Taking User-Generated Content By The Horns

Advertising, Computer Vision, Direct Response Campaigns, Image Recognition, Mobile Marketing, Photo Sharing | by

    The Pongr site features user-generated images on a day to day basis.

    You walk into a store, see a pair of sneakers you love, try them on, buy them, snap a picture, and share it across many of your favorite social networks. Sound familiar? I’m sure we’ve all done something along the lines of this, whether it is clothing, food, or literally anything else. We are living in a time when pictures speak louder than words, and are pleasing on the eyes too.

    This user-generated content is priceless to us here at Pongr, just as it should be to every brand out there. Brands are finally taking advantage of the authenticity that is coming through social networking channels, and using it as a way to connect with new and existing consumers. When a consumer has the opportunity to participate in a brand’s community and create their own content, it opens up a level of trust and communication that cannot be reached through one way advertising.

    Crowdsourcing campaigns are being launched left and right by big brands, calling on the consumers to get involved, whether it be by sending in pictures, videos, stories, or simply voting on something.

    This is a big trend currently in the food industry, seen in brands like Pepsi, Doritos, and most recently, Taco Bell. “Feed the Beat: SXSW 2013” is Taco Bell’s new campaign, working to leverage user-generated content with Twitter and Vine. Taco Bell is calling upon its fans to share photos and videos of themselves enjoying live music in order to create a “Rockumentary.”

    The ideas for these crowdsourcing campaigns are endless, and are becoming an increasingly normal habit in today’s media driven world.

    Here at Pongr, we work on many user-generated photo campaigns, such as the recent UNREAL Candy “Unjunk Your 2013 Sweepstakes.” All that participants had to do was email or picture text a photo of UNREAL Candy for a chance to win a $10,000 shopping spree at Target. (Check out the UNREAL photo gallery here.)

    Pongr user Ariel M. shows off her favorite UNREAL Candy!

    With Pongr’s image recognition technology, we are able to take this user-generated content to the next level by offering direct response photo marketing built especially for brands. It’s as easy as snapping a pic of your favorite brand, sending it in, and immediately getting a response from that brand with information about a contest or a promotion. This direct response technology allows users to truly feel the love from brands they are using on a daily basis, while allowing brands to receive vital information about their consumers, all at the same time.

    Wouldn’t you like to get a response from one of your favorite brands about a picture you posted on the web? Well, at Pongr, we make that possible.

    **
    (Pongr’s mobile Photo Response Marketing platform and image recognition technology helps brands turn any of their existing logos, CPGs, visual media and advertisements into an always-on direct response program – and integrates brand photo contests to their CRM. Check out Our Story.)

    Shopper Marketing Opportunity: Speed Dating at Walmart?

    Shopper Marketing | by

      Dating in the Shopping Aisles — A new informal study by Psychology Today finds that more people are experiencing (and losing) love at first sight in supermarkets, convenience stores, superstores, gyms, McDonald’s and Wal-Mart. (Double click for a link to the study)

      Psychology Today writer Dorothy Gambrell recently conducted a fascinating study of Craigslist “Missed Connections” posts, those wistful ads where strangers who fell in love with each other without acting on it can make a desperate longshot bid for a second chance. (Of course, these “Missed Connections” can be one-way crushes.)

      Gambrell put her state-by-state findings in map form and the results are surprising:

      • * Walmart is a potential dating paradise, winning over the lonely hearts of Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Florida, West Virginia and Hawaii.
      • * McDonald’s customers in Kansas fantasize a lot over shakes.
      • * Maine, Kentucky, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wyoming shoppers are looking for love at the supermarket, with Connecticut singles discovering special magic at Stop & Shop.
      • * We’re assuming that the Subway romantic moments in New York and Massachusetts refer to public transit and not over $5 Footlong subs with Jared.
      • * Bars are still holding on as meeting spots, remaining dominant in North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Vermont.

      Kissing Ronald McDonald — Is McDonald’s the new spot for romance? According to a Psychology Today study, it is in Kansas. (Picture Source: ThePosse/Photobucket)

      What does this informal data mean for supermarkets and retailers?  Well, it seems that the aisles are ripe for direct response marketing campaigns — as it is clear where the young people are hanging out. (Not to stereotype, but older divorcees tend to lose their hopeless fairy tale romantic notions).

      Maybe there is also a golden opportunity to put a speed dating booth in Aisle 7.

      (Pongr is NOT a dating service. But we are all about relationships. Pongr is the only mobile direct response Photo Marketing platform especially built for shopper marketing, CPGs and brands. Learn more.)

      Cereal Packaging Comes Alive: Brand Mascots Invade Boston!

      Brand Ambassadors, Brand Mascots, Brand Packaging | by

        Brand Enthusiasts Rally for Charity — How many cereal mascots can you name?

        Given our passion for brand logos and making CPG packaging interactive, we were thrilled to see an All-Star cast of breakfast cereal mascots sprint down the street near our downtown offices over the weekend.

        Showing up for duty were Lucky the Lucky Charms Leprechaun, Buzz the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee, Wendell the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Baker, Tony the Tiger (Frosted Flakes), and the Trix Rabbit.

        The team of characters, competing in the Boston Urban Iditarod charity race benefiting the local food bank, were required to pick a theme and push a decorated supermarket shopping cart a total of 5 kilometers to the finish line. Before the race, the event was aiming to collect more than 6 tons of donated canned goods.

        Cereal, of course, does not come in a can. But it makes a fantastic pre-workout snack. These unofficial brand ambassadors were also willing to share the wealth with anyone wanting a healthy carb boost.

        Cereal Shrine — This brand mascot team in the Boston Urban Iditarod charity race got into the full spirit of things by passing out free samples to curious pedestrians.

        From a branding perspective, perhaps the biggest surprise here was seeing a Kellogg’s mascot (Tony) hanging out with a gang of General Mills favorites.  It reminds me of the historic get-togethers of Disney and Warner Brothers cartoons in the movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and the infamous crossover comic books including DC and Marvel superheroes in the same adventure.

        You can check out all the crazy costumes and shopping carts competing this year in photographer Kateryna Odyntsova’s Iditarod Gallery.

        Not Your Father’s Bowling Trophy — The winners of the Boston Urban Iditarod charity race got awards in the shape of canned goods (most donations to the Food Bank) and supermarket shopping carts.

        Have you ever dressed as your favorite brand mascot? Please send your pics to dgarnick@pongr.com.

        The Prehistoric Way to Run Photo Contests (Vs. The Pongr Way)

        Photo Contest Ideas, Photo Marketing Widgets, Photo Sharing | by

          What were photo contests like for your parents? No need to speculate. They looked exactly like this. (Double click to enlarge).

          I’ve been in the process of digitizing my family photo archives, a laborious process of sorting through shoeboxes of tattered prints and slides — but also a journey of AMAZING discoveries. Like the photographic relic above.

          This is what photo contests looked like back in the Summer of 1968. I found this entry form — which I assume was never mailed in — in a box of unorganized slides that hadn’t been touched in at least 30 years. I never even knew this box existed (so go see what your parents might be storing in the attic).

          Here are the steps my father took to take his shot at fame and glory…

          THE PREHISTORIC WAY OF ENTERING PHOTO CONTESTS

          1. Buy slide film at Zayre’s, a discount department store similar to Kmart. (We miss you, Zayre’s!)
          2. Take photos you think will impress the contest judges.
          3. Get slides developed at Zayre’s, which at the time usually took 7-10 days.
          4. Drive to Zayre’s to pick up your pics.
          5. Fill out an entry form and mail it to Minnesota.
          6. Wait by your mailbox for news about the winner.

          I’m always curious about What Might Have Been so I scanned my dad’s scenic entry.

          Did Dad ever win that 1968 Dynachrome Photo Contest? He never found out…. because he forgot to send in his entry!

          It’s not a bad shot. Well framed. Love the juxtaposition of dirt, gravel, asphalt, grass and mountains. I have no idea what his competition might have been, so I’m not going to judge his selection.  But I do know this: Thank Heavens for the Pongr Way.

          THE PONGR WAY OF ENTERING PHOTO CONTESTS
          1. SNAP — Take a pic with your mobile phone.
          2. SEND — Email or picture text to (brandname)@pongr.com
          3. INSTANT GRATIFICATION — Get an immediate direct response by email or text letting you know if you won, are still eligible to win, or you may receive an exclusive offer only for contest participants.

          Make no mistake about it, the Pongr Way is not the way most brands, businesses and bloggers are running their photo contests (yet). Many Facebook and blog-based contests still involve a laborious process — perhaps even as time consuming as the snail mail method.

          Consider all the work that a social media manager must do to currently keep track of photo contest entries and to display them. Photos sent in by email or posted on the Facebook page must be curated, sorted, categorized and constantly updated.

          Pongr’s free Photo Widget tools does all that for you and presents everything in a live streaming gallery that your business would otherwise have to pay a developer to create.

          Check out how Miles High, a start-up organic clothing and lifestyle brand, recently used the Pongr Photo Widgets to automate their fan photos and run an ongoing series of contests.

          In addition to using their Pongr brand page for managing photo contests, businesses can also embed Pongr’s live streaming photo gallery on their own Website using our free customized widget tools.  Double click to sort Miles High fan photos by Most Recent or Most Votes on the clothing company’s embedded Pongr gallery.

          Want to run your next photo contest the Pongr way?  Please drop us a line at dgarnick@pongr.com and share what you’re up to!

          Breaking News: Pongr Acquisition of Israeli Startup Sightec is a “Computer Vision Technology Game Changer”

          Computer Vision, Engineering, Featured Posts, Image Recognition, Image Search | by

            Pongr’s acquisition of Sightec’s computer vision technology will soon impact all of our Photo Response Marketing tools. The new super-resolution technology is capable of detecting images at the sub-pixel level, a leap of 10x current image enhancement results. (Pictured above are Pongr Co-Founders Zach Cox and Jamie Thompson)

            Consumers snap and send photos of their favorite brands with their mobile phones, and instantly receive a direct response with info about a contest or promotion. No need to look under the hood or think about how everything works — or why our computer vision “knows” the difference between one company logo and another. Whether you are a brand or a consumer using Pongr, we usually don’t want you to think about technology.

            But today, for a brief moment, we’re lifting up the curtain.

            In a deal announced this morning by Adweek, Pongr has acquired IP from Israeli startup Sightec, a computer vision R&D lab that has perfected the ability to positively identify images at the sub-pixel level even when the camera is shaky or blurry.   Adweek’s Tim Peterson calls the deal an “adrenaline shot” that boosts Pongr’s already formidable image recognition technology.

            “Sightec’s technology allows for sub-pixel registration which (Pongr CEO Jamie) Thompson explained would let Pongr detect objects in the foreground and background of an image. “Pongr has been good to date at detecting products when they’re deliberate and promotional, but because of sub-pixel registration, we could pick up products in the background,” he said.

             

            “Sightec also brings image stabilization and enhancement technology that could recognize an object in an blurry or Instagram-filtered image, making the ongoing flood of user-snapped photos less of a headache.”

            The Sightec deal adds five more computer scientists to Pongr’s R&D team. Thompson says that Pongr clients will see immediate benefits from the new technology within the next few months.

            Here’s a taste of what brands can expect:

            “Originally developed for military security camera systems, Sightec’s super-resolution technology is capable of improving image quality 10X over typical image enhancement results… This level of detection requires only 3-5 pixels vs. the 400+ required by competitive systems in use today.

             

            “These significant advantages are achieved through Sightec’s mathematical approach to super-resolution, a contrarian position within the field of computer vision. Pongr will be tuning the technology to make it work for brands and products, and adapting the sub-pixel registration capabilities for wide-scale brand image detection.”

            Check out the full text of the Pongr-Sightec announcement below:

            RETURN ON RELATIONSHIP – How to Cultivate Passion Between Consumers and Brands

            Brand Ambassadors, Brand Loyalty | by

              We say we LOVE our Starbucks coffee or LOVE our Converse Kicks.  But are our feelings about brands really like romantic relationships?

              Social media experts Ted Rubin and Kathryn Rose, authors of “Return on Relationship,” believe that how brands and customers relate to one another is exactly like romance.

              Double click to get a copy for yourself.

              You’ve heard of “Return on Investment” or ROI?  Rubin and Rose define “Return on Relationship” or ROR, as “the value, both perceived and real, that is accrued by a person or brand due to nurturing a relationship.”

              The authors say that relationships should be developed in a transparent and honest way in order to get something valuable back from them. They note that as with dating somebody, these bonds take time and cannot be rushed or forced. I’m sure we all know artificial relationships like that usually don’t end very well.

              What I found most compelling about “Return on Relationship” is the discussion on how brands have become all about the consumer.

              “In essence, consumers now own your brand, and if enough consumers say negative things about it, you lose credibility,” Rubin and Rose write. “…When you listen to your consumers as though they are brand owners, you’re showing them respect — and in this social media world, authentic respect is one of the greatest customer experiences we can provide.”

              Social media has created a two-way communication channel between brands and their users. This means that social is not just a way for brands to reach out, but that it is also a place for consumers to give their opinions, feedback, and share their experiences.

              This is exactly where brand advocacy stems from. Brand advocates are the people who admire your company, believe in it, and will back it up without needing to be paid to do so. Brand advocates are crucial to any business, because let’s be honest, there’s no one better to have your back than the people who believe in you the most.

              At Pongr, brand advocates support their favorite brands through the most natural way possible — photo sharing.

              Pongr enthusiast Nancy C. showed her love of Mountain Dew by setting up her cans to say it for her on Valentine’s Day.

              Toning down their romance metaphor, the authors also re-examine what it means to be a “friend” with someone on social media:

              “In today’s digital age, the word friend means (more often than not) that you exchanged a keystroke with someone. When we’re concentrating on developing relationships, however, we need to (in Ted’s words) take back the word friend and add value to it.”

              One person can have a million followers on Twitter or thousands of friends on Facebook, but how strong are those relationships? It’s the conversational and honest engagement with consumers, on a daily basis, across social networks, that will create long lasting connections.

              Facebook itself recognizes this with their “Talking About Us” number on brand pages. It’s no longer about the number of page likes, which is a one-time action that may have been motivated by a discount code or special offer. Talking About Us measures how engaged fans are on an ongoing basis — how often they are liking, sharing and commenting on the daily conversations started by brands.

              Pongr’s direct response technology helps brands and customers feel closer to each other. There are many picture-sharing apps and services out there, but when fans share pictures through Pongr, they receive an instant message back with an exclusive brand offer or call to action.

              We help keep the conversation – or that Return on Relationship – alive and thriving.

              Cups of Opportunity — How Chipotle Restaurants Make Branding Fun

              Brand Packaging, Brand Photo-Sharing Games, Direct Response Campaigns, Featured Posts, Mobile Marketing, Quick Service Restaurants | by

                While eating your burrito or refilling your soda, there’s always plenty to think about at Chipotle.

                When you’re waiting in line at a Quick Service Restaurant for your meal, or dining by yourself because no one in the office can agree on where to grab lunch, there’s always a bit of idle time to fill.

                In the tradition of reading a fun-filled cereal box at the breakfast table, Chipotle copywriters serve up plenty of amusing and interesting tidbits — sharing their brand mission on every soda cup, napkin, bag and wrapper.

                “They say a restaurant could never use mostly naturally raised meat because it’s WAAAAY too expensive & hard to find,” my cup says to me as I’m biting into a steak burrito. “They say that it doesn’t matter how good the ingredients are in quality as long as they can get a big quantity on the cheap… I think they are just trying to keep a good Chipotle down. Keep doing things your way, Chipotle.”

                I love the doodles on the cup. I love the font. I love the messaging. While I’m sipping my drink, I gobble down the entire script much more eagerly than if my server had given me a corporate brochure on sustainable agriculture.

                Captive Audience: Do you always read the entire cup monologue at Chipotle?

                Chipotle napkins brag about recycling with a joke about once being a parking ticket or electric bill and being reincarnated for a greater purpose. The joke reminds me of a classic Sesame Street skit in which game show host Guy Smiley does a “Here is Your Life” bit with an oak tree, introducing him to his furniture offspring.

                Wanting to read more, I ask the cashier if I can please have a clean wrapper without burrito juice seeping through any nouns or adjectives. She’s happy to oblige:

                Mealtime Reading — Double click on the burrito basket wrapper to read the witty Chipotle copy, without any stray sauteed onions obscuring your view.

                Cleverly worded fountain drink cups, place mats and in-store advertising certainly can engage customers when they are a captive audience, but there is always competition. Nearly everyone in line has their mobile phone and thus, no reason to ever look up from their game, Facebook or email.

                Whenever there is engaging brand copy, the Pongr Photo Response Marketing platform can turn any visual media into a direct response campaign. Pongr technology recently was used by Arby’s to power its popular “Snap and Rock” Sweepstakes.

                Arby’s fountain drink cups featured pictures of three rock stars: Trace Adkins, Taio Cruz and The All-American Rejects. Customers chose to photograph their favorite star for a chance to win a VIP concert experience, emailing/texting their pics to Arbys@pongr.com and instantly receiving an entry confirmation as well as a special offer or prize from Arby’s and Pepsi.

                The response to the promotion was overwhelming: Nearly a half million fans submitted more than 660,000 soda cup photos for their shot at glory. Entering the Sweepstakes did not require any special QR codes or pulling sticker labels off the cup — just a snap and send with a cell phone.

                As Chipotle (see our burrito fan photo gallery) continues to demonstrate, you don’t need to put rock stars on cups to grab thirsty people’s attention. But once you have it, Pongr can help bring this engagement to the next level.

                **
                (Pongr’s mobile Photo Response Marketing platform and image recognition technology help Quick Service Restaurants turn any of their existing logos, cups, napkins, place mats and in-store advertisements into an always-on direct response campaign. The Pongr system also integrates brand photo contests with their CRM. Check out Our Story.)

                Cheddar Cheese Manicure? – Check Out the Nails on This Cheez-It Brand Ambassador

                Brand Ambassadors | by

                  The most impressive brand ambassadors are the ones who take their love for a product in an unexpected direction. Check out the artistic skills of this Cheez-It fan, who shared her spirited nail tribute on the Cheez-It Facebook Fan page. The cheddary cracker likeness on her thumbs is uncanny:

                  A Cheddar Manicure? Double click these nails to check out the latest craze at the Cheez-It Facebook page.

                  That’s passion, the same kind of enthusiasm that we’ve been witnessing in our Pongr Cheez-It Fan Photo Gallery.

                  Which brands would you proudly wear on your sleeves — or on your nails?
                  **
                  (Pongr’s mobile Photo Response Marketing platform and image recognition technology helps brands turn any of their existing logos, CPGs, visual media and advertisements into an always-on direct response program — and integrates brand photo contests to their CRM. Check out Our Story.)

                  Brand Mascot Salute – The Android Robot Has Veins of Steel

                  Advertising, Brand Ambassadors, Brand Mascots, Photo Contest Ideas | by

                    Sub-Zero Greetings: Whoever is on mascot duty for our local Verizon Wireless store must be wearing three layers of long underwear today! (Double click to see Pongr’s full Fan Photo Gallery for Android.)

                    You don’t have to be at Disney World to enjoy the perfect photo-op with a costumed mascot. Many consumer brands have characters just as entertaining as this internationally savvy Donald Duck or these loveable superheroes.

                    I never miss an opportunity to snap “action shots” and photograph friends with mascots — recent random discoveries include the Michelin Man and Little Caesar.  The charm of these photos is twofold:

                    1. Seeing a “live” cartoon character in a “real” life setting catches you slightly off guard and is always amusing.
                    2. Because the facial expression of the mascot is always fixed and upbeat, it’s fun to watch the varying reactions of the humans.

                    Unlike most forms of advertising, consumers naturally gravitate to mascots. They want to share these kind of pictures (with no incentives necessary). Doesn’t matter if the character is cheering for a sports team, is promoting dental hygiene or is a walking bottle of laundry detergent, they are all paparazzi magnets ideal for launching photo contests.

                    Which brings us back to the DROID Android whom I saw waving to motorists yesterday in the most brutal New England wintery conditions. These pictures can’t capture the bone-chilling temperatures, which were definitely flirting with zero if you take the wind chill factor into account.

                    Our Unsung Hero Braving the Cold Outside Verizon IM Wireless. (Double click to see Pongr’s full Fan Photo Gallery for Verizon.)

                    I was so excited to see the DROID that I trudged through a three-foot snowbank to see him. The robot’s smile was constant, his posture remained strong and he just exuded a cloud of mobile pride. (We’ve long been paying attention to the Android mascot’s cult following).

                    Memo to the Verizon IM Wireless store that employs this amazing DROID: He (she?) deserves a raise!
                    **
                    See any brand mascots in your world lately? Send us pics at (brandname)@pongr.com.

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