Graphic Packaging's Snap2C Connects Products To Internet Using Mobile Codes

This is great to see, another corporation realizing that packaging can be turned into a physical world hyperlink. That means, a machine readable identifier (bar code, image, RFID tag) on the outside when scanned with a mobile phone, can "connect" that item to the Internet...and "turn it on".

Brands will soon be able to interact with a consumer through the Net, using a physical object and mobile phone. Personal and dynamic advertising.

As more consumer goods are printed with mobile bar codes, the quicker Physical World Connection occurs.

Graphic Packaging Corporation today announced the launch of its Snap2C portfolio of paperboard package enhancements that innovatively integrate the promotional effectiveness of package billboards with mobile technology.

Using camera-equipped cell phones and interactive mobile technology, shoppers can scan on-pack graphics and codes to immediately access in-store promotions as well as download songs, videos, ring tones or special movie previews.

Consumers can also participate in sweepstakes entries, loyalty program points, product surveys, event marketing, or get answers to product questions via this new form of mobile marketing.

According to Charles Brignac, marketing manager of retail packaging solutions at Graphic Packaging, "using Snap2C enhancements on product packaging creates a breakthrough in delivering promotional messages directly to consumers."

DuPont, the largest consumer good packaging company in the world, is also developing the 21st Century Barcode

Is Physical World Connection Starting To Happen?

Are we starting to see the tipping point for Physical World Connection PWC?

I am seeing more consumer good products with 2d barcodes placed next to the old 1d barcode.

DuPont is starting to place the21st Century Barcode on consumer good packaging. The next step is for mobile marketing companies to build campaigns around these. Using a camera phone and a barcode scanning application, a consumer can scan this 2d code and be directed to any website.

Colgate-Palmolive appears to be the company in front offering the most physical world hyperlinks on their products.

In Jan 2008, physical world connection player Scanbuy , will be launching a pilot in the US, with the 5 biggest carriers.

Next time you're in the supermarket, take a look at what companies are starting to place 2d codes next to 1d codes. These companies should be the ones introducing PWC in their advertising campaigns.

There will two main forms of Physical World Connection.

First, 2d barcodes will already be placed on consumer goods and will act as a physical world hyperlink that the brand can use for various advertising. In addition to a cashier scanning a 1d code at register, a consumer could scan a 2d code and be directed to a website.

Second, individuals will be able to create and place their own 2d barcode allowing a direct connection when scanned with a camera phone to the Internet (FaceBook, MySpace, ecommerce site, etc).

It would make sense for GoDaddy or Verisign to start offering this application when domains are purchased don't you think?

PowerMe Mobile Adopts Scanbuy's 2D Barcode Scanning Technology

Because DuPont, the world's largest consumer good packaging company licensed Scanbuy's interactive 2d barcode technology, and will be the exclusive marketer of their camera phone technology, I expect to see more companies adopt Scanbuy's 2d code scanning platform.

PowerMe Mobile Adopts Scanbuy's 2D Barcode Scanning Technology

PowerMeMobile, the Lebanese mobile solutions provider has signed an agreement with Scanbuy, Inc., a global provider of mobile marketing solutions, to market Scanbuy's two-dimensional (2D) barcode scanning technology in the Middle East and Africa.

The patented technology consists of a client application, called ScanLife,™ that is downloaded on mobile phones allowing the end user to read EZcodes, Scanbuy's patented 2D bar codes.

"Within the next 24 months we expect 2D barcodes to become ubiquitous as marketers and media deploy codes on products and marketing materials worldwide", said Jonathan Bulkeley, Chief Executive Officer of Scanbuy, Inc.

Bassam Tuéni, CEO of PowerMe Mobile, said: "We are proud to be associated with Scanbuy and its outstanding scan technology. We feel that it will enhance our solutions and offerings to the operators in the MENA region."

Recently PowerMe Mobile signed a content supply agreement with Universal Music Group, the world's largest music label. This could open the door to scanning all of Universal's physical items (Cds, movie posters etc) with a camera phone.

Scanbuy And Syscan Digital Announce Strategic Partnership To Market 2D Mobile Barcodes To Chinese Mobile Carriers

Scanbuy, Inc.,a global provider of mobile marketing solutions, and Syscan Digital Systems ), a leading provider of 2D barcode solutions in China, today announced a strategic and long term partnership to market a range of 2D barcode services to mobile carriers in China.

Syscan Digital’s CM (Compact Matrix) and GM (Grid Matrix) barcodes were approved as China National Industrial Standard by the Ministry of Information Industry in 2006, and makes it the first Chinese owned national standard.

The strategic partnership will create a solution combining technologies of both companies around 2D barcode services including: mobile ticketing and couponing, anti-fraud solutions and media codes such as WAP, SMS, or vCard codes that provide consumers with quick and simple access to digital content. The combined platform will be promoted by Chinese mobile operators and will leverage the respective strengths of both companies.

Lon Chen, Chief Executive Officer, Syscan Digital System Ltd. said "We chose to partner with Scanbuy because they are the leader in making it easy for consumers to fully utilize enhanced services via their wireless phones".


China is the world’s largest mobile communications market and Syscan Digital, with their expertise, relationships and commitment to innovation, is the clear choice as a partner to bring mobile 2D barcodes to this burgeoning market,” said Jonathan Bulkeley, Chief Executive Officer of Scanbuy, Inc.

Scanbuy entered into a partnership last year with Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, to preload Scanbuy’s 2D barcodes application on Nokia’s multimedia handsets. The Scanbuy technology allows users of the Nokia S60 handsets to recognize and decode barcodes on products, media and advertising and to link directly to content and services from their handsets.

ScanBuy also signed an exclusive agreement with DuPont Packaging to place interactive 2D barcodes on packaging.

This partnership between Syscan Digital and Scanbuy, two recognized leaders in their fields, is another step toward the adoption of 2D mobile marketing technology in the fast growing Chinese mobile market.

Founded in year 2001, Syscan Digital was led by a group of industry veterans and has strong intellectual property portfolio with over 100 patents filed in China and internationally. Syscan Digital made the “Best Mobile Barcode Solution Provider” in China in 2006.

Microsoft's Windows Live Barcode Site Back Up

Roger at All About Mobile Life spots the reappearance of Microsoft's Windows Live Barcode

Here's how Microsoft is building the platform for Physical World Connection:

Besides Microsoft's new High Capacity Color Barcode for DVDs and their barcode scanning Advanced User Resource Annotation AURA

They have introduced or are working on a:
speech recogntion browser
1d barcode scanner
2d barcode scanner
mobile image recognition engine and an
RFID browser

Which Physical World Connection company does Microsoft's Don Dodge pick as a company to watch in 2007?

Scanbuy

Why? Because their barcode scanning platform is getting embedded on the major handsets, they are landing wireless carriers AND they have an exclusive agreement with the world's largest consumer good packaging company, DuPont.

DuPont will start placing 2d codes on various consumer goods. These can include soda bottles, cereal boxes, DVD covers, major fast-food chain item wrappers etc.

Between Microsoft offering consumers/corporations the ability to create their own 2d codes and Dupont placing 2d codes on consumer goods (in addition to the 1d codes already there), this combination will offer plenty of physical objects to be linked to the Internet with mobile marketing campaigns.

What should Google do now?

Firefox Mobile Barcode Provides Physical World Hyperlinks Online

Firefox provides a mobile "Do"-main.

How long before Google, Yahoo, Verisign (websites) and any advertiser introduce an application that generates a 2D code for any URL?

Consumer packaging will soon have 2d codes that can be scanned by mobile phones. A 2d code (Physical World Hyperlink) standard is being created.

Will there be a big desire for a proprietary code reading application? Where will big advertisers/brands focus their efforts?

360 Mobile finds the Firefox extension that will display a mobile code for the URL of the current site, called Mobile Barcoder

This extension generates 2D barcodes (called QR Codes) of the URL of the current page being viewed. You can then use a mobile phone to read the URL from the screen to save you typing the long URL using the phone keypad.

Once you move the mouse over the text “Barcode” the mobile code for the current URL pops up as shown here.



I think this shows how easy it is to create a 2d (physical world hyperlink PWH) and that it is just a commodity. Value from Physical World Connection will come when any mobile device can scan the hyperlink and be connected to relevant and timely information (database).

Various high traffic websites will offer 2d code producing capability as easy as Firefox does, and DuPont will be printing 2d codes on consumer packaging.

Both the physical world and electronic world are now generating physical world hyperlinks.

Optibrand Uses Physical World Connection For Food Traceability

It is now possible to use your cell phone to scan a bar code on a package of meat and thereby access all the background information that led up to that product arriving
in your home. As food traceability becomes more important to consumers,
information delivery becomes critical to market success.

Optibrand has partnered with Swift & Company, the U.S.'s third-largest processor of fresh beef and pork, to provide a traceability program that meets the rigorous demands of the Japanese market.

For the first time, Japanese distributors and retailers will be able to offer U.S. beef with complete traceability information available via a barcode on the package.
Consumers can retrieve the product's supply chain history, from farm to retail shelf, by scanning the barcode with a cell phone or accessing the information online.

Founded in 1998, Optibrand is based in Fort Collins, Colorado and is the originator of the world's only retinal imaging system for livestock identification. With Optibrand technology, producers can use any identifier including retinal patterns, RFID tags, bar-coded tags.

Can you see why the DuPont barcode announcement plays a key role for Physical World Connection PWC starting with the supply chain?

Camera Phones Connect Bar Codes To The Net

NY Times has a story on Physical World Connection titled Bar codes talk to your cell phone .

They discuss a few of the applications, and companies, that are using 2d codes as physical world hyperlinks. However, this story fails to address some recent events that are helping to determine which companies are gaining traction quicker than others.

The most promising way to link cellphones with physical objects is a new generation of bar codes: square-shaped mosaics of black and white boxes that can hold much more information than traditional bar codes. The cameras on cellphones scan the codes, and then the codes are translated into videos, music or text on the phone screens.

In Japan, the codes did not become mainstream until the largest cellphone companies started loading the code readers on all new phones a few years ago. Now, millions of people have the capability built into their phones, and businesses, in turn, are using them all over — on billboards, street signs, published materials and even food packaging.

A couple significant events took place in the last couple weeks that I feel should be included. These events should allow Physical World Connection (PWC) to get adopted quicker.

First, 3GVision, which has empowered more than two-thirds of the handsets in Japan, announced they are taking their market-leading direct-to-mobile-web barcode solution worldwide.

A key issue facing adoption for Physical World Connection is what 2d code and scanning application should be used. Will there, or is there a "standard" 2d code?

The next event, and in my opinion the biggest catalyst for PWC, DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers (P&IP) announced they will be licensing Scanbuy’s interactive 2D (two dimensional) barcode technology for packaging applications.

DuPont, probably the largest consumer good packaging company in the world, can create the 2d code "standard" on all consumer good packaging for mobile devices going forward.

Some of the biggger market consumer items that could be "turned on" immediately include various beverage bottles (water, soda, beer), just about any item you find in a supermarket, home improvement store and mall.

DuPont also provides packaging for the fast-food entities. This is an area I would look for mobile marketing campaigns.

When DuPont starts offering 2d codes (physical world hyperlinks) on the numerous packaging items AND brands they represent, this will eliminate one of the biggest hurdles for PWC. The decison of which 2d code (barcode) and which barcode scanning application will already be made for brands and mobile marketing companies.

For an example. The 2d codes placed on a softdrink bottle DuPont produces aren't just for Coke, these bottles are the same ones used by every soft drink brand.

The largest consumer packaging good company will force the others (phone manuf, wireless carriers) to adapt/implement their business plans around this standard

Dupont will also be creating the 21st Century Barcode .

After meeting with most of the physical world connection companies this week at CTIA, and a couple wireless carriers, the picture is getting much clearer.