Written on March 22, 2008 – 2:05 pm
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
Every week we publish an interview with a start-up. We ask five questions, hoping the answers will give you inspiration and new views. Well, actually six questions, since we also ask the start-up to who he or she is passing the mic to.
As I’ve promised you last week, I will interview the start-ups who participated in the start-up rally of PLUGG 2008/ This time we’re interviewing Alberto Naranjo Galet from Tagmore. This is a company that focuses on connection online content with off line content by using a mobile device. As our WebTipr from Japan reported, this is normal in Japan and other Asian countries. Yet in the US and Europe there’s a whole lot to do before it gets common. Tagmore is one of the pioneers that are ahead of a new trend. If you want to know more about the technology, I suggest you read this thorough post by Mike Butcher.
How did you come up with the idea of Tagmore?
“I think it was a thinking process that lasted 10 years. I have always dreamed with the idea of linking the physical world with the “virtual one”, under the influence of William Gibson’s novels and the virtual/expanded reality concepts. Thanks to the Tagmore architecture a physical object is the object itself, plus dynamic rich data, plus communities and networks of real people around the physical object. So we basically hyperlink this physical object in a secure way, and offer services around it. We can issue secure mobile tickets and coupons, enable smart shopping or launch mobile marketing campaigns with 2D barcodes and RFID based technology. That’s bringing the future to present in a way that’s usable for businesses, don’t you think so?” (more…)
I hope you like that post!
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Written on February 11, 2008 – 11:34 am
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
The Next Web Blog is fascinated by the revolutionary technique of mobile barcoding, so we’ve written quite a lot about it. In December 2007, guest blogger Polle de Maagt predicted that ShotCodes would join the deadpool pretty soon, we’ve published an outline of the mobile barcoding market and wrote about a really stunning Apple/ Starbucks design mock-up that used mobile barcodes. It’s a hot topic and once again we have some interesting mobile barcoding news for you: Google is exploring the possibilities of Print Ads 2D Barcodes:
Google believes that technology can revolutionize traditional print advertising and make it even more useful for readers. This fits with our commitment to making advertising as useful as possible for the end user. (Google Adwords)
American readers might have noticed newspaper ads for a jewelry retailer consisting of a normal ad with a Google footer. And that’s where it gets interesting, since it includes several connections with the digital media: an URL, search terms, phone number, coupon code, SMS code and there it is, the 2D barcode.
By doing this, Google wants to test possibilities to make ‘print advertising more useful for readers and more measurable for advertisers’. They’re probably referring to the number of barcode ‘clicks’. What will Google’s ambition mean for the mobile barcoding market? We’ve asked Dennis Hettema, founder and creative director of OP3, the Dutch company behind ShotCode.
“This technology is not about advertising but about delivering a compelling message”
Hettema: “I see Google’s mobile barcoding trial as a positive step forward for the mobile barcoding industry. It is imperative that major business-to-consumer (B2C) companies embrace this cool technology and more do so every day. However, I wonder whether Google’s approach is the right one. We have learned from our campaigns with a range of fortune 500 B2C companies (Nike, Coca Cola, Volkswagen amongst others) that this technology is not about advertising but about delivering a compelling message via this medium. If you mess up the message you invariably mess up your campaign. At the moment, Google’s approach is still very advertising focused.”
Dennis Hettema
That’s not the only question Hettema has, he also has his doubts about device compatibility: “As far as I know Google is only running this trial in the US, the amount of compatible devices there are comparable to the range we had about 2 years ago. Looking at our compatibility list today we see that on average 95% of the popular mobile phones used to surf the Internet are ShotCode compatible.
Something that has helped us, the only Dutch player in this market, to launch campaigns all over the world.”
Yet he ends the interview with a positive note. “Whatever way you turn it, there is still a lot to be decided in this market. Experimentation by companies such as Google, Nike and Volkswagen drive the technology forward to become top of mind at advertising agencies and brand managers alike, which is seriously positive news for everyone involved.”
Written on January 26, 2008 – 3:21 pm
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
On December 18, Dutch social media expert Polle de Maagt claimed in a guest post on this blog that mobile barcode concept ShotCode was soon-to-be history.
The future is in GPS/bluetooth/triangulated services. And although I really really liked ShotCode: exit ShotCode
Yet, when I visited his blog (Dutch) today, I noticed this really interesting concept that could save ShotCode from its predicted death:
What’s the story here? Multimedia designer Phil Lu came up with the idea, and presented it as a mock-up on Geneco. This ordering system makes sure you won’t have to stand in the ordering line, which is always there. It will make the life of many personal assistants way easier. And here comes the ShotCode-saving element: Lu suggests a ’swipe transaction system using semacode technology’ as a payment method. That’s where the cool-looking ShotCode comes in:
Just imagine that Apple and Starbucks are digging the idea and will start to implement it. They’re both cool brands, so it’s not really out-there. Wouldn’t that make ShotCode übercool as well?
Written on December 18, 2007 – 12:28 pm
Guest blogger, sharing views on The Next Web
Remember ShotCode, those alienesque barcodes? Through a small program on your mobile phone, the mobile phone is “transformed” in a scanner. After taking a picture with your phone’s cam of the ShotCode, the phone opens its browser and connects with the right URL (for earlier coverage, see Springwise).
While the rest of us was busy developing bluetooth, triangulated and gps based solutions, Shotcode was further developing their service. The website got a Web2.0-style makeover (you can’t have a credible website without bright green and pink colours these days), campaigns where run for (amongst others) Nokia, Coca Cola, XBox and Jameson, the ShotCode system got a limited API and a new pricing plan was developed (no more free ShotCodes). Also, a new free service is being developed at Shotcode.org (subscribe to stay in touch). And, of course, all of this was recorded on the ShotCode blog. (more…)
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The Next Web Blog is closely associated with The Next Web Conference which is held annually in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. At this event speakers from all over the world come together to talk about, and show of, the future of the Web. (
