If you have a company website, this is the ultimate marketing tool -- if you don't mind total strangers scanning you with their camera phones. When a cell phone scans an "Extended Identity" T-shirts, it will visit the coordinating website. The shirts feature a datamatrix barcode, known as a “tagâ€. Using a mobile phone camera, a person can take a photo of the tag which is read by software on the phone. From there, it launches a browser and takes you to the website.
The shirt can be customized to link to any website, social networking page, photo, video or music file. That includes Facebook and MySpace, as well as Augme's own profiles which are designed with mobile-viewing in mind.
In Japan, reading barcodes using a mobile phone camera has been common for a long time. There, people regularly access websites and exchange contact information using printed barcodes that can be found in classified ads, on billboards and business cards. Increasingly, barcode-reading software is being installed on mobiles in Europe and North America. That includes the Nokia N93, N93i, N95 and E90. For phones without built-in barcode reading software, a free download is available at Augme.com. The application lets users find free tag-reading software for particular phones.
This is a similar concept to H&M's Semacode:
Wear Your Website
Scan Tshirts With Mobiles
Trend Themes
1. Mobile Barcode Scanning - Opportunity to create innovative mobile apps and software that can read and interpret barcode tags on various products and platforms.
2. Customized Linking - Opportunity to develop customizable tags that can link to any website, social networking page, photo, video, or music file, providing targeted and personalized marketing experiences.
3. Increased Barcode Adoption - Opportunity to develop and promote barcode-reading software for mobile devices as barcode scanning becomes more popular and widespread in Europe and North America.
Industry Implications
1. Marketing and Advertising - Disruptive innovation opportunities for creating new marketing strategies and campaigns based on mobile barcode scanning technology.
2. Retail - Opportunity for retailers to incorporate barcode tags on products to provide customers with instant access to information, promotions, and online platforms.
3. Technology - Opportunity to develop and improve barcode-reading software and mobile applications for a seamless and enhanced user experience.