QR Codes Meet Digital Printing at PODi AppForum 2011

I will be speaking with Sharon Buntain, president of Tissot Watches U.S., at PODi AppForum 2011 at The Mirage in Las Vegas Jan 31 - Feb 2nd. Also on the guest list are Hamilton Chan from Paperlinks and Val DiGiacinto of The Ace Group... That sounds like a pretty solid crew to share experiences and insights involving QR codes and digital printing. Scan the HOT QR code above to see the Tappinn mobile site we made for the event! Follow on Twitter #AppForum11. VEGAS baby!

Priceless Photos of Michael C. Fina QR Codes on Fifth Avenue in NYC

Hearts On Fire Continues to Dazzle the QR Code World

This is what "BEYOND the CODE" is all about! Hearts On Fire continues to dominate the world of QR code marketing by offering custom mobile content (Smart Sites) for each audience of readers that is targeted and sharable. In this case it's the readers of Harper's Bazaar and The Knot. By scanning the QR code readers are taken to a custom landing page with info about the particular styles with social links, including the Facebook "like" button. 

Most brands who have been early to incorporate QR codes into their print media have been doing it wrong. The content isn't mobile or it's hard to share and gimmicky.  Hearts On Fire is doing it right. Check out the video and see how. Cheers

(Exclusive) Tag Heuer QR Code Counter Sign For JCK 2010

Tag Heuer is going BIG with QR codes. Freshness. This is a prototype sign design that I call a "TOWER," soon to dominate retail. All made possible by the Tappinn platform. Much more coming.....

Norma Kamali Using Mobile EZ Codes To Enhance Shopping (Photos)

Norma Kamali is a New York fashion designer, famous for a variety of innovative designs over the past 30 years including the "sleeping bag" coat, a collection of style created from actual silk parachutes. 

Her store, located at 11 West 56th in New York City, has been the topic of conversation lately about something other than fashion, and was the real reason for my visit. Check out the segment on The Early Show about QR codes where they are featured #

The boutique is loaded with 2-barcodes. (EZcode by Scanlife) Shoppers can scan the EZcode with a Scanlife app and be directed to action, either to buy, or enter and win. When I scanned the codes I was directed to an Ebay mobile page for the item where I could buy it.

What struck me is how UN-noticeable the EZ code is, as opposed to real QR codes. EZ codes look more like a design than an actual source of mobile information. You decide. One thing is for certain, Norma Kamali can be credited as the FIRST retailer to implement 2-D code signage throughout a store in the United States. I like it.

The Anatomy Of Web Conent (Sunday Scribble)

Web content is like blood. Your brand's BLOOD. Flowing in rhythm through an organization. Like the human body, brands depend on content as if it were blood. Cut off blood to particular area of a company and it will loose those departments or products. Without healthy web content your brand will wither and die.

How can I get dynamic web content flowing from every body of my organization? How do we publish our "authentic expertise" to the web?

Like blood, CONTENT comes from the heart. My belief is that only people from within can truly contribute valuable content because they are the true "experts". This means that you don't need a fancy, overpriced agency. It's already in your HEART, it's authentic. Agencies can add polish to your content but shouldnt be relied on to create it. They can't be the experts that the brands are. How can an agency answer real buying questions pertaining to your niche? They can't.

Content can be anything in the realm of documented "expertise" or data/images relating to your industry and products. Think about the areas and departments within your organization, each one with a story to tell. This information should be published in several forms including blog text, videos, podcasts (audio), images and website material so it can be found by buyers. No matter which medium you choose to focus on (preferably all), make sure that you are continually updating and adding. This isn't rocket science, it's your market. The market that you are an EXPERT in. Remember?

The importance to publishing your expert content to the web. Search rules, no doubt about it. This will get you found! When the questions is asked in a search, you've got the best answer. Consistently publishing content about your industry and products will keep you relevant in the conversation, and with Google. Answer questions! To WIN in the store you must win the conversation. That's cheesy

Popular places to publish content - Blogger, Wordpress, YouTube, Flickr, Website, Social.

Popular ways to lead people to this content - Facebook, Twitter, Search, Search, Search

Social media for brands = "Conversation Content" (I just coined that!) This just means that the public is allowed to openly discuss and interact with your content in the form of comments, update follows, questions. That's the definition of social media.

Brands have been afraid to open up this is the type of transparency. Why?

What makes Amazon a winner?

User-generated content. This is where it's at on the web today. Sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter all carry enormous amounts of user-generated content. Also, Sites like Amazon use consumer ratings and comments to spur sales. This is a great example of an online brand (Amazon) harnessing user-generated content to sell their products. Other social networks are allowing users to connect by sharing content (video,blog,podcast,tweeting) related to a specific category. We live in a network of networks, niches galore. The popularity of this content lies in how authentic it is. 

Employee-generated content.  We should take note from the success of "user generated" content to influence buying. If employees can freely publish ideas, insights and opinions that are authentic, why shouldn't they be doing it? It's already proven that people like to express themselves with content. While others, complete strangers, enjoy consuming it. With this in mind let's think about a company. Our consumer now craves this "user generated" authentic content from brands as well.

Everybody is an expert at something. Let employees contribute content on to the web in their areas of expertise.

Why do people believe ratings over advertising? The same reason you will succeed with "Conersational Content" i.e. Social Media.

I'm out.

Duratrans Should Be Simple, Fast and Effective

Duratrans are critical to any brand who is marketing savvy and has a retail presence. They can literally JOLT a shopper into your product with their life-like illumination. Placed in the right environment, they can be a powerful tool for brands to hammer home messages. Retailers featuring light boxes that are strategically placed throughout the store can influence shoppers and be a game changer in the decision making process. Shoppers are fragile when they enter your buy zone so deliver powerful images with clear messages, DO NOT confuse them with text and clutter. Great duratrans can augment the environment to favor YOUR BRAND. Fielding duratran requests from your retailers and recognizing where opportunities lie can literally be all the difference in how a store performs with your product. A MAJOR problem that brands face is that light boxes can be found in an wide variety of shapes and sizes causing a dizzying array of data for marketing coordinators to manage and process. Team this with robust roll-outs and layout customizations and you better grab some Tylenol. OR call The Duratran Co.



Traditionally brands would rely on their creative agencies to handle duratran production. Micro managemant of layouts and typical agency BS costs TIME and MONEY. If anybody starts to pay attention they realize that the agency charges you for EVERY layout as well as inflating the duratran cost beyond recognition. In the days where companies had fat advertising budgets due to lack of competition, this was fine and dandy. We all know that today is different though. Brands need to be efficient with EVERY aspect of their image, especially duratrans. When looking for a company to print and process your duratran visual requests consider the following

1) How fast is fast?
-work with a company who archives your visuals and can provide quick custom layouts as needed
-48hours or less turn-around

2) NO layout fees
- you should only be charged for the duratran itself.
-adding retailer's logo and store specific text should fall into this category

3)Proof
-all orders should be followed up with a proof to eliminate errors
-keeps brands in the loop and is a safely net for mistakes

4) Online order management (most important)
-place and track orders online
-build profiles for stores to document sizes and history
-run reports based on creative, location, product and size