Tag Archives: Brand Ambassadors

Computer Vision Search: How Can Brands “See” Invisible Fan Photos?

Computer Vision, Image Search | by

    The Power of Skittles: One home-based cookie business shares the fun design idea of another cookie baker who inspires her. How many times will the Skittles logo and packaging be shared without cookie fans feeling like they are advertising?

    Yummy.

    Check out the Skittles cookies that just popped up in my Facebook News Feed. There are no actual Skittles fruit candies in the cookies — though I personally think that would be an improvement. The Skittles logo and brand packaging are what’s celebrated here.

    This is a classic case of a passionate unpaid brand ambassador sharing her love for her favorite candy. But what’s fascinating from a marketing perspective is that nowhere in the original photo from Karen’s Cookies is there any mention of Skittles. We just see them — in super duper enlarged form — and its famous advertising slogan “Taste the Rainbow.”

    When the picture is shared by another mom-owned cookie business, Sinful Squares, Skittles are mentioned in the caption. If Skittles were to do a traditional text search for all its brand photos on Facebook, it would easily find the second photo, but never see the first (the more important one since Karen is the “pioneer” advocate).

    With computer vision, it is possible for brands to “see” what’s inside of the billions of photos shared on Facebook, which just announced a major redesign of its News Feed to make its picture display larger and more prominent.

    Unless there is a special contest or incentive, most consumers don’t bother to tag pictures with the names of brands or products. They genuinely love their favorite brands, for sure, but it seems like “work” or an artificial gesture to type in the names.

    A similar case is this viral photo of an amazing wooden sculpture of Pearl Drums. Very few people bother to mention the “Pearl” name when they share this pic with their social networks.

    Tree Trunk Music — This rustic tribute to Pearl Drums has made a huge splash on Facebook.

    Brands interested in finding their true number of social network ambassadors need to consider these untagged photos that won’t show up in a traditional search.  Pongr’s computer vision technology can be used as a visual search engine for brands to find their logos, packaging and products in photos shared across the Web.

    Have you seen any brands make any fun cameos in your friends’ photos lately?

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    (Pongr’s computer vision technology and mobile Photo Response Marketing platform 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.)

    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.

      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.

        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?
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          (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.)

          Election Recap: How Brands Counted Your Vote Through Humor, Coffee and Pepperoni

          Advertising | by

            7-Eleven embraced the political season to sell donuts and coffee — without alienating any customers.

            If the country is even as half as polarized as the pollsters would have you believe, some of you are ecstatic today and some of you are extremely depressed about the 2012 presidential election results. Making 50 percent of your customer base upset or angry is never a desirable marketing goal, which is why you’ll rarely see politics infused into brand advertising.

            However, timing is still everything and there is enormous wisdom in trying to become part of the water cooler conversation that’s naturally happening at any given moment. Here’s how five brands cleverly inserted themselves into the political dialogue this year without alienating any customers:

            7-Eleven coffee drinkers preferred Barack Obama in the 7-Election.

            1. 7-Eleven — The moment customers walked in the door at 7-Eleven convenience stores, they were hit with retro political-style signage for specials of the week. The above mini-donut ad makes a compelling pitch that “Your Decision” for snacks is just as vital as the choice you make for the next Leader of the Free World.

            Perhaps 7-Eleven’s most famous election-themed promotion is its “voting” coffee cup. For the past few elections, customers could choose a cup with the names of the Democratic and Republican nominees. The math is simple. The candidate with the most coffee cups sold wins the 7-Election.

            The Barack Obama Coffee Cup just beat out the Mitt Romney Coffee Cup by a 59-41 percent margin (Check out how the coffee cup election broke down in your state!)

            In addition, the convenience store chain also introduced a Purple for the People Vanilla Slurpee, making the not-so-subtle point that Americans should not view themselves as being from “Red States” or “Blue States,” but rather one blended nation. And in a special online coupon, Doritos were presented as the Slurpee’s perfect “running mate.”

            2. JetBlue — It’s called “Election Protection” and it’s the quirky airline’s pledge to give away 1,006 roundtrip tickets (equal to 2012 seats) to disgruntled voters whose candidates didn’t win. JetBlue is gently poking fun at the usually unfulfilled threat to move out of the country if so-and-so candidate wins. On the official Election Protection Map, both Democrats and Republicans said they’d prefer to flee to the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Turks & Caicos, St. Maarten and Grand Cayman — naturally, all JetBlue destinations.

            Maxine for President — Hallmark’s senior citizen character tells it like it is, making fun of all sides of the political landscape and life in general.

            3. Hallmark — As the greeting card company’s “self-appointed Queen of Crabbiness,” Maxine makes the ultimate presidential candidate for voters fed up with the entire system. Fans could purchase “Maxine for President” bumper stickers and political buttons in the same display racks as her greeting cards.  Mirroring traditional candidates, she also chronicled her positions on an official campaign blog.

            Pizza Hut tried to infuse itself — and some humor — into the Obama-Romney debates.

            4. Pizza Hut — President Bill Clinton was once infamously asked by an MTV reporter if he preferred boxers or briefs, and since then the underwear question has morphed into even sillier arenas. This fall, Pizza Hut offered to reward a free pizza every week for the next 30 years to any voter who asked President Obama or Mitt Romney whether they preferred sausage or pepperoni during their town hall style debate at the University of Miami.

            Although a barrage of criticism convinced Pizza Hut to back off from the bounty offer, some PR experts believe that the publicity stunt was a brilliant move.

            Barilla Pasta rebuilds the White House in its own image.

            5. Barilla — Pasta companies usually stay out of the political fray, unless something unimaginable happens like a trade embargo on Italy. Barilla had a bit of fun with its Facebook fan base on Election Day by imagining 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the form of ziti and linguine. As one fan noted, there’s nothing to fight about when it comes to yummy pasta!

            (Pongr helps brands bond with their fans over special events and moments, whether it be election season, a concert series or the Super Bowl. Learn more about how the Pongr Photo Marketing platform can work for you).

            The True Universal Language

            Advertising, Brand Ambassadors, Brand Loyalty, Image Search | by

              It wasn’t just Pongr that realized the potential in photo response; Korea found the beauty of it, as well.

              Shopping magazines conveniently located inside the trains.

              Home shopping has never been easier in Korea. Magazines are delivered to homes carrying hundreds of photos of products that range from clothing to groceries. These magazines are accessible on trains, as well. Internet shopping has spread so rapidly in Korea; photos are the most crucial part of its growth. Kakaotalk, a Korean smartphone chatting application, created ‘Plus Friends’ that users add to their chat list to receive photos or discounts for a ‘Plus Friend’ brand.

              Gangnam’s media pole

              Korea’s sophistication level of using photos to market products is very high and very convincing. Picture taking has been integrated to almost every electronic product in the country. Gangnam, the city referenced in the song Gangnam Style, has dozens of tall black media poles with large touch screens where people can get transportation information, directions using digital maps, provides free Wi-Fi and even takes pictures of those who are standing in front of the poles. These pictures can be shared online, e-mailed or sent to a personal mobile device.

              Photos are efficiently used in Korea for almost every occasion and the integration is recognized as a powerful way to market a product because there is no need for translations or interpreters. It is a universal language that everyone can understand.

              At Pongr, we believe that photos can attract more visits to a blog, more buyers to sellers and more fans to a product. We provide the perfect universal playground for brands and fans to have fun while getting to know each other on another level. Pongr will allow you to have a deeper conversation with your fans without any language barriers.Visit www.pongr.com to experience the visual playground we share with thousands of fans.

              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.

                Pictures Are Worth a Thousand Brands

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

                  Ever wondered where your favorite make-up guru got her mascara? Stumbled upon a Facebook photo of a beautiful nail polish shade and wanted to know what it was?  Went out for Fashion Night Out and wanted to ask everyone where they got what they were wearing?

                  What if we told you that you could get information on items from the photos you saw online?

                  They say pictures are worth a thousand words, but now, it’s worth a thousand brands. No more asking around where that random user got that shiny bracelet in the photo they took. Pongr will tell you what kind of brands are out there, where the items were bought and what they are is called.

                  Word of mouth? Correction, word-of-mouth marketing.

                  It’s simple as snapping a photo, tagging the brand and clicking submit to earn points for rewards and answering all those questions of where you got it and what it is called.

                  For those of you who participated in Fashion Night Out last night and went through the pain of wondering what people were wearing or simply wanted to share the glamorous styles of the global event, Pongr your photos and hashtag #FashionNightOut2012 and check out what shined the fashion streets of SoHo and fashion cities all over the world.

                  The New Face of Marketing

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

                    In a recent article for the Harvard Business Review, Bill Lee makes the claim that traditional marketing is dead. It’s quite a proclamation, and he backs it up with several studies that confirm things like the relative lack of influence traditional marketing has on buyers’ decisions, as well as the apparent disillusionment of many CEOs with traditional marketing spending versus sales results. We still think traditional marketing has its place, but tight integration with newer, more social marketing tactics is definitely the future.

                    Lee posits that what may be creeping in to replace traditional marketing is a return to what he calls “community marketing”—companies empowering brand advocates to promote the product using social channels. For consumers, this “approximate[s] the experience of buying in their local, physical communities,” by applying the trust inherent in social networks to buying decisions. Community marketing is good for brands, because it makes the search for influencers easier. What better place to look for people to promote and advocate for your product than among people who already use and like the product?

                    Lee also argues that in exchange for helping promote the brand, consumers should be rewarded not with cash prizes or other similar incentives, but with social capital. By allowing brand enthusiasts to build trust and authority within their social network through promoting the brand, companies appeal to our desire to belong to a community and be recognized in that community.

                    Although he doesn’t know it, Lee is describing all the best things about photo response marketing. User-generated content is the most authentic and compelling form of content. Photos, too, are especially attractive and appeal to our universal human desire for authenticity and self-expression. Pongr’s platform lets brands empower their customers to create compelling original content to express their relationship with the brand. Our one-click sharing capabilities give users the opportunity to spread their content throughout their social networks, helping their influence to reach places traditional marketing never could.

                    Even if, like us, you believe traditional marketing still has a place, there’s no denying that integrating traditional with social marketing has become an essential part of running a business. Investing in new media marketing strategies is no longer a choice—it’s a requirement. According to a recent survey by Empathica, 62% of consumers feel brands are not participating sufficiently in online conversations. It’s time for brands to give consumers what they want and take advantage of the power of community marketing by enabling brand enthusiasts to promote the brand through social photos.

                    Photos Make Social Media Social Again

                    Brand Ambassadors, Social Media | by

                      Brands—how much do you know about your Facebook fans? I mean, really know? You know how many you have, you can see how and when they interact with your content, but what else can you say about your fans? How many use your product on a daily basis, or how many wish they could? Which ones clicked “like” on your page two years ago and then forgot about you entirely, and which ones remain devoted brand enthusiasts who proudly advocate for your brand and spread word of mouth via their own personal profiles?

                      Chances are, most brands can’t answer these questions. A new like or follow doesn’t tell brands much about the users themselves, and this makes it very challenging to engage with fans on the personal, one-to-one level that social media promises. As a result, lots of brands have resorted to simply blasting their message on Facebook and Twitter, and they’re a bit lost when it comes to personalized, individual engagement with fans.

                      Victoria Ransom points out this challenge in her latest blog post for AdAge today. She proposes that brands need to implement systems to aggregate and analyze social data in order to be able to create highly personalized interactions with consumers. Of course, this is exactly what makes Pongr’s photo response management tools so great.

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