Signbox has integrated Near Field Communication (NFC) technology into signage to provide a smart poster system named Enlighten
The mobile millennium
There can be no doubt that the purpose of a phone has moved on significantly from the ingenious invention of Alexander Graham Bell in the 19th Century. Back in the days when speaking into the mouthpiece and hearing the sound emerge at the other end seemed like witchcraft, how could they possibly have fathomed the diverse and complex ways mobile communications technology has developed in the new millennium?
The great thing about mobile tech-nology in particular is its versatility; it can be applied to and utilised in nearly all walks to life, adding value and saving time for millions of people every day. And the sign industry is no exception; this clever new technology has not fallen under the radar, with many forward-thinking innovators turning it to the advantage of sign-makers and marketers alike.
Smart Aleck
NFC tags provide a variety of options for brands. Many link them to a website, but they can also go to a discount offer, or link to your twitter feed or Facebook page
One firm that is fully embracing new mobile technology is Signbox. With almost 30 years’ experience, the company prides itself on creative, intelligent signage solutions; most recently, Signbox has integrated Near Field Communication (NFC) technology into its services, and the result is a smart poster system named Enlighten.
Managing director, Mark Bartlett, explains how the technology works: “Everyone is familiar with QR codes; NFC takes it a step forward. With a QR code you have to load an app on your phone or tablet, focus the camera, and scan, and if you’ve ever tried to do it on the move it is quite longwinded. With NFC it’s a quick tap of your phone on the NFC tag, which aren’t expensive, ranging from 30p to £1.
“We are using them with signage and specifically our smart poster system to provide a whole range of experiences that you can take away on your smart device. So rather than seeing an interactive digital sign displaying a loop of video contact, you see a static poster that’s illuminated, which is much cheaper in the first outset. Also, the high-resolution print we can now produce on backlit film really does give superb image quality, probably better than you would get on a high-definition screen.”
Just one tap on the NFC tag can take you to a whole range of multi-media experience depending on where the link goes”
When QR codes first emerged onto the scene a few years ago, I heard many people dismiss them as a gimmick. Unlike this, NFC and the smart posters have a variety of real-life applications, as Bartlett explains: “Just one tap on the NFC tag can take you to a whole range of multi-media experience depending on where the link goes. The easiest way is to link it to a website, but you can do a whole range of things: you could take it to a discount offer, you could link it to your twitter feed, or to your Facebook page to be ‘liked’.
“It can call a number as well; so, for example, if you saw a poster for a taxi company at the end of a night out and were too inebriated to dial the number, one tap of your phone and you would be calling for a taxi.”
Fly into the lead
Signbox has teamed up with Proxama, which provides a marketing platform called TapPoint where marketers can upload all their campaigns and capture data from users
Whilst this may prove useful for those of us who enjoy a few drinks in town, NFC technology has exciting applications for marketers and brands, as well as tipsy end-users. As an example, Statoil ran an NFC-based campaign at Heathrow, with JCDecaux Airport. Taking ownership of the 98-strong Powerpole network, Statoil was the first JCDecaux Airport client to combine NFC mobile technology with outdoor advertising, allowing passengers to use their smartphone or tablet to learn more about the energy company.
Above Heathrow’s Powerpole station, which provides passengers with a free charging service for their mobile devices, is a touch-point that encourages passengers to ‘connect’ by tapping their NFC phone on the chip. Connected travellers are directed to a landing page that wishes them a nice flight, delivers exclusive extra content, and invites them to follow Statoil on Twitter or LinkedIn. The Heathrow Airport location is ideal for this sort of campaign, as JCDecaux Airport’s recent research suggests that the majority of Heathrow business travellers are extremely tech savvy, with 70 percent carrying a smartphone.
Statoil’s campaign adds an extra dimension to JCDecaux’s Powerpole network that provides a much-welcomed service for Heathrow’s passengers”
Commenting on the campaign, Steve Cox, marketing director of JCDecaux Airport, says: “At the swipe of a smartphone, JCDecaux’s network of NFC enabled Powerpoles allows Statoil to interact with the affluent and influential connected audience of Heathrow Airport, offering a richer and deeper brand experience to passengers while they are out of home.
“Statoil’s campaign adds an extra dimension to JCDecaux’s Powerpole network that provides a much-welcomed service for Heathrow’s passengers.”
Indeed, returning to Signbox’s Bartlett, he suggests that this is only the beginning for NFC, as it continues to grow in breadth.
A brave new world: Signbox has been experiencing high levels of interest in its Enlighten NFC-enabled interactive poster system
He continues: “Apple decided to follow a route called Bluetooth Low Energy or BLE, and developed something called iBeacon. Rather than a pull technology, which we prefer in the UK, iBeacon is a push technology that they prefer in the US. So, for example, if you’re walking down the strip in Las Vegas, you may get pinged messages to your phone from all the casinos offering you a free meal if you go in and use their slot machines.
“In Europe we find push technology quite intrusive; we prefer the pull technologies NFC provides. NFC is very strong with Android: all Android phones, Windows phones, and Blackberries are NFC enabled. Apple, interestingly, has just filed for a whole series of patents for incorporating a new type of NFC antenna in their iPhone 6. We’re really hoping when the iPhone 6 comes out in September it will include NFC technology; we think Apple has seen the success Android has had with NFC, and is now going to try and do it better.”
A layered approach
Whilst Bartlett makes a compelling case for the advantages of NFC over any other technology, it is by no means the only option out there.
Augmented reality (AR) is another cutting-edge technology that allows for a digitally enhanced alternative to standard print. With the camera and sensors in a smartphone or tablet, AR can add layers of digital information (videos, photos, sounds) directly on top of print, viewable on your mobile device.
With over 38 million downloads of its app, Layar is one of the leading platforms for augmented reality. It enables advertisers to enrich their wide-format print material with digital experiences without hiring developers or installing software, instead using the Layar Creator tool to build and manage interactive print campaigns. Currently, more than 80,000 publishers use the SaaS product, and according to the firm, there is a strong desire for innovation in print.
(Above and below) Statoil ran an NFC-based campaign at Heathrow, with JCDecaux Airport, installing a touch-point that encourages passengers to ‘connect’ by tapping their NFC phone on the chip. Steve Cox, marketing director of JCDecaux Airport, says the NFC campaign allows Statoil to interact with the affluent audience of Heathrow
While many of the users will be commercial printers or magazine publishers (SignLink has used it in the past to augment our front cover in our big May special edition for the Sign and Digital UK exhibition), a growing number are coming from the sign and wide-format print industries, as the demand for interactive posters and billboards expands. If you are interested in learning more about the best ways to use AR, you can register for the free ‘Layar for Advertisers’ webinar, dedicated to explaining how you can create unforgettable advertisements that really stand out.
We’re fairly sure smart posters are going to be the way forward, but our vision is also very much with NFC in signage”
Whichever platform or development you opt for, nobody can deny the increased dominance of mobile technology in our everyday lives. Indeed, as the younger generation continue to use the technology on an increasingly regular basis, it provides marketers with additional, data capture benefits.
Signbox’s Bartlett explains how here are various marketing platforms about that can help a brand harness this data for its own benefits: “We’ve teamed up with Proxama, who provide a very good marketing platform called TapPoint. This allows marketers to have an online platform where they can upload all their campaigns; it provides a good return-on-investment, as they can see who is tapping, where they’re tapping, and what the demographics are. This can all obviously be used as a powerful tool for marketing in the future.”
Summing up, Bartlett remains certain that NFC technology is the way forward for interactive wide-format print and signs. Indeed, he believes that soon there will come a tipping point, where everybody moves to using NFC over any other crossmedia.
He continues: “We have been looking at the technology for over two years, and with the penetration of the market in terms of Android mobiles, it is really starting to gain presence.
“We’re fairly sure smart posters are going to be the way forward, but our vision is also very much with NFC in signage. The applications are endless; just one example is using it on a simple fire instructions notice on the back of a hotel door. Having tapped the NFC code when in your room, you will then have all the information on your phone wherever you are in the hotel.”
Whether it is going to save lives remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that signage crossmedia is the future. Considering the significant part smart phones now play in most peoples’ lives, it is not something that can be ignored, however hard you try. Yet with the growing number of technology companies queuing up to ease your entry into the sector, there is no reason why you should shy away of it. Indeed, if you can get ahead of the game on this before it becomes old hat, there is no telling where this new-fangled witchcraft may take you.
