Microsoft Tag

Tag, Bing & The New York Times

2009-11-30T17:40:00Z

Today Dow Jones posted an article claiming that “this year may go down as the period that shopping by mobile phone during the holidays came into its own.” The piece goes on to discuss how “Black Friday” saw an unprecedented use of mobile phones by consumers to “zero in on and make purchases.” According to PayPal, mobile online payments through their service on Friday surged nearly 650% from last year.

Many marketers are betting that this shopping-via-mobile trend sees a boost today on what is now referred to as “Cyber Monday,” the busiest day of the year for retail electronic commerce.

So how do you make it as easy as possible for customers to connect with your brand on their mobile phones?

At Microsoft, we’re using Microsoft Tag in a pair of Bing ads running in today’s “Cyber Monday” edition of the New York Times. Readers simply snap the Tag image below with their mobile phone and they are immediately connected with Bing – no typing, looking up URLs, texting codes or browser launching.

We’ll let you know how it goes …

Dodge is Using Tag!

2009-11-24T22:48:00Z

Tag is spreading! In this weeks issue of People Magazine,
we were surprised to see that Dodge had an advertisment that uses
a Microsoft Tag! This is a great example of how companies can use tag in ads
such as this one. This ad when snapped will take you to a contest page! You are able to
enter and win some really cool prizes from Dodge!

How are you using tag in the ad world?

#TagTuesday Contest

2009-11-10T19:38:36Z

Love Twitter? Want to win cool stuff—like an XBOX 360, Halo ODST, or a Kodak Zi8 pocket digicam? Meet Microsoft Tag’s #tagtuesday! Every Tuesday after November 16, 2009 (and daily from November 3rd to the 16th) we’ll be giving away these great prizes—all you have to do is follow @microsofttag and RT our contest tweets. Get involved in #tagtuesday and find out if you’re a winner! Here’s a quick video with Nadia and Elliott covering the contest.

Those Darn Whippersnappers!

2009-11-04T21:48:14Z

Technorati Tags: microsoft tag,school,mobile,kids and phones,mobile marketing,mobile taging,high school,rich media,technology in the classroom

Educational institutions, especially public schools in the United States, have been slow to implement social technologies into the classroom. Recently however, there has been a surge in using technologies in the classroom. Here’s a link to an article in the Issaquah Press talking about how schools in my old school district use these technologies in the classroom. One teacher even used a Ning network for his class to get them discussing the Presidential race last year. This post isn’t about just social technologies but also features innovative ways to bring new technologies into the classroom. After reading the article above it spawned some creative ideas on how Microsoft Tag could be used in the classroom. Most of my conversations with Tag uses before this focused on more of a business context and the thought of using Tag in an academic setting hadn’t occurred to me.

So how can Tag be used in the classroom? With an increase in kids having cell phones, especially in high school, Tag can bring a whole new dynamic by allowing students to connect to the vibrant content in or out of class. Here are a few examples-

1. Print Tags on stickers and place them on homework assignments.

2. Place Tags around the room on drawers, maps, lab equipment so students can receive dynamic information instantly.

3. Use Tags on specimens, skeletons, and other organisms and networks in laborites.

4. Set Tags around the school so students can find out what is for lunch, when the next dance is or other updates. The best part about this is schools only have to print them once since the data on the backend can be easily updated with new content.

5. Send them home to the parents so they can place the Tags in their car, home, or at work so they can get up-to-date information on what is going on at school.

6. When I was writing this blog Stratos Vlasakidis mentioned using Tag at school for kids ID badges, check it out.

All of these options to use Microsoft Tag can link students to videos, websites, discussion forums, messages and much more. Just these few options could be leveraged at schools to help them be more environmentally friendly and save money on printed materials while putting rich content at the finger tips of the students, teachers, and parents. Plus I’m sure if students start using this kind of technology their creative minds will come up with new ways to utilize 2D Barcodes.

Microsoft Tag & Auchan

2009-11-04T21:40:00Z

Tag is popping up in different places in the world and now we are hearing about how Auchan using Tag. Auchan is one of the largest chains in France and they are
up on their technology and have decided to use Microsoft Tag in their magazines.This is a great way to direct future customers to relevant information related to items in a magazine.

Here you can see examples of how they have their tags beside certain items in the magazine.
When a user "snaps" a tag near an item they will be taken to a mobile webpage. Here they can see
trailers and other information related to the item.

Here is a shot of what the mobile interface after "snapping" the Microsoft Tag beside the game Aion (shown left)
Now prospective customers can see a longer description, images and videos related to the game Aion.

5 Ways To Use Tag And A Social Experiment

2009-10-27T22:15:15Z

For the 4th week of Tag Talk, Nadia and I went through five more creative ways to use Microsoft Tag. If you have an idea of your own on how to use Microsoft Tag send us a note or even a video clip and we might put it up on our show.

The 5 Tips Of The Week -

Use it on flyers but change the content behind the tag
Microsoft Tag on wine bottles
Apparel companies Place Tags so people can order directly
Leave notes for your roommates and friends
Place Tag in a elevator

Besides the five suggested tips on how to use Microsoft Tag we mention a social experiment that is in the works

Hope you enjoy and let us know if you have any feedback.

Tag Talk Episode 3 – 10 Creative Ways to use Microsoft Tag

2009-10-22T16:48:42Z

To start off Tag Talk Week 3 Nadia and I went out on the town to find some cool ways to use Microsoft Tag. Here’s the list of ideas that we came up with that make it easy for you to link the real world to the digital world.

1. Use Microsoft Tag on a menu so customers can snap the tag to learn the Chef’s Recommendations or find out what the daily special is.

2. Place a Tag on coffee cup or other disposable products that people buy daily. Place a coupon behind the Tag so patrons can receive an instant ‘coffee break’.

3. Put a Tag on posters so people can go to your website with more information or have an informational video behind the Tag.

4. Directions! How nice would it be if you were in a mall, resort or a major corporate facility where you could snap a Tag and it gave you directions to your next destination?

5. Everyone likes movies, so make it easy for people walking by a billboard or a movie poster to find movie times and a trailer to show their friends. Put a Tag on it to help people find the movie.

6. Location, location, location…right? Allow people to interact with their surroundings by placing Tags so they can learn about the art, history, or culture of a specific place.

7. Save a tree! Ever walk up to an information booth with tons pamphlets and flyers? These could be replaced with Microsoft Tags instead allowing people to snap the tag and allow them to take the information with them without wasting paper.

8. How many times do you see a plaque or a bench dedicated to someone? Use a small Tag to allow onlookers to snap the tag to learn more about who the person was.

9. V-cards – Microsoft Tag is a great way to let people grab your personal information without having to write it down.

10.Use it at a party – yeah it might sound a little corny however, it’s a great conversation starter if you put a funny video behind each Tag.

I hope you enjoy the new video and if you have some feedback or suggestions let me know. If you have some ideas of your own on how people can use Microsoft Tag leave a comment with your thoughts.

Tag Talk Week Two

2009-10-14T18:13:25Z

Tag Talk week two, Nadia and I went over some new developments/news for Microsoft Tag. The big ticket items included, Tag You’re It, Golf Digest Tags being picked up on MobilMarketer.com, and Green Nurture creating a flyer with a Tag to save a tree.

We had a blast making this video today and I hope you enjoy what we’re trying to get going here. If you have comments, suggestions or working on a Tag project of your own leave us a comment!

Technorati Tags: microsoft tag,green nurture,golf digest,tag talk,qr code,2d barcode,tag your it

Get Married Magazine & Tag

2009-10-06T20:31:00Z

GET MARRIED MAGAZINE IS THE FIRST BRIDAL PUBLICATION
TO USE THE CUTTING-EDGE MICROSOFT TAG, BRINGING PRINT PAGES TO LIFE!

With the click of a smart phone camera on the pages of Get Married magazine,
busy brides connect instantly to videos, websites, photos and information – while on the go!

Tagged” editorial and advertisements will turn traditional magazine reading into ground-breaking,
rich, multi-media experiences within the wedding and bridal industry.

With the small, colorful Microsoft Tags, Get Married magazine offers brides - who are busy working, planning and playing- quick, easy and convenient connectivity to information when and where they want it. With no typing, fumbling with URLs, texting short-codes or launching browsers. Brides can learn more about a product, save Tags for later viewing, and make a purchase – directly from their phones. With Tag, Get Married makes the process of planning a wedding more convenient and even more fun.
"Get Married is taking user interaction to the next level with Tag. They have brides who are really engaged, incredibly focused on planning and shopping for their weddings, and Tag allows them to stay in the moment,” said Aaron Getz, business leader for Microsoft Tag.

“Advertisers in Get Married magazine can deepen the relation with the brides making their ads immediately actionable and more entertaining. Besides they can track the actions brides are taking and inform their marketing strategy.”
GetMarried.com has done an outstanding job using Microsoft Tag!

Below you can see that they have detailed instructions for their users. This is great, as this is newer technology for many.

Once you have followed step 1 and printed out the PDF - you are able to scan the TAG with your mobile phone.

Make sure that you have installed the software that is needed to read the tag.

On your mobile brower go to http://gettag.mobi

Now the fun begins! Below is a picture of the tag GetMarried.com has created. Open up the Tag application on your mobile and snap the image below!

We recommend that you print it - if you are unable to read the tag off of your computer.

Voila!

You are now taken to a wonderful video that Get Married has created!

Update: New Blackberry Release with fixed errors

2009-10-01T20:12:00Z

Blackberry release addresses vCard, Text, and Dialer Tag error

For all Blackberry device owners, we have resolved the vCard, Text, and Dialer Tag scan issue with a new release which has been successfully tested by many customers. We suggest to uninstall your current Tag Reader and install the new one located at,

http://gettag.mobi

LE BOOK to use Microsoft Tag

2009-09-24T20:47:01Z

Picked up by Geek in Disguise, LE BOOK will be using Microsoft Tag in their 2010 edition of the design bible.

Premiering with the 2010 edition of LE BOOK, contributors to our print edition will have the opportunity to place tags on their pages. Through a readily available app, iPhones, BlackBerry PDAs, and all newer generation mobile devices with cameras will be able to scan a tag on the bottom corner of a LE BOOK page, transporting users to the corresponding contributor's mobile gallery on lebook.com.

English LeBook Tutorial from LE BOOK on Vimeo.

Keep your eyes pealed for additional ways that people/organizations are using Tags. If you have any questions or comments let us know on this blog or on Twitter.

Microsoft Tag at the Gizmodo Gallery

2009-09-24T02:55:50Z

Microsoft Tag has made it into a couple big events this week. In addition to being featured at Demo this week Gizmodo hosted a geeky gallery in Soho NYC where old and new tech gadgets are on display utilizing Microsoft Tags. Throughout the event Tags have been implemented on place cards next to each item on display—linking the print material to additional digital information. Some of the items in the geek gallery include the Beatles XBOX to the oldest mobile typewriter.

We were thrilled to attend a preview of the event—the Gizmodo Gallery 09 –on Tuesday in New York. Gizmodo has approximately 70 gadgets and gizmos on display in a museum-like setting, ranging from a selection of vintage gadgets to a 3-pancakes-per-minute machine and never-before-seen cutting-edge technology. Below are some quick pics of the displays where Microsoft Tags are being used.

If your inner geek woke up and you want to see a pair of award-winning Thriller Headphones or peer into the Rosetta disk, then head over to the Gizmodo Gallery. Download the Microsoft Tag app to your phone before you go and check it out!

Stay tuned because we’ll have some video of the event posted in the next couple of days. If you have any questions about the event or Microsoft Tag reach out to us on this blog or on Twitter.

Tag & Demo

2009-09-22T23:09:53Z

For Demo this year Microsoft Tag was used heavily to help extend their print materials as well as assist attendees in their introductions to one another.

the picture below show’s the Microsoft Tag’s that were being used with attendees name tags. Each person received one Microsoft Tag for their name tag, allowing other attendees to “snap” their name tag to receive their v-card. Using Microsoft Tag in this manner facilitates conversation and interaction with face-to-face events.

The most interesting part about this project is how Tag can be used to bring people together. So far, many of our stories have been on individuals/companies using Tag on print material however using Microsoft Tag to connect people in a face-to-face setting is extremely powerful. It’s going to be very interesting to see people grasping on to this concept and where they will take it.

If you have any questions about Microsoft Tag or want to get live updates check out our Twitter and Facebook pages.

Microsoft Tag in Printweek.com

2009-09-19T00:05:13Z

The fall of print is well noted but Printweek.com wrote a recent article explaining how Microsoft Tag and other 2D bar codes can help rescue print. They make a simple but great point in comparing the differences of print and online advertising.

“Part of the genius of the internet is the ability to click on a link on one page and to be instantly taken off to something else. It's one of the things that print hasn't been able to offer to date.”

With the release of Microsoft Tag consumers can now take a print articles or advertisements and “snap” a Tag to instantly be taken to something else on the web. Most importantly this kind of technology increases the ROI on traditional media because traditional media can be intertwined to new media through this technology.

One feature of Tag that the article didn’t fully cover is Microsoft Custom Tags.

Custom Tags allow companies and individuals to create a customized design that meets their needs. In addition Custom Tags we have an API available that opens another door of options.

Read through Printweek’s article and for examples on how people are using Microsoft Tag in new ways look through our blog.

Tag in Amsterdam

2009-09-10T20:34:39Z

A dull moment while waiting for the bus? Snap the Tag and be in the know!

In collaboration GVB, Sparked BV, and MINIbar started a pilot at the Central Station in Amsterdam to provide infotainment via a mobile phone. On tram and bus stops at the Station Square travelers with their mobile phone can snap a GVB Tag enabled by "Microsoft Tag". By snapping the Tag they receive free access to specific arrival and departure information, latest news on public transportation, a mobile movie series and art of the day. Three randomly selected people who snapped the Tag will win a €100 euro (about $140) credit to their transportation subscription.

GVB decided to explore this innovative form of communication due to the increasing use of mobile technology with both younger and older consumers who are utilizing public transportation in the Netherlands. GVB is exploring the possibilities and limitations of tagging to inform travelers and will decide on further roll out after the initial project concludes. Sparked and MINIbar helped to develop the solution for GVB.