StickyBits is a mobile barcode service we’ve covered before on GoMo News – it uses barcodes printed on stickers to make every day objects scannable by mobile. The company has just announced a tie-in with Campbell Soup Company. Together they’ll launch a sweepstakes to promote the new label design of Campbell Soup Cans.
What’s the deal?
Thanks mostly to Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup cans are incredibly iconic. As a result, they want to make something of a big deal out of their upcoming redesign – and so they’ve gotten StickyBits to build them a mobile social networking campaign based around barcodes.
Now, usually StickyBits works with stickers that have barcodes on them. By attaching that sticker to something (a car door, for example, or your foot), you make that something a digitally-interactive object. StickyBits is highly geared towards social networking, so that each person who scans a particular code can leave a remark attached to it – a remark that the next person to scan it can also read. In that way, StickyBits is capable of turning any object in the world into a mobile messaging board.
The Campbells soup deployment is a little different. Rather than using stickers, it will work with the barcodes that are printed on the new label. Smartphone owners can download the free StickyBits app, and scan the code on any Campbells can with the new label. Scanning the code will redirect them to a page where they can post their impressions (and a picture) to the Campbells Condensed soup Facebook page.
Once you’ve done that, you’re entered into a sweepstakes that could see you winning $500.
Source: Popsop
What we think?
I liked StickyBits the first time I reviewed it, and I like it now – what I’m not sure about it is how relevant this kind of campaign is to Campbells. This entire promotion is based around people getting excited about soup, and spreading that virally through social networking. If it weren’t for the fact that they had a chance to win a little money for doing it, I’d say very people would have any interest in this particular campaign.
I like the sticker part of this. Not sure how relevant the campaign will be.
Mobile is all about timeliness and relevance. If it doesn’t requrie these two factors, use another medium.
I’m not sure of the timeliness…is this for questions being asked while at the store or right after I pull it off of the shelf? As for relevance, what am I doing with the barcode now that I can’t do on the web with a computer? Why am I taking out my cell phone while I have this can of soup in my hand? Do I get something great back immediately like a recipe or when the soup was made or if it contains gluten for those that can’t eat gluten?
I’m lost as to the relevance of this campaign. I love the fact folks are utilizing mobile. I just believe there are better use cases available to push the mobile medium.
Great idea – I love Stickybits and think these kind of services bring a whole new way of interacting with brands. However, the campaign itself doesn’t really inspire – it smacks of the standard agency approach to new media – just slap a sales promotion on it. Not only could this be done a lot more creatively – using Stickybits in an innovative way – but also a $500 sweep-stake has no affinity with the brand. So we have a campaign that doesn’t resonate either with the brand or the channel it is being run across. Great to see Campbells experimenting with this exciting technology – but a bit more creative thought would be great.