Snaptell new mobile marketing camera phone solution

Rating: No Barcodes?

by Bena Roberts

Perhaps I am having a dejavu but this is the second promise of mobile marketing leaving out the barcode bit. This time its Snap. Send. Get.

What?
Well basically it a solution for a camera phone that allows users to take pictures to get special marketing offers without barcodes.

From the press release

“Brands are using the mobile channel more than ever now to reach their desired audience. We saw a clear opportunity to apply our innovative image-recognition technology in the mobile environment to offer marketers something that wasn’t available before,” said, Gautam Bhargava, Co-founder and CEO of SnapTell. “We make it easy for brands to reach out to consumers on the go. The SnapTell Snap.Send.Get solution simply uses existing packaging or collateral materials to create a personalized marketing experience that is fun and easy-to-use for the consumer.”

What we think?
So basically its mobile marketing without barcodes based on image recognition – nifty; but I am trying to find the value add from this compared to a Mobot or Mobile Acuity?

Hmm. The press release is a bit thin and apart from the fact these guys are Stanford graduates (we are not worthy); I am not finding anything new or funky. Image recognition is getting there. Barcodes are getting there? SnapTell wants to “eliminate the barriers associated with barcodes” yes – but how?

What patents are involved; it is customized because it’s proprietary? If it’s proprietary what is the difference between it and downloading a barcode reader?