One of the biggest obstacles facing the PWC industry is brands want to know how many people can click on a cdoe. How many people have the ability to scan a code. In order for the PWC cos to get people to download the readers (until carriers embed them) there has to be a large amount of codes to scan, or a great campaign to do so.
When Sprite puts a physical world hyperlink on 40 million bottles, that could be all it takes. I am thinking of the other Coca Cola brands that will decide to do this.
This has to be one of the biggest physical world connection campaigns to date.
A major brand, a new country, the right demographic and 40 million potential physical world hyperlinks.
See how Sprite is using ShotCodes
Coca Cola Mexico launches 40 million Sprite bottles with ShotCodes.
Today the Coca Cola Cooperation Mexico has a world exclusive. For the first time ever an on-pack mobile barcode scanning campaign is launched outside of Asia.
Mobile barcode scanning, which is ubiquitous in Japan and Korea using technology comparable to ShotCode, has never been introduced on this scale outside of these countries.Outside of Japan it’s not that obvious, however Coca Cola Mexico with its first implementation of ShotCodes will change all this.
Forty million Sprite bottles have been labeled with ShotCodes, circular barcodes that can be scanned with standard camera mobile phones that have the ShotCode software installed.
See how a ShotCode works (video)
ShotCodes , created by Dutch/Swedish OP3 and implemented by Mexican KTC and Codice, connect users instantly to Sprite’s mobile web page.
Download your free ShotCode reader.
The technology functions much in the same way as you would expect from a normal barcode scanner, you are however using your standard camera mobile phone. Once scanned a Sprite trivia question is automatically presented.
According to OP3’s founder and Creative Director Dennis Hettema millions of Mexicans have compatible mobile phones
9 comments:
As a point of clarification. OP3 Did NOT create Shotcode. It was originally created by folks at the University of Cambridge, England for use with robotic vision. They then introduced it a few years ago as Spotcode then later sold it to OP3.
The problem with the Shotcodes is that they carry very little data. Only 49 bits which gets them about 1000 times LESS data than a UPC code. This is really limiting for mobile applications. Their applications need to always be routed through OP3's proprietary switch.
"This is really limiting for mobile applications. "
IMO this is a huge start for PWC. Let's get people used to clicking on 2d codes first, before we start to WOW them with what they can do.
A major brand taking a chance, like Sprite, is sometimes all it takes for a new technology to get adopted.
"Only 49 bits which gets them about 1000 times LESS data than a UPC code."
This can't possibly be correct. A UPC code does NOT carry 49000 bits -- it carries about 12 digits (one a check digit), which is roughly 40 bits.
And routing through a proprietary switch seems to be common to a lot of the weaker 2D codes -- Nextcode must do that, for example, given the relatively paltry number of bits it seems to carry (look at the examples on its website).
This German project is much cooler: A company called 'GVV' prints unique data matrix codes on bottle labels of the beverage 'Soneq'. The codes are under a scratch-off field. User get free ring-tones from Warner music with each bottle. Just send the code via MMS to a short-code. I've seen the product the first time in stores beginning of September. Works great. Check-out: www.soneq.de (click on free tones).
I think this is a huge step for PWC and talked with Dennis yesterday, in Holland he's got a good deal of media attention.
His drive and ambition to succeed with this is admirable and now pays off. Not only for OP3 but for this whole industry a leap foreward.
The discussion about the origin of the technology is irrelevant, its those who make the market are and OP3 will make this market with cool applications and projects.
But now its interesting to see, how will consumers respond, will they use it multiple times, etc.
I agree Ron.
All the PWC needs is one major brand to adopt a physical world hyperlink.
Coca Cola is doing the heavy lifting by putting the codes on the bottles. Offer some free ringtones, screensavers, videos and that should be enough for people to download.
If Coke is smart they will put a code on another brand (before Sprite campaign is over) to see the retention rate.
They could print "send text to XXXX with keyword %%%%" on the outside of their Sprite packaging to get this off the ground.
I would ask OP3 if the code could be colored to get people's eye.
Call it a SpriteCode just to get people familiar with it.
This could be the tipping point to PWC.
It has only just begun
Anyone interested in using our patented eye-catching technology VERY SIMILAR to Shotcodes but allowing to receive payment (and deliver media to mobile, perform authorization etc..) by shooting the code?
Please contact jan.benes-AT-needpm.cz
"This can't possibly be correct. A UPC code does NOT carry 49000 bits -- it carries about 12 digits (one a check digit), which is roughly 40 bits."
A UPC code wouldn't have 49000 bits - this is outrageous. (UPCs would need to have 59 bits of data for the first comment to be true, since 2^10=1024)
If a UPC has ~40 bits like you say but keep in mind that 2^10 is 1024, then there's on the order of 1000 times MORE information in a Shotcode than there is in a UPC.
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