Wearable Media Solutions?

Did you guys catch the reference to Adwalker in the digital magazines post? Well, the concept caught our fancy, and thought it deserved a second look.

Adwalker creates consumer engagement experiences. Adwalkers 'wear' mobile computers with Internet connectivity, complete with a display screen, hand-held touch screen and mini printer.

Guinness used AdWalkers during the Six Nations Rugby Tournament to engage with punters via a "Try Time Challenge Game". Adwalkers were deployed to specific rugby targeted venues before the games to heighten awareness of the Guinness association with the tournament, and make it the preferred brand. The Adwalker team engaged and challenged customers to play the rugby games on their screens, and the winners received pints of Guinness, rugby shirts and other promotional items.

Disney took their AdWalkers to the streets to create a buzz on the streets of London promoting “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror”, as it makes its debut in Disneyland Paris. The Adwalker team dressed as bellhops photographed enthusiasts and displayed the picture on Adwalker screens. The Adwalkers altered the photos to reflect before and after the “Tower of Terror” experience. The photos were sent via 3G technology to a large branded digital screen (in the background of the picture below) to one of Central London’s busiest junctions, Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road.

Adwalkers capabilities include:
-Digital Personalised Coupon Printing: think reservations for test drives, redemption coupons at trade stands, cosmetic counters etc etc
-Computerised Data Capture that can be easily and promptly analysed and utilised
-Interactive Gaming Platform: branded games, quizzes, surveys
-Multimedia Messaging: call to action display screens with video and audio advertisements and promotional offers
-Bluetooth photo marketing: personalised photo with brand interaction via wireless (email messages), mobile (SMS messaging) and photo technology (digital camera)
-Electronic Point of Sale: Enabled live online sales and purchases of things like movie tickets.

The great thing about AdWalker is the results are instantly measurable. The data gathered via the mobile computers reports number of leads/coupons printed/coupons redeemed per day, per AdWalker. And all the data captured via people participating in the the 'engagement' can then be used for future marketing comms programs (pending individual approval of course).

Watch the video and check out the 'Case Studies' page on the AdWalker website to get excited about the possibilities AdWalker presents. This certainly has our grey matter firing on all fours!

The AdWalker platform can be accessed in Australia via 808South.

Tracking the media, monitoring the message

Digital magazines for all!

In the space of few days I was notified about completely digital versions of some of my favourite magazines. The terrific Australian 'mook' Dumbo Feather, is offering a free trial of one of their recent issues, and the US based ReadyMade magazine is offering a 'tree-free' version of their latest issue. Great to see the world of magazines evolving.

Then Springwise tell me about issuu, where you can create and publish YOUR OWN MAGAZINE. I'm in publishing nirvana.


What issuu really does is take your run of the mill pdf file, and make it a flip-the-page style digital file, which you can then share on their website, or embed on others.

See for example the Media Kit created by MMP Communications which they then embedded into their website, the case study booklet by AdWalker or Network PR's monthly newsletter. But what about also using it for your clip books, brochures, white papers, portfolios etc etc?

To test it out, I took a pdf version of the Slice tour on our website, and converted it into an issuu file, then posted it to our facebook page. Admittedly the text is too small, and you need to zoom in, but more usability testing will further refine the interface. The great thing about the file though is it adds interactivity to your website, and allows people to access graphic information without having to download a pdf file. Also by sharing the information on the issuu website and inviting comment, you've created another tool in your web 2.0 arsenal.

Issuu describes themselves as "the place for online publications: Magazines, catalogs, documents, and stuff you'd normally find on print. It's the place where YOU become the publisher: Upload a document, it's fast, easy, and totally FREE. Find and comment on thousands of great publications. Join a living library, where anyone finds publications about anything and share them with friends."

But hey, don't be shy. Just get on issuu, give it a whirl and see where your creative comms juices take you. It's free after all!

Tracking the media, monitoring the message