Typtags Take Digital Marketing to the Masses
QR Codes have recently become the latest marketing craze, the monochromatic matrix barcode box appearing in magazines, on packaging and other marketing materials. When the QR code is snapped or scanned with a Smartphone camera, the user is presented with additional information, such as a text message or a link to product-specific website. As QR Codes have become more common, customers have also become more acquainted with the use of the technology, knowing what the image is for and how to access the data stored in them.
QR codes have successfully breached the mobile marketing market, but in purely technical terms, they are already being superseded. Advances in wireless communication protocols such as Near Field Communications (NFC for short), are allowing digital transmission of marketing data between business and consumer. NFC marketing uses a tiny, inexpensive chip which contains embedded data, and which is affixed to a poster or other surface. When swiped with a compatible NFC Smartphone, the NFC chip automatically transfers the data to the handset screen. NFC remains a relatively new phenomenon however, restricted to owners of the very latest smartphone handsets.
UK startup typtag.com believes they have developed a solution to the obsolescence of QR codes and the scarcity of NFC-enabled smartphones. Typtags combine printed QR codes with embedded NFC Tags so that the marketing message is accessible by potential customers, regardless of their mobile phone handset. Paul Lakeman, founder of Typtag.com says, ‘Traditionally NFC has been a toy for techies and geeks making it inaccessible to Joe Public. Typtags have been designed from a marketing viewpoint, mixing both technology and simplicity to ensure that anyone with a smart phone can use them.’
Typically Typtags are used in conjunction with an in-store poster for a three way marketing approach. Firstly the Smart Poster features a traditional marketing message in the usual way using product photographs and descriptive text. Also printed prominently on the poster is a QR code which, when photographed or scanned by a client, will direct them to a website for more information. Finally an NFC Tag is attached to the poster which can be scanned wirelessly by a customer using an NFC-enabled smartphone. They will then be presented with more information on the screen of their handset and redirected to a product website.
The use of NFC Tags or QR codes allows retailers to easily disseminate extra information about products and services. Typtags simplify the process yet further by combining both systems and maximising the potential audience for the digital marketing message. ‘The Typtags approach is unique,’ says Lakeman, ‘there are several companies producing QR codes or NFC smart tags, but none are unifying the technologies to produce a coherent marketing strategy.’
Typtags allow for virtually any kind of information to be encoded, from website addresses, to simple store location details to 3D product models ready for display on a customer’s phone handset. Typetags also provide a useful way for marketers to collect demographic data about their customers and their interactions with the brand. Every time a Typetag is scanned, the retailer is able to collect information about the client which can then be used as the basis for future marketing efforts, and to increase sales to existing customers.
‘We believe Typtags provide the most cost-effective form of digital marketing for our customers,’ concludes Lakeman, ‘The combination of QR Codes and NFC smart tags into a single unit provides support for users of all smart phones, whilst encouraging them to engage with digital marketing methods. The use of NFC Tags allows for future-proofing of the marketing investment thanks to the reusable nature of the technology and its increasingly common use. A typtag can deliver almost any information the marketing company requires the are the pefect solution for Proximity Marketing‘
Typtags are a division of Near Field Communication (Jersey) Ltd, Office 9130 Freight Building, Jersey Airport, St Peter, Jersey, Channel Islands
07797 897 614