top of their search results page.

“The idea behind promoted tweets is that we want to enhance the communications that companies are already having with customers on Twitter,” said Dick Costolo, Twitter’s chief operating officer.

Best Buy, Bravo, Red Bull, Sony Pictures, Starbucks, and Virgin America are some of the first companies to get on the promoted tweeting action.

In 2009, online marketing is just about the only area of budget growth for most marketers. But how much of that money will be wasted? Scott LoSasso, President of Chicago interactive agency LoSasso Advertising, discusses why some marketers misstep as they venture further into this brave new world of interactive marketing.