Silly-hatted, funk-lite pop midget Jamiroquai is to use NFC technology to provide fans with exclusive mobile content and to enter competitions when they come to see him in action in a selection of European venues on his latest tour.
The campaign has been created by arts and entertainment agency Media Junction in conjunction with Near Field Communication (Jersey) a specialist QR Code and NFC provider. The promotion taps into the portability and ‘always on’ nature of the mobile phone and will present concert goers with content not available anywhere else.
Neil Cartwright, head of digital at Media Junction that created and is managing the campaign explains: “NFC is a powerful technology when marketing artists because the process is straightforward and the rewards are instant for fans, in this case they can immediately see exclusive content at an event they’re engaged with. Location based marketing at gigs is an exciting development. The exclusive behind-the-scene video was specially commissioned for the promotion to provide a strong incentive for fans to tap on the poster.”
During the events ‘Smart Posters’ will be placed inside the arenas, encouraging fans to tap their phones near the poster to enter an exclusive competition. The poster uses NFC technology, enabling phones such as Google Nexus S or Samsung Tocca to automatically sense the contact and take the user to a webpage on their mobile browser. Users will be able to share the page with other fans and friends once viewed and know the secret URL.
Jamiroquai NFC campaign is a great example of how the NFC enabled phones can be used to promote activity in a simple, but effective way. Music fans are never far away from their phones and by tapping a poster of an artist they about to enjoy heading into a venue, they can experience and share content designed specifically for them. It’s just one application the phones like this were designed for and just a taster of the creativity that the technology can bring to consumer promotions.
“Jamiroquai is constantly looking for new ideas to connect with fans and this provides with the band with an easy and fun way. NFC works, effectively by giving fans something instant and exclusive. Creating the poster was a simple process, and future the band could offer all sorts of content and incentives including music downloads, or exclusive merchandise direct to fans at an event or a number of different platforms”, concludes Cartwright.
