Photo Finish: The Joy of Sharing “Ugly” Running Pics

Photo Sharing, Social Media | by

    Pretty in Pink? The camera doesn’t always capture smiles — especially when there are none to capture. (via Seriously Ugly Race Pics)

    It’s Boston Marathon day and be prepared for your Facebook and Twitter feeds to be flooded with race pics. Photo sharing from runners is actually a weekly happening, as it seems that every 5K and 10K these days is covered (by mobile photography) like it is the Olympic Games.

    We’ve got running on the brain today because the Boston Marathon Finish Line is mere steps away from the Pongr office.

    In the spirit of the Marathon, we’d like to give a shout out to Erica and Stacy, two New York running buddies who collect unflattering running photos for their hilarious blog, “Seriously Ugly Race Pics.”

    They’re not making fun of people’s looks. Rather, they’re showing a more realistic portrait of their fellow runners in action. Their human peers who are more likely out of breath or grimacing instead of smiling for the photographer. Though they don’t outright say it, the popularity of their blog seems to be a backlash to the “Ridiculously Photogenic Guy” meme that captures New York runner Zeddie Little in a state of bliss.

    Not a Hair Out of Place — The “Ridiculously Photogenic Guy” instantly became a meme. C’mon, you can find him! (Double click to enlarge).

    “Used For Stock Photo in Picture Frames, No One Replaces It,” one Internet wiseguy wrote, capturing the reality that very few of us look attractive while exercising.

    Meanwhile, if you happen to be in Boston today, you might find some runners and spectators a little too eager to be photographed — such as these exhibitionists wearing nothing but giant Solo cups.

    Drinking and Running Don’t Mix: Boston Police have issued warnings to local colleges to keep their students in line while cheering on Boston Marathon runners. The world famous race route goes by several campuses. (Source: BostInno.com)

    Our friends over at BostInno are reporting that area colleges have been warned by police to keep their students in line while celebrating the Marathon. The race route snakes through the campuses of Boston University, Boston College and Wellesley College, providing the most enthusiastic fans these runners could ever ask for.

    BostInno has a creative suggestion for students to channel all that passion.

    “The safest bet would be to pull a Wellesley College and kiss along the Boston Marathon route instead of drink.

    Every year, the ladies of Wellesley go out to the 13th mile’s “Scream Tunnel” to cheer on the runners with signs that read things like, “Kiss me, I’m unemployed.” Who cares about getting a beer buzz when you could be receiving 50 sweaty smooches from a marathon runner instead?”

    Hey, kissing makes for a great photo-op, too!

     

    Dogs in Pantyhose: The Latest Photo Sharing Craze?

    Social Media | by

      HEELS & HOSE — Two dogs rest their feet after a night out on the town. According to Laughing Squid, posing pets in pantyhose is an exploding meme in China. (Pic via Sharp Daily)

      Humor blog Laughing Squid reports that posing dogs in pantyhose is a growing craze in China, where “bored” pet owners are sharing their dress-up photos on Weibo, the popular social media site.

      At first, this seems like an April Fool’s gag, like Pongr’s announcement the other day about our invention of “Snap and Sniff” technology allowing you to smell photos you share through our iPhone App or Android App.

      But is slipping your dog into nylons any crazier than Breading, the practice of framing your cat in whole wheat or rye?

      Taking a peek at Sharp Daily, the Hong Kong site that was one of the first to notice these provocatively dressed pooches, maybe this is slightly more bizarre.

      NICE LEGS!  Hong Kong’s Sharp Daily Website collects their favorite dogs posing in pantyhose. (Double Click to Enlarge Image)

      Here’s betting that the next time a Victoria’s Secret or Frederick’s of Hollywood catalog hits your mailbox, your dogs will be running in the opposite direction.

      Pantyhose for Pooches: A possible new market for the hosiery industry? (Source: Sharp Daily)

      In the name of fashion, something that we at Pongr care deeply about, PLEASE don’t try this at home!

      (What’s your favorite picture sharing meme? Drop us a line at darren@pongr.com)

      Clash of the Photo Sharing Titans: Instagram and Twitter are Fighting Over You

      Brand Photo-Sharing Games, Social Media | by

        Headline writers are having fun with the new social media war between Facebook-owned Instagram and Twitter.  Consider these gleeful plays on words:

        Instagram announced yesterday that it turned off its integration with Twitter Cards, the feature that allows third party photos and videos to be embedded directly in a Tweet.

        Twitter announced the break-up on its Status blog:

        The move essentially results in Instagram sabotaging the quality of millions of its shared photos to force users to its mobile Instagram.com site. Instagram founder Kevin Systrom defended the move in a company statement:

        “A handful of months ago, we supported Twitter cards because we had a minimal Web presence. We’ve since launched several improvements to our website that allow users to directly engage with Instagram content through likes, comments, hashtags and now we believe the best experience is for us to link back to where the content lives.”

        Translation: Twitter is Facebook’s enemy, so it is now Instagram’s enemy, too.

        Twitter is reportedly already working on its own set of photo filters so users won’t need to use an outside app. Mashable is among the loudest voices mourning the showdown between the two Internet icons:

        “Whatever the behind-the-scenes machinations, the upshot for us — the hundred million Instagram users, the hundred million-plus active Twitter users — is that social media became a little less cozy,” Chris Taylor writes. “What was once a tightly-knit web of popular services that seemed almost agnostic about where you shared stuff is starting to drift apart.”

        Melodrama aside, we see this war as affirmation that the marketing value of photo sharing is now more powerful than ever. Facebook and Twitter are now formally fighting over pictures of you, your girlfriend/boyfriend, your vacation photos and artsy snapshots.

        Being no stranger to mass-scale photo campaigns for brands, we believe your mobile photos are worth fighting for.

        That being said, sometimes we shutterbugs take ourselves and our snapshots a bit too seriously. In case you missed it, check out this hilarious spoof of Instagram’s photo sharing culture by CollegeHumor.com:

         (Where do YOU fit in the rapidly evolving world of photo marketing? Find out by downloading our free eBook, “The Ultimate Field Guide to the Photo Sharing Universe.”)

        Thirsty for Football: Pepsi serves up Carolina dreams in a can

        Brand Ambassadors, Featured Posts, Pongr Contests, Social Media | by

          Panther Power — Diehard Carolina fan Tony Carter is going to his first NFL game thanks to his lucky entry in the Pepsi Snap It/Send It Sweepstakes.

          North Carolina native and lifelong football fan Tony Carter has a good reason for rooting for the Cowboys and Steelers instead of the Panthers when he was a kid. His beloved team didn’t yet exist.

          But since the Carolina Panthers’ inaugural NFL season in 1995, Carter has made a religious pilgrimage every Sunday to any TV available. As a career soldier, most of those games were enjoyed on U.S. Army bases spanning from Kentucky to Germany.  Seeing the Panthers in person never really was an option.

          “I’m pure Carolina. I love the UNC Tar Heels and I love the Panthers,” says Carter, now retired. “Even when I’ve been overseas, I’ve stuck with them.  Game Day always means being with friends, family and fellow soldiers.”

          Thanks to a chance encounter with a case of Pepsi at his local Wal-Mart, Carter will be spending his next Game Day — Sunday, November 11th — at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium to watch the Panthers take on the Denver Broncos. Through December 9, Pepsi is giving away four tickets to each of the remaining home games in its Carolina Panthers Snap It/Send It Sweepstakes.

          “You know, I’m going to be 49 years old soon and this will be my first actual chance to go to an NFL Stadium. I’m really excited!” says Carter, who plans to bring his nephews Mark and Aaron along with a yet-to-be determined family member. “Even though the team is only 2-6 right now, I’m still optimistic. If the Panthers can play like they did last Sunday (a 21-13 victory over the Redskins), I think they have a chance to make the playoffs.”

          The Pepsi/Carolina Panthers Snap It/Send It Photo Sweepstakes                                                          (click on the picture for more details)

          To enter the Carolina Panthers Snap It/Send It Sweepstakes, fans need to photograph the Pepsi and Panthers logos together on specially marked 18-packs of Pepsi and email or picture-text the photo to Panthers@Pongr.com. The promotion is being powered by Pongr, a mobile photo marketing company that turns consumer packaging and in-store displays into immediate direct-response opportunities for shoppers.

          In addition to activating CPGs, other Pongr mobile promotions reward fans for taking pics of brand media spotted in stores/restaurants, television commercials/programs, movies, print advertising, bus kiosks and billboards. Pongr’s image recognition platform also automatically distinguishes multiple brand logos in the same photo, instantly sending back winning codes or encouraging “try again” messages for correct and incorrect entries.

          Specially marked 18-packs of Panther Pepsi (Double click to learn more).

          At the game, Carter plans to keep his eye trained on wide receiver Steve Smith, a “die-hard team player who always makes incredible plays.”

          “Smith always seems to pull off the impossible. I’m always wondering ‘Wow, how did he leap up and catch the ball with one hand?” he says.

          Carter adds that he had no idea about the contest until he saw the Pepsi display at Wal-Mart.

          “All I did was take a picture of my Pepsi and I got a phone call a few days later. I had forgotten all about it,” he says. “I’ve been in all kinds of contests but have never heard a thing back. I once won 50 bucks on a lottery scratch ticket and bought myself a tank of gas. But I’ve never won anything as cool as this!”

          Halftime Refreshment: Pongr contest entrant Lynn C. had some fun with her Pepsi and the menacing Carolina Panthers logo.

          (Are you a Carolina Panthers fan interested in a chance to win tickets to the Nov. 18 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Click here for more details).

          Brand Experience: Sharing Is Caring

          Brand Ambassadors, Brand Loyalty, Mobile Marketing, Shopper Marketing, Social Media | by

            Every store of every brand is different. The Apple Store on 5th Avenue isn’t quite the same as the one on Newbury Street in Boston. It goes the same for any food or beverage chains; the Starbucks in Seattle isn’t identical to the ones at the airport. Different stores give customers a different experience.

            A photo taken with the male model in front of Hollister’s 5th Avenue location.

            If you’ve ever walked down 5th Avenue in Manhattan, it’s a street full of every brand you can possibly think of. There are thousands of people walking up and down that one avenue, in one day and even so, people remember to stop in front of their favorite store and take a snapshot of that moment.

            Pongr isn’t just a social media platform, it’s somewhere you can have fun with the pictures you take, visually share what you love about your favorite brands and share your experience at different stores of various brands.

            Stores like Uniqlo have limited locations in the U.S., mostly focused in New York City. Johnny Cupcakes is another clothing store that is limited to the East Coast and only one location in Los Angeles, California. Each store has its unique atmosphere and some brands even launch limited promotions in different areas.

            A band playing live jazz at one of the Uniqlo stores.

            Through Pongr, not only do users enjoy uploading pictures and earning points, but also can share a personal experience of a brand or store that is exclusive to their memory. By sharing various photos of products or stores, users can gain information about sales, themes and limited edition products. On the Pongr website, there is a location function that identifies where the photo was taken, helping users locate which store has what specific product.

            Pongr a photo of your favorite store, shop or product. It could be a photo of a Starbucks mug that’s exclusive to your city, photos of a flagship store or even a limited edition product that you want to share. Head over to www.pongr.com to share your experience.

            Everything in one, all in your pocket

            Advertising, Brand Ambassadors, Mobile Marketing, Social Media | by
              The iPhone 5

              The new Apple iPhone 5 in black and slate.

              There’s a new kid in town: the iPhone 5. The newly added features have people talking and more excited than ever. Among the many features, we’re most excited about the enhanced mobile camera. Now with the iPhone 5, you can take higher-resolution photos, photos in darker areas, and panoramic photos without a separate application. Apple even integrated a function that allows photos to be shared on Facebook directly without launching the app. The screen is 176 pixels taller, so you can see even more. With a metal back instead of glass, the durability of the iPhone 5 enables mobile phone photographers to take pictures with less fear of the heartbreaking drop-and-shatter.

              Smartphones, like the iPhone 5, have freed the public of carrying around different digital devices and combined it to one, making everything mobile. Now it’s even lighter to carry around. For any smartphone, each upgrade presents a camera with higher definition. Why are companies so focused on enhancing the camera function on a mobile phone?

              With all the fast-paced changes in the world, people don’t have the time or patience to carry around a phone and a camera in their pocket. Now with all the mobile applications and social media platforms, photos have become such a big part of everyone’s life. Photos can show a perfect day or years and years of memories. In order to capture that moment, people need a good camera in hand. Nowadays, the quality of camera phone photos are good enough to even frame on walls. The public needed something that could make photo-taking convenient and smartphones have achieved just that.

              For those of you who have smartphones or camera phones, we want to invite all of our users to face the mirror with your phone, tag the brand and share them on www.pongr.com. We want to see the ones responsible for all those wonderful photos on Pongr!

              How to Make the Most of Your Phone’s Camera

              Mobile Marketing, Shopper Marketing, Social Media | by

                In this day and age there is no shortage of camera apps for smartphones. From Instagram to DMD Panorama, you can capture the perfect shot and show it off on Pongr. Here are some useful tips to make the most of your phone’s camera.

                Stick to the basics at first. 

                A clean photo always looks good.

                Unless you are going for a panorama, always take your photos with the phone’s basic camera app. We hate to admit it, but apps occasionally crash. The likelihood of the basic camera app crashing while you snap a few shots is far smaller than a photo app crashing during the editing stages. Plus, shooting without any filters allows you to focus on framing the subject.

                Speaking of framing, keep in mind that some applications confine images to specific dimensions. Instagram, for example, saves photos as squares. Beware of the black bars that can appear if your photo is too wide. To remove them simply zoom in, but remember that the same area will be removed from the left and right sides of the photo. Once you are satisfied with the photos you have taken move on to editing.

                Then bring on the filters. 

                Simply increasing the contrast can make a big difference in a photo.

                One of the most exciting aspects of using a photo application is applying the filters. There are dozens of filters out there, but how do you choose which one is best for a particular photo? Sure, you can just click through them and see which one you like, but there is a better method. When taking your photo envision the final image. This a tip all photographers receive. Think about which colors you want to accentuate. What tone do you want the photo to have? Do you want it to be warm or cold? Should you increase or decrease the contrast?

                The key here is practice. Pickup your phone, set your sights on a subject, and shoot. Aim to make choices that will create a dynamic and eye-catching photo. Try different angles, lighting, and positioning of the subject. Then complement the photo with some nifty filters and Pongr away.

                Photo Taking: The Universal Behavior

                Brand Ambassadors, Mobile Marketing, Social Media | by

                  Even though this K-Pop music video has gone viral within days, not many people can produce high quality videos.

                  Who here hasn’t seen Gangnam Style? It’s everywhere: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, MTV Awards and even on Ellen. The hilarious K-Pop video went viral within days and now the song is replaying all over the radio. YouTube stars are making their own parodies and sharing them on the web.

                  While there are a handful of people who make high quality videos, quality videos are yet to be created by everyone. It’s hard to do.

                  Creating high quality videos is still harder even in the high-tech world we live in. Brands, professionals and celebrities have enough resources to create a cool video to post online. Many YouTubers express themselves through these high quality videos that go viral within days. That is where a trend starts.

                  A photo taken with Instagram on an iPhone 4.

                  However, trends are maintained differently. Camera phones are easily accessible and now consumers express their own style through photos and hundreds of iPhone and Android photography apps that instantly enhance photo quality. People are searching for ways to take better photos and get more likes on Facebook or more followers on Instagram. Taking photos is now a universal behavior. And, it’s much much easier to create high quality photo content than video content.

                  Products and brands aren’t meant to be one-sided; it should be reciprocal. Through photos, product marketing and expressing individual style has never been easier. Pongr is here to make it faster, simpler and more fun for everyone on the web.

                  Have a favorite brand or product? Pongr your photos and add a little Gangnam Style to it – or maybe even your own – and share it with the brands you love and the friends you like.

                  Pongr Fashion Week… With Style

                  Brand Loyalty, Recent, Social Media | by

                    As we welcome fall, New York welcomes worldwide fashionistas to 9 fabulous days of celebrating the brands that help the world play dress-up everyday. From the 5th to the 13th, Fashion Week will attract the world’s attention, but is known to be an exclusive engagement among the people who are well-known in the field.

                    The expansion of the Internet and social media has brought out a surprising number of creative individuals who love fashion and are known for their unique style. Many people show their love for fashion and New York’s Fashion Week through blog posts, pins and videos.

                    A case study of New Zealand’s Fashion Week found that 70% of the attendees first heard about the event through social media platforms, according to Mark Carbone. Carbone also states that there was up to 22,000 people who actively engaged in social media even 2 weeks before Fashion Week started.

                    Photos bring together those who are near and far, no matter where they are. It’s not just among people; people can also connect with brands through photos. This interaction with consumers will not only promote the events throughout Fashion Week, but also increase future business relationships.

                    Now, imagine Fashion Week extending to Boston, Chicago or even Shanghai.

                    Brands should maximize the value of consumer behavior by inviting them to engage with photos of their favorite brands. This would deepen the relationship with consumers and even broaden the stage of Fashion Week. Pongr would provide the perfect platform of making Fashion Week a nationwide and furthermore, a worldwide event.

                    What are some must-have items for this fall? Snap a photo of your favorite brand or item and share it with us! We invite you to Fashion Week, Pongr style.

                     

                    Embracing Visual Social Media

                    Brand Loyalty, Mobile Marketing, Social Media | by

                      In a recent article for Fast Company, Ekaterina Walter took note of something we’ve been talking about for quite a while now. Social media has become increasingly visual, with photos taking center-stage as the most shared and most talked about form of content. This trend is more than just a passing fad, and brands need to make photos an integral part of their marketing strategies. As Walter puts it, “pictures have become one of our default modes of sorting and understanding the vast amounts of information we’re exposed to every day.”

                      The prominence of images makes total sense in the evolution of social media. Dr. William J. Ward, Social Media professor at Syracuse University, points out that it all started with blogs, the earliest form of social networking online. “When we moved to status updates on Facebook, our posts became shorter,” he says. “Then micro-blogs like Twitter came along and shortened our updates to 140 characters. Now we are even skipping words altogether and moving towards more visual communication.”

                      It’s easy to take high-resolution photos with a mobile device, and photos are very popular on social media sites.

                      Walter notes that this move towards visual social media has to do with our overwhelming preference for mobile devices. Some studies have placed the percentage of people in the U.S. who access the Internet using their mobile handsets as high as 78%, in comparison to only 68% using a desktop or laptop computer. With mobile phone camera resolutions getting better and better, it’s much easier to snap a photo and post it to a social profile than to “[type] out a status update on a two-inch keyboard.”

                      This strong affinity for visual media among consumers makes the path clear for brands in terms of marketing. Encouraging users to take and submit their own photos is both a fun way to get consumers engaged with the brand as well as a useful way for brands to collect valuable earned media that can be used for marketing purposes on social media and beyond. Photo contests foster creativity and self-expression and help consumers to develop a strong, lasting relationship with the brand.

                      The crucial takeaway from an article like Walter’s is that this is an important trend that isn’t going away anytime soon. Brands need to embrace their customers’ fascination with images and incorporate photos into marketing strategies. Walter concludes her article by asserting that “brands that can rock visual media will find themselves market leaders.” We couldn’t agree more.

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