Depending on who you speak to, QR codes are either a passing fad or the next big thing. I believe it’s somewhere in the middle.
QR codes are beginning to enter the mainstream in Singapore, driven by the mass adoption and usage of smartphones, and I expect this trend to continue in 2012.
But while critics might argue that NFC technology will supplant QR codes, I wholeheartedly disagree. Although NFC trials are slated to start in Singapore this year, I’d wager that mainstream adoption is at least one year away (depending on whether the iPhone 5 adopts NFC). It’s likely that QR codes will remain the de facto bridge between outdoor and digital marketing for some time. Read more
Filed under Featured, Innovation & Technology, Marketing & Branding, Mobile, Special Commentary, Technology, Toolkit, WebTags: beetagg, bit.ly, goo.gl, google goggles, Mobile Marketing Association, nfc, qr code, qropit, redlaser, responsive design, shopsaavy, tagloop, Tony Tan
Recently, comScore, a leader in digital business analytics, has released a report documenting the key social media trends for 2011. What is clear is that social networking sites have become one of the main channels for businesses to engage existing customers and win over new ones. So, it’s important that entrepreneurs keep abreast about the current state of social networking, adopt their online strategies to suit the current environment, and anticipate future trends.
Here are several key points summarized from the full report.
1) Social networking has emerged globally as the activity which Internet users spend the most time on.
Social networking sites are reaching 82 percent of the global Internet population, or 1.2 billion users. The activity now accounts for 19 percent of time spent online, making it the most popular activity on the Internet. That’s a huge jump from a mere six percent in 2007. Social networking is followed closely behind by search/navigation, retail, and communication. Read more
Crisp Media, a US and Singapore-based rich media mobile advertising company, announced on 7th December its acquisition of Smart Device Media, which provides a marketplace for premium ad space.
Top brands like General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Volksagen, IBM, Intel, HP, P&G, Unilever and Coca-Cola have used the Crisp platform to reach publications like CBS, CNN, ESPN and Yahoo!, as well as ad networks Jumptap, Millennial and Mojiva. Read more
Filed under Innovation & Technology, Marketing & Branding, News Stop, Technology, WebTags: ad marketplace, ad network, ad platform, ad space, crisp media, EDBI, Intel Capital, M&A, merger and acquisition, smart device media
Ambient Digital, a large advertising network in Vietnam, and MCM, an advertising and digital media group in Indonesia, will start using US-based Amobee‘s end-to-end online advertising platform, it was announced last week. Read more
Thousands of Singaporean commuters taking the train at the Bugis and Boon Lay MRT stations will be in for a Christmas surprise: They can purchase now groceries by scanning QR codes with their smartphones.
The squarish bar codes are placed next to pictures of the items, which are on a wall. Commuters will then be brought to the Cold Storage website, where they can key in their details and get the Christmas ham delivered to their homes. It’s an interesting integration of mobile commerce and ambient marketing. Read more
Filed under Innovation & Technology, Marketing & Branding, Media, Mobile, News Stop, Technology, WebTags: cold storage, E-Commerce, m - commerce, Mobile Commerce, qr code
Sprooki is an app that lets shoppers find out the latest deals near them, purchase the products in-app, and redeem them at the store. Sounds like just another daily deals app? Not quite — it’s much more than that.
Think of it as Groupon meets Chalkboard, with retail analytics built-in.
It is an end-to-end platform that lets retailers push their promotions to mobile users in the vicinity, receive payment directly from customers who use the app, and analyse data about their customers. Read more
It started out as a simple message on EatAds.com, an online marketplace for outdoor advertising spaces.
“hello i wish to rent a taxi for 1 day and propose to my girlfriend. the taxi will be decorated with photos of us and wordings of: will u marry me? flowers will be placed on the back seat of the taxi and i will call for the cab. venue will be near central area, to be confirmed again,” the message went. Read more
Wildfire Pte Ltd, a Singapore Word-of-Mouth Marketing company with operations in China, received the Most Innovative Company Award 2011 in the Interactive Digital Media category from the Singapore Venture Capital Association (SVCA) at the annual Gala Dinner event two weeks ago.
SGE wrote about Wildfire (XingXingHuo in Mandarin) before (exactly one year ago!) when they received their Series A.
A few days ago at the TechVenture 2011 Gala Dinner, I happened to sit next to one of the founders, Christoph Zrenner. We got talking and here we catch up on their progress. Read more
For marketers and firms who want to test the effectiveness of their social media marketing campaigns, tools like Bitly and Google Analytics have been crucial in gauging success.
Now, Twitter wants to get into the analytics space too, and it will be rolling a Twitter Web Analytics feature over the next few weeks, reported GigaOM. Read more
There is no doubt the Singapore government is encouraging its citizens to be creative,which is why they are supporting the creative industry by every means possible.
For instance, it was shocking (at least to me) to see ads that are provocative towards competitors in the local scene, or ads that contain literal (and limited graphical) notions of sexuality in their artwork and messages. Read more
