Brand Photos: Behind the Lens of Image Recognition

Pongr is Exploding With Passion: Behind the Scenes of the Fast Company Photo Shoot

Artificial Intelligence, Image Search, Mobile Marketing, Our Favorites, Shopper Marketing | April 9, 2012 by Darren

Fast Company magazine recently explored Pongr's quest to retire QR code technology and asked CEO Jamie Thompson to demonstrate his feelings. Photo Credit: Jordan Hollender. (Click Jamie's mustache to read full story).

Fast Company magazine never settles for boring corporate headshots and their interview with CEO Jamie Thompson (“Forget QR Codes: Pongr Easily Turns Your Photos into Brand Rewards“) was no exception.

Given our focus on tapping into the power of brand logos and iconic advertising imagery, the action scene above may remind you of the Kool-Aid Man mascot, who is constantly bursting through brick walls and shouting “Oh, Yeah!” whenever there is a distress call from thirsty kids.

However, Fast Company editor Jason Feifer had other inspirations in mind.

“Photo recognition isn’t an easy thing to show in a still image. It’s a process, all done digitally, and any attempt to illustrate it would have come out cheesy,” he says. “So I started thinking that, rather than show Pongr’s business, it should show Pongr’s nemesis—the QR code, an instantly recognizable symbol.”

“We thought about various ways we could have Jamie fighting a QR code—he could be stuffing a big one in a garbage can, setting it on fire, kicking it. But in each of those, I just pictured a guy and a square piece of paper drowning in the photo. They all felt empty. Too much dead space. We needed the QR code to be bigger, badder, something requiring a full-on assault. And from there, the answer was obvious: Jamie needed to be busting through one, high-school-football-player style,” adds Jason.

Jamie met Fast Company photo editor Kathy Nguyen at the Manhattan studios of photographer Jordan Hollender, who was charged with the task of bringing out Jamie’s personality — again, no stodgy corporate stuff.

Pongr's Jamie Thompson with his archenemy, the QR Code! (Photos courtesy of Jordan Hollender)

Kathy had a more daunting challenge. Where do you find a printer to churn out billboard-sized QR codes on short notice? And then how do you prop it up?

Large format printers charge about $300 to $400 per sheet for posters that size. And with the plan being to take multiple poses and shots, the budget wasn’t generous enough to go through props like toilet paper. High school cheerleader pep rally banners were also considered, but most of those open and reseal with velcro and that wouldn’t capture the “torn” look the photographer would be striving for.

The giant barcode you see Jamie burst through is actually nine squares of paper glued together. Originally, the plans were to mount the squares onto foam core board. That image would have stood firm, for sure, but it also would have been impenetrable.

Kathy finally settled for firmly stretching the code like a canvas over a wooden frame.

Saving Jamie from countless headaches and a possible broken nose, the prop stylist cut a small hole in the middle of the code for Jamie to stick his head through and then tear a larger opening.

“The thought was that once we ripped it, we couldn’t go back, so we took baby steps before we let Jamie act like the Incredible Hulk,” says Kathy. “I couldn’t believe how animated he was — such a great model. He really brought his A-game!”

To get the “action” look, Jamie tried his best to get a running start behind the QR code, despite the tight quarters in the studio. At one point, he stumbled through the hole and accidentally caused a larger rip than anticipated.

“We were looking for lots of options so we had him running and jumping the whole time. He was absolutely dizzy by the end,” Kathy says.

Jamie's distaste for QR codes is well known in the image recognition technology universe. (Photos courtesy of Jordan Hollender).

The Fast Company fashion shoot (Did you notice how Jamie is even dressed in the colors of a QR Code) also included poses of the Pongr CEO throwing the shredded code into a trash can and trying to rip apart the remnants like a grizzly bear. Those shots ultimately wound up on the cutting room floor (or whatever magazines call the place they send their outtakes).

“I appreciate his willingness to humor us and keep trying new things. Jamie didn’t need much direction. He kept pushing the boundaries on his own. This was definitely one of my favorite photo shoots,” says Kathy.

Whenever you ask a CEO to act like the Kool-Aid Man, a high school cheerleader and the Incredible Hulk, how could it NOT be?

Etch A Sketch Mania: How One Brand Hit the Political Jackpot

Brand Ambassadors, Featured Posts | March 22, 2012 by Darren

Who would've imagined that the classic Etch A Sketch toy would have an impact on the presidential election?

You want to know the biggest voter demographic in the 2012 presidential election?

Former Etch A Sketch artists.

There must be millions of us. Who DIDN’T play with that fabulous toy as a kid?

What are Republican presidential candidates doing with Etch A Sketch props during their campaign stops this week?

It all started when Mitt Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom told reporters that there would be a different set of issues debated during the general election against President Obama — topics covering different priorities than those shared by social conservatives, who tend to set the agenda in the primaries.

According to NPR, here’s what Fehrnstrom said:

“I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up, and we start all over again.”

So now Romney’s rivals are gleefully pulling out every toy metaphor they can imagine. Gingrich set up a fundraising site with a phony Romney-A-Sketch that changes its political position every time you shake it — essentially a variation of the old flip-flop souvenir (past candidates have given shower sandals away to mock opponents with inconsistent positions.

Newt Gingrich's Etch A Sketch-themed fundraising campaign

And Rick Santorum added to the mockery. Here’s how ABC News reported his anti-Romney toy analogy in San Antonio:

“You win by giving people a choice. You win by giving people the opportunity to see a different vision for our country, not someone who’s just going to be a little different than the person in there. If you’re going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk with what may be the Etch A Sketch candidate of the future.”

But the story doesn’t end there. Turns out that Etch A Sketch revenues are skyrocketing from this accidental immersion into political waters (we don’t recommend submerging your tablet by the way, they are not waterproof).

According to a statement obtained by Pongr from parent company Ohio Art, sales jumped by 1556 percent on Amazon.com in just one day:

“We feel our stock has gone up over the past 24 hours due to an increase in consumer exposure and an anticipated increase in product sales. While it is still too early to tell what type of spike the product will achieve, we’re confident we will see a spike in Etch a Sketch sales,” said Martin Killgallon, Senior VP of Marketing and Product Development.

The company also put out a public statement playfully filled with Etch a Sketch puns:

Happy to see Etch A Sketch, an American classic toy, is DRAWING attention with political candidates as a cultural icon and important piece of our society. A profound toy, highly recognized and loved by all, is now SHAKING up the national debate. Nothing is as quintessentially American as Etch A Sketch and a good old fashion political debate.

We are pleased with the added attention being drawn to Etch A Sketch which is truly one of the most recognizable, iconic and fun toys ever developed. As one of the most classic toys of all time, Etch A Sketch has always sold particularly well with today’s consumer. It is too early to tell, but we are hopeful to see if there is an uptake in sales given this recent exposure.

The Ohio Art Company has been in the toy business for more than 100 years and Etch A Sketch for over five decades. Our company values bringing smiles to kids faces and providing hours of fun playtime for young kids.

What impresses me most about Ohio Art is how its marketing executives instinctively knew to embrace the political product placement, even though one could easily interpret the brand analogy as a negative one. Calling Mitt Romney an Etch A Sketch is not meant to be a flattering comparison. Just like an athlete wouldn’t take kindly to being called the greatest cookie mascot ever, the Pillsbury Doughboy.

But Ohio Art has stayed above the political fray and proved that the love of their hallmark brand is much stronger than any partisan sniping.

I look at the pics of Santorum and Gingrich above and forget about their issues or rhetoric. I just see two grown men reuniting with a toy they likely played with their own children and which has been entertaining kids since John F. Kennedy beat out Richard Nixon in 1960.

If nostalgia is overwhelming you and you’d like to try the Etch A Sketch online right now (controls are the up and down arrows on your keyboard), Ohio Arts can oblige.

It’s a lot tougher than it looks. I tried to sketch out the word “PONGR” and failed miserably.

Can YOU do any better? How are your Etch A Sketch skills? Click to find out.

But I had a heckuva lot of fun trying!

So there really were THREE winners on Super Bowl Sunday

Pongr Contests, Social Media | February 7, 2012 by Darren

Jody C.'s family showed their Patriots pride, only to have their hopes dashed.

Jody's gung-ho Patriots-loving family hours before the heartbreaking finale.

Given how Super close the Super Bowl was, it could have easily been the New England Patriots prancing around with Mickey Mouse at Disney World this week or waving to fans in a gala parade. Our hats off to the New York Giants!

Based on Pongr’s strict neutrality in the eternal “Who’s Greater: Tom Brady or Eli Manning?” debate, I’m thrilled to report that the two winners of the Pongr Super Bowl Photo Contest came from both sides.

First-time Pongr player Jody C., of Massachusetts, received the most likes for her photo of her family posing in the kitchen before the game. Her beloved Pats may have lost, but she wins a $100 American Express Gift Card.

Jody’s family joined four other families in the neighborhood for the festivities, bringing her famous homemade “Barby Bars,” a sweet concoction of chocolate chip cookies with marshmallows and mints melted on top. The recipe is named after her mother.

Pongr Super Bowl Photo Contest Winner Jody C.

“I like the idea of winning a prize just for taking photos,” she says. “When I explained how it worked to my family, my daughter immediately wanted to take pics of the Sabra hummus on the table!”

Fittingly, Jody and her husband Mike were engaged on Super Bowl Sunday 15 years ago.

Meanwhile, in a pro-Giants enclave in Idaho, the Pongr gods were smiling on player Sipp S., whose randomly-selected snapshot of his TV and favorite drink earned him the second $100 American Express Gift Card.

To celebrate his wife’s recent graduation from nursing school, Sipp rented a hotel suite for the Big Game.

“We had plenty of snacks, and of course, a ‘frothalicious’ in hand,” he says. “A ‘frothalicious’ is whatever beverage that hits the spot at the exact moment you are craving it. For some, it’s coffee; for others it is a Dew, Pepsi or a Coke. For me, it was a Stewart’s Root Beer at the time! Just love the bite and it’s delicious.”

Pongr'ing the Super Bowl paid handsomely for Sipp!

Every Super Bowl, Sipp and his mother make a symbolic $1 bet for “bragging rights.”

“Mom’s a huge Patriots fan and so this was going to be her revenge game because I had the Giants back in 2007 when that game also came down to the end,” he explains. “Plus, she had won the last three years, including rollin’ with my sister’s Packers last year. She was on a roll! But this year, no deal, Howie!”

“We stay in touch sending IMs, texts and pics because she lives more than 500 miles away,” he adds. “Love that technology can keep us together even though we’re not actually in the same house anymore.”

Sipp, an avid Pongr player who has earned the Founder Award in 36 brands (including Acura, AXE and Domino’s Pizza), plans to spend his gift card on some “pampering” for his wife or perhaps put it toward a Coach purse. For her, as well.

Back to our honored Patriots fan… Jody says she is either going to go crazy at Home Depot or take the family out for an expensive dinner.

ENJOY!

Super Bowl Snack of the Century

Pongr Contests | February 6, 2012 by Darren

Super Bowl stadium made out of deli meat

A Super Bowl Stadium That You Can Sink Your Teeth Into!

So we hope you all had fantastic Super Bowl parties—what a nailbiter! Our hearty congratulations to New York Giants fans and our sincere condolences to New England Patriots fans.

And for all you fans of those other NFL teams, just remember that training camp for the 2012 season really isn’t that far away.

In all the excitement surrounding our “Ultimate Match-Up” Super Bowl promotion with Pepsi and Frito-Lay, and last night’s Super Bowl Photo Contest, we’d be remiss if we didn’t credit the anonymous deli meat architect who created this replica of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis!

Thanks to Pongr player Keith C., who alerted us to this snack sculpture masterpiece. Keith shared this picture from a viral email that’s been going around—but this idea of Bologna Architecture remains no less impressive.

Any enterprising supermarkets, grocery stores or sandwich shops want to capitalize on this idea year-round with other landmarks? Do you know of any food markets that are already being this creative?

Fan Photo Contest: Share your Super Bowl Party for prizes!

Brand Loyalty, Pongr Contests, Social Media | February 5, 2012 by Darren

Competition Is Not Always So Sweet: An Unsportsmanlike Cake from Patriots Nation!

So if your Facebook wall is anything like mine, it’s already saturated with fun Super Bowl Party photos hours before the first guests even arrive.

It’s time to put those photos to work. Tonight while you’re enjoying the Big Screen TV, endless snacks and beverages, bantering with friends — and oh yeah, the actual game — pull out your camera phone and try to turn some of those moments into cash!

Pongr is giving away two $100 American Express Gift Cards to some lucky fans who snap and share pics of their Super Bowl Parties.

Giant Marriage: New York Football Keeps the Romance Fresh.

HOW TO PLAY:

Take a picture of yourself, family, friends or pets enjoying your Super Bowl Party and then email or picture-text it to one of the following addresses:

Patriots@pongr.com
Giants@pongr.com

You’ll automatically be entered in a random drawing for a $100 Amex card with the winner to be announced on Monday.

Then, share your picture on Facebook and Twitter for a chance to win a second $100 gift card. The player’s photo with the most “likes” on Pongr.com will be rewarded accordingly.

Sweet Football Dreams: A Pint-Sized Patriots Mascot Dreams of Super Bowl Victory.

Swimming with Goldfish (and Milanos): The unexpected joys of playing Pongr

Brand Ambassadors, Brand Loyalty | February 1, 2012 by Darren

Reigning Champ: Elizabeth often shows up on many of the Pongr Leader Boards.

To be candid, how could New Hampshire’s Elizabeth Townes NOT impress us at Pongr?

As the person who has contributed the most photos (5,727 as of this morning and counting) in the most different brands (832 and counting), she is Pongr’s Supreme Power Player.

But it’s not all about quantity. As a shopping enthusiast, Elizabeth prides herself on how often global brands notice her pictures and passion.

“I love it when companies follow me on Twitter (@NHChick11479) so I try to share the perfect shots,” she says. “It’s nice to see brands recognize the people who care about them the most.”

Elizabeth, 32, recently was surprised with a care package from Pepperidge Farm, which had noticed her enthusiasm for Milano Melts cookies through Pongr’s Twitter share feature.

The company blew her away with a complimentary case of 24 bags of Milanos, which she felt compelled to share with friends in her apartment building and at her church potluck supper.

Spreading the Wealth -- Pongr player Elizabeth Townes shared her Pepperidge Farm bounty with friends at her church.

“The best part about Pongr is that you can play anywhere you go,” she says. “I love playing at the grocery store. Most of the time when I’m at Market Basket, Shaw’s and Hannaford, I’m snapping away with my cell phone.”

“Getting the free stuff is nice,” Elizabeth adds. “But honestly, I just play for fun.”

The Milano gift package came along with a personal handwritten note from Geri Allen, Pepperidge Farm’s manager of Corporate & Brand Communications:

Unexpected Surprise: Pepperidge Farm thanked Elizabeth for her passion with the best way they know how.... Cookies!

“I’m also a huge fan of their rye bread for my bologna and ham sandwiches and of course, their Goldfish. They’re cheesy, they’re cute and they’re always smiling — which is contagious,” Elizabeth says. “I also love to put them in my Campbell’s Soup, which by the way owns Pepperidge Farm!”

Which leads us to remind Pongr players about the benefits of photographing brand pairs that naturally fit together. Taking pics of your favorite soup and crackers (or cheese and crackers) together can earn you points and status within each brand. In case you haven’t seen it yet, Pepsi and Frito-Lay just teamed up with Pongr for their co-branded “Ultimate Match-Up” contest.

Click the screenshot below for more details!

Fast Company Explores the Power of Pongr

Featured Posts, Image Search, Shopper Marketing | January 25, 2012 by Darren

Bursting Out: CEO Jamie Thompson recently bantered with Fast Company why he believes Pongr technology tears QR codes to shreds. Photo credit: Jordan Hollender

Q: Who has the World’s Largest Collection of User-Generated Mountain Dew Photos?

A: Is that a rhetorical question?

I like Pongr CEO Jamie Thompson’s humble boast in the February issue of Fast Company magazine about being the curator of more than 16,000 Dew pics (it’s now over 18,000 by the way). But more importantly, I love how he handled journalist Jason Feiffer’s candid question about what the big deal is — that is, what’s the difference between the way Pongr generates and processes fan photos and a brand just collecting pics on Facebook.

“First of all, with image recognition, you can vary the (direct) response depending on what’s sent in,” responds Jamie. “It gives the brand a level of intelligence that they otherwise wouldn’t get. There’s also a huge data motivation here. We’re entering this wave of so much user-generated content out there, yet so little is actually known about who the customers are. We do all kinds of computer-related intelligence, both on photos coming into Pongr and across the web.”

“There is a huge data motivation for brands — pockets of data coming in by region. They can ask, ‘How is our product actually doing in the store? How is our product doing in people’s homes? What are people taking photos of, and is it good stuff or bad stuff? Do we need to adjust our message in real time, our calls to action in real time? It’s much more than that direct response into a website,” he adds.

Fast Company’s Feiffer has a clever metaphor about the overused catch phrase of “brand engagement.”

“In some ways, I feel like brands today are like 11-year-old boys,” he says, bringing me back to my 6th Grade dance. “A girl will come up and talk to them, but they don’t really know what to say back.”

Find out what Jamie has to say about talking to girls, image recognition, the flaws of QR codes and the future of social and mobile gaming by checking out February’s Fast Company, which is now on the newsstands if you want to get an autographed souvenir copy.

Click here for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the Fast Company photoshoot.

Halloween Cereal and Brand Pumpkin Mascots!

Advertising, Brand Loyalty, Shopper Marketing | October 29, 2011 by Darren

Being a kid is a distant memory, but we still look forward to the creative advertising twists that surprise us in the supermarket breakfast cereal aisle! The Honey Nut Cheerios Bee’s transformation into a Halloween Bee is particularly amusing.

HONEY NUT HALLOWEEN -- The Cheerios Bee is dripping with breakfast excitement!

Buzz the Honeybee stays cute no matter what the context, so how do you make him look Halloweeny? Surround him with bats. Ironically, both bats and bees are going through some serious environmental survival challenges these days, but let’s not get too depressed at trick-or-treat time.

PLENTY TO GRIN ABOUT - Chip the Wolf, who sings the praises of General Mills Cookie Crisp, has one of the nicest set of teeth in the mascot world.

Cookie Crisp used to have a cookie burglar mascot, but Chip the Wolf is a much more likeable character, especially if you respect law enforcement like Pongr does.

GOOD LUCK CHARM: Some Jack O'Lanterns aren't meant to be scary!

Channeling the same challenge as the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee, there is no way to make the Lucky Charms mascot look mean and sinister without giving kids the creeps. So add a candlelight glow for some ghost stories and you’ve got the perfect touch.

Speaking of candlelight, General Mills putting pumpkin-carving patterns on its product packaging is a wonderful development. With those snazzy carving kits with kid-friendly mini-saws widely available, there’s no excuse not to bring Jack O’Lantern faces beyond basic geometric shapes.

We also love the new General Mills Superhero campaign and comic book premiums ensuring that the little Batmans in your life will continue the fun well beyond Halloween…

LUCKY COSTUME: Who knew that Leprechauns were in Gotham City?

So tell us about your favorite Halloween cereal experiences. Are you dressing up as a cereal mascot? Have you tried any of these cereal box Jack O’ Lantern carving patterns? Are you using any cereal box packaging as part of your costume (oh, the versatility of recycled cardboard).

Please Pongr your Halloween pics to your favorite brands (brand@pongr.com) AND show off your stuff on the Pongr Facebook page!

(Pongr is an image recognition and mobile marketing company that uses photo-sharing games to make consumer packaged goods – CPGs – interactive with direct response advertising campaigns).

The Great Pongr Logo Hunt: Special Beach Edition!

Social Media | July 30, 2011 by Darren

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: Whether you are into swinging swords, cheering on your favorite sports teams or celebrating Disney princesses, there's the perfect airbrushed theme for you at Hampton Beach. (Click the photo for tips on how to make your Pongr mobile game pics more creative!)

One of the joys of playing Pongr’s mobile picture game is that you can play it anywhere and it doesn’t take a lot of time. As long as you have your mobile phone — and heck, who doesn’t carry that 24/7? — you can instantly share those little moments in life that make you smirk.

We just stumbled across this airbrushing artist on the boardwalk of Hampton Beach (NH), and were amused by how many brands were being spouted out of his spraypaint guns. Boston sports fans have a huge ally here. For the indecisive customers who can’t decide if their loyalty is stronger for the Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots or Celtics, you can get all four logos on one shirt!

Or if young love is more on your mind, you can fantasize what life would be like if pop star Justin Bieber accepted your secret marriage proposal:

Biebermania 4-eva!

Whether it is a major league sports team or a cute teenage celebrity crush, Pongr is a way for you to express to the world how you feel about your favorite brands.Some other airbrushed tributes just sent to our Pongr game stream:

Celebrating the Celtics brand at Hampton Beach (click photo to see Pongr Celtic fan pics!)

The NFL Lockout is over -- which means that your favorite players need to get off the beach and back to practice! (Click the photo to see Pongr New England Patriots fan pics)

Red Sox slugger Kevin Youkilis looks ready to crush the ball (Click the pic to see more Red Sox fan photos on Pongr!)

(How about you? Where have you recently spotted your favorite brand logos even when you weren’t actively looking for them? Send your mobile pics to tips@pongr.com along with a few words about why your brand sighting was unexpected!)

New York Times/VentureBeat: Pongr's ImagePulse "Sees" How You Feel About Brands

Advertising, Image Search | July 30, 2011 by Darren

ImagePulse is the first visual search engine to measure consumer brand sentiment. Here's a sample ImagePulse snapshot of Starbucks fans who photograph their favorite drinks and share them via social media.

You see it in your everyday social interactions and on the Facebook Walls of your friends. Millions of people are sharing their favorite brands in real time by snapping pics with their mobile phones.

It could be bragging about how they have box seats at Yankee Stadium, or raving about the latest frozen coffee drinks at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts. Or it could be a silly pose at the Apple Store next to the gizmos they covet the most.

As the volume of fan photos exponentially rises, the frequency of tagging (by brand name) dips dramatically. This creates a “search” problem in terms of making it hard for people to find the visual information they may be looking for, or text-based information that would otherwise be associated with visual content. In fact, this visual search problems is why Pongr was originally invented; to design and develop a world-class image recognition system leveraging the founding team’s computer vision and software engineering skills.

Finding and engaging with their most loyal customers reaps huge benefits for brands. But without tagging, these pics are “invisible” if you try to search for them. Enter Pongr’s computer vision technology and ImagePulse product build upon its image recognition system now in use for many mobile marketing and advertising programs.

Here’s what Pongr CEO Jamie Thompson recently shared with The New York Times and VentureBeat regarding the marketing power of tracking down fan photos and determining their Purchase Intent scores:

”If it turns out that large numbers of people are taking pictures of an outdoor advertising campaign, that might tell the brand that it was money well spent.” he says.

“If people in one part of the country (or world) regularly take pictures of a certain product, but they don’t take pictures of the same product in another region, that might tell you that either your product lacks strong advocates in an area or maybe it’s not as readily available. Once you have a sense of where, when and how frequently your brand is being photographed, you can build better brand engagement campaigns based on existing behavior.” Thompson concludes.

To read the rest of The New York Times/VentureBeat coverage by technology reporter Ciara Byrne, click here.

Pongr’s ImagePulse image recognition & brand sentiment analysis is sold as a subscription service to brands and large advertising agencies. The Company also markets mobile and social games the combine brand advocates who take pictures of ads, products and lifestyle moments that enhance a brand’s engagement through the mobile, social, desktop and traditional advertising channels. For more information on how image recognition and Pongr’s mobile marketing platform can amplify your advertising campaigns, Contact Pongr today.

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