Smack!Down 2009 App Demo #2 - Microsoft Tag
I love MS's new implementation of tag technology, and there is so much you cam already do with the new Microsoft Tag that you, well, just can't with std QR Codes.
Firstly it's pretty hard to find tag reader applications for phones to read 1 or 2D barcodes. For the MS tag simply point your phone (WinMo, iPhone, Blackberry, Symbian S60) to http://gettag.mobi download the application. Of course on the iPhone you'll have to get it from the App Store.
Done!
To create tags, head over to Microsoft Tag website, login with your LiveID (you'll have to create an account initially), and create to your hearts content.
There are 4 tag types you can create:
1) Dialler - save a phone number and the tag scanner will be prompted to dial this number directly from reading the tag. This is great for service and support options. If you sell a product, simply place a tag sticker on the product which directs users to dial your service dept without needing to remember a number etc.
2) Contact details. Scan the tag and you're prompted to save all of the contact details directly onto your phone. The obvious application here is on your business card and resume. Also on product or service catalogues.
3) Plain Text. Scan the tag and your offered a plain text message. This is great for everything from discount coupons to game clues, even simple "how to" instructions for product assembly etc.
4) URL - the most powerful of the four. Pointing a tag to a URL allows content (audio, video) distribution as well as anything you can put on a website. Scan the tag and hear the next track from an artist, or watch a short "how to" video, or even be connected to a prepopulated shopping cart.
As you can see, this is immensely powerful technology from a user perspective, but there's even more for the marketer/merchant/service provider.
Because the tags contain link information, i.e. they direct the phone to content on the web, you can dynamically update the information (e.g. your contact details etc) as it changes, without having to update all of your printed media. So you can tie a tag to a particular service or product, then change the information about that dynamically based on market conditions. Change your phone number? No need to reprint and distribute your business cards. Change the discount on a book? No need to reprint all your billboards and flyers.
You can also assign different tags to different campaigns, then report in real time on those tags. So e.g. You could do a busstop campaign for a movie in two regions, with two tags, then see the relative success of the campaigns, even dynamically change the price in one region to drive up acceptance.
The tags bear a resemblance to QR Codes, however, there are some significant differences:
• The MS tag stores information in colour (although you can now print them in black and white) - this allows you to store more info in the tag, in a smaller size tag.
• The MS tag can be overlaid on another image.
• As mentioned the MS tag stores info on the web. Whilst this does give the benefit of being able to dynamically change infomation, and report on actual scans a lot easier, it does restrict you to phones with Internet access. Actually this isn't as constraining as first thought, as there are a lot more phones with Internet access than phones that can read QR codes. Personally I believe that the dynamic nature of the MS tag far outweighs this constraint.
Currently the MS tag program is in beta, so tags are free to create and report on. Microsoft has yet to release details of how it will charge for the services once it's released.
Definitely download the reader, and create a couple of tags to try out the service.
At the Smack!Down we gave away a phone to the first person whom could install my contact details on their phone. The winner (with an iPhone) had to download the reader, and read a tag onscreen. The while process (about 37secs) was much quicker than bluetoothing, infraredding, or typing in said contact details. Just imagine the power of that to sell beer?
