A new marketing campaign for a movie is using camera phones to encourage users to download branded mobile content. Magnet Harlequin''s mobile division, headed up by Scott Seaborn, has created Snap Happy - a service where users take a photo of an advert and MMS it to a server. They then receive mobile content in exchange.

The service is being launched for a sequel to the "Mr Bean" movie which is being released in the UK this week.

All the consumer needs to do when they see a Mr Bean poster with the special Snap Happy logo is to take a picture of the poster using their mobile phone and send it via MMS to Mr Bean''s special mobile number. The Snap Happy technology will automatically identify the type of phone they have and then offer them the appropriate free ring tones, wallpaper or video, all exclusively recorded by Mr Bean.

Picture recognition technology is a real break through for mobile marketing and a valuable addition to the marketing mix. Unlike other technologies that use barcodes or require the consumer to download an application, picture recognition can be seamlessly incorporated into existing campaigns. The technology behind Snap Happy uses an algorithm to match the consumer''s camera phone picture to the promotional image logged on the database - even partial images taken in poor light or at an angle will be recognisable.

Scott Seaborn puts the potential of this technology in context. "In the UK 40% of brands have already used text messaging which has been extremely successful. WAP enabled mobile phones are the second most popular digital device owned by Britons after the PC [2], so we know the potential for this kind of activity is huge."

Magnet Harlequin say that they are experimenting with coupling this technology to GPS (satellite navigation) systems giving brands a true picture of which advertisements are working best for them, and where those ads are located geographically.


Source: cellular-news

Tags:MMS | WAP | GPS