Microsoft Tags attracting commercial attention

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 17 September 2009 05:28

Opinion and Analysis

"And it's visually exciting. When the consumer snaps a Tag, the phone literally traces the outline of the Tag and turns green when it identifies it - it's like an F-16 locking in on a target before firing," he added.

There's nothing wrong with a nice bit of 'shiny' in an app.

But here's a worrying point: according to Microsoft officials, "Analytical capabilities built into the Microsoft Tag system mean that, as Ford's use continues, it will be able to generate information not only about which of its videos are viewed the most, but also which marketing media - such as in-store posters or newspaper display ads - are the most popular points of origin. This will help Ford to refine its advertising budget for maximum effectiveness."

That really depends on whether you think the point of an ad is to get people to watch the video or buy a car.

Anyway, other users include the Amsterdam transit system (read the Tag at a bus stop to get timetable information), Hardee's (coupons for free extras with Thickburger purchases), LionsGate (temporary Tag tattoos to promote the movie The Gamer), and Procter & Gamble (Tags embedded in a web site. Huh? Why not just click on a link?).

Microsoft has been eating its own dogfood, using Tags to promote Halo Wars for Xbox. That Tag links to Amazon for ordering.

"Microsoft Tag technology is important because the consumer's life is more mobile today than ever before, and this technology extends the traditional marketing relationship to the mobile environment. It lets people interact with the world around them and take advantage of their existing mobile phones in a new way," said Aaron Getz, product unit manager at Microsoft.

Sorry Aaron - you might have the first bit right, but you've failed to convince me that Microsoft Tag does anything for people that QR Code doesn't already deliver.