The Reach Media Group, a digital media company that owns and operates an extensive network of outdoor TVs, is diving into the realm of mobile marketing. RMG is teaming with proximity marketing provider, Blue Bit, to transform their network of 75,000 screens into an interactive marketing campaign. The campaign will combine two mobile technologies that were once thought to be in opposition of one another: The NFC tag and QR code. Together, the two will form a new platform called mTag.
Bother NFC and QR codes have had a checked, if relatively short, past. In the days before QR codes ascended the echelons of popularity in the U.S., they were considered novelty barcodes, good only for their supposed shock value. At one point, both Starbucks and Google used the codes, only to discontinue their support shortly after their adoption. Google opted instead to use NFC, or near field communication, tags. However, as the codes grew more popular they become a favorite amongst mobile marketers. Starbucks has since returned to using QR codes.
The campaign will feature placards that are placed near a point of sale in a number of locations throughout the country. The placard will feature a QR code while the RMG screens nearby will display both a code and an NFC tag. Both mediums link to the same content – a mobile website displaying information about the campaign.
RMG hopes to garner valuable statistics regarding the acceptance of NFC tags in an environment becoming increasingly accustomed to mobile marketing.
