Is NFC the next big thing

NFC stands for “Near Field Communication”,  it is a set of standards for (NFC enabled) smart-phones and similar devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity.   It is known in the mobile market, predominantly for mobile payments. 

NFC technology is not new and the first NFC enabled phone was released back in 2006, since 2011 we are seeing more and more reports on the opportunities available of using NFC in marketing campaigns.  

The above image is from a 2011 campaign run via Nokia with Proxama (NFC and Mobile Commerce Specialist) in Vox Cinemas.  Details of the campaigns were widely reported; The Drum online magazine covered the campaign here.  We feel that this ‘mobile content delivery’ is less clunky than the traditional QR Codes for engaging with offline information. How Stuff Works: What is an NFC Tag?

Mid January our favourite Internet Marketing Blog Econsultancy, reported five trends from CES that marketers need to know.  Guess what? NFC made the list. 

This month’s geek video comes via the Hybris Software channel, titled: Shopping Gets Sexy with Hybris” the video includes technology such as in-store NFC tags, gesture-based product navigation and geo-fenced alerts.  The video highlights that "window-shopping" need not be a low margin activity and shows how window shoppers can socially engage with a product, even when the shop is closed. We love this approach. We are watching trends in NFC Smartphone adoption with interest and noting those using the technology within their digital marketing strategies.  

Mobile/Social Marketing is becoming a lot less about broadcasting information in a more succinct way, it is moving more towards engaging customers in digital experiences with your information. 

NFC allows the tech savvy consumers to engage, interact and communicate with brands. We will keep you up to date with others using NFC on this blog.  Should you wish to help your company stay ahead of the digital, mobile and social news, talk to our sales team today about our Integrated Marketing Services. 

Author: Sarah Griffiths

EBay's new approach to Christmas shopping

To celebrate the Christmas season, eBay is opening their first ever UK store, though it’s not quite shopping as we know it...

Their temporary boutique opened yesterday, as scheduled, in London’s West End for just 5 days, allowing shoppers to browse their potential purchases before splashing out online. This is by no means eBay’s first foray into expanding from their online auctions; why not check out our previous article on their augmented reality app from earlier this year.

The shopping emporium works by making use of QR, or Quick Response codes. If you’re interested in learning more about QR codes and how they work, check out our previous post here. Customers can wander around the store and browse to their hearts content, purchases can then be made using a smartphone (or any other connected device that can read QR codes).

"Shoppers simply scan the QR code with their smartphone to make their loved ones’ Christmas wishes come true – no tills, no queues, no bags, no stress. Using your mobile phone, you can literally complete your shopping in a matter of clicks," claims eBay’s spokesperson.

Experts expect approximately 5.8 million shoppers to log on during the five day sales, with sales peaking at 30 gifts per second, almost double during the same period of 2010. EBay say they are expecting around 120 gifts to be purchased every minute via smartphone.

If you’re interested in learning more about how your business can take advantage of smartphone technology, or want to know how you can promote yourself over the festive period, why not get in contact with Rocktime and talk to our Sales team about the opportunities avaliable


Author: Alice Cheetham

Geek Video of the Month

This month we’ve got a tech focus and our Geek Video this time takes a peak into the world of 3D displays.

It seems that 2011 is turning into the year of 3D; we’ve had 3D televisions, an influx of 3D films and even 3D hand held consoles, and that’s just the start of it all. Before feeling the need to splash out on any new 3D devices that are inevitably going to crop up in time, why not take a look at Global Wave's fantastically simple solution.

Their ‘Pic3D Sheet’ demoed at the 3D and Virtual Reality Expo in Tokyo last month, uses a lenticular lens system (which also means you don’t need 3D glasses), then using the company's app to output a video in a side-by-side format, it simulates a 3D image. The sheet is simply placed over your device’s screen, with sizes ranging from an iPhone or iPod touch sheet, up to a 23” desktop monitor.

Of course, it’s hard to see how successful it is without seeing it with your own eyes, but with prices ranging from about £17.00 for a small 3DPic sheet, it’s still a lot cheaper then splashing out on a new phone or tablet. See what you think about by watching the above video.


Author: Alice Cheetham

Augmented reality and Aurasma

Aurasma is powered by pattern recognition technology; it represents the future of how we use our mobile devises, using some of the most advanced systems in the world to bring the physical and virtual worlds together.

It has been described as the latest ad recognition technology to challenge QR codes, it has the ability to bring static content / print materials to life.

PR Newswire reported early this week that, Aurasma had passed one million installs (PR Newswire, 10th July 2011), indicating that this is set to be the most broadly deployed mobile platform of its kind.

For more information visit the Aurasma website, which states that they have over 1 million users, over 100 partners, featured in major publications.


There is huge potential for social commerce and advertisers in using augmented reality technology, for example: if you hold the phone in front of cereal packets and get a lot more information, recipes, nutritional advice etc.

There is also huge potential for brand building too, where on holding the phone in front of a product a number of unexpected but brand building things can happen i.e. launches a video on how to use the product, how the product was made. The first ever print advertisement to come to life was in a national UK newspaper for a luxury yacht company, which you can find out more about here.

It's not just magazines and papers looking into promotion through augmented reality. London based football team Tottenham Hotspurs, with their new sponsors Autonomy, the owners of Aurasma, are in the process of giving their own team kit a touch of augmented reality.

We also had a go at the Aurasma located in the last weeks Stylist magazine, after seeing this tweet.


The Flashlight Search Marketing team are very excited about this technology and urge you to go and find out more over at the Aurasma website. If you would like to find out more about how your brand can integrate with Aurasma please give our sales team a call, who are watching Aurasma developments with interest.


Author: Alice Cheetham

Geek Video of the Month

As our blog focus in May, is all about sharing useful content. This months’ Geek Video of the Month goes to all the videos produced over at Lady Geek TV. The Rocktime ladies regularly check in to the site, which offers an online series of shows aimed at making technology accessible, fun and useful to women. The websites objective being to highlight the very best in smart phone apps available, the Lady Geeks state that they are "on a mission to find the right app for you".

In an interview with the Guardian, the founder of Lady Geek TV, Belinda Parmar, states;

"We put an end to the cliches and stereotypes in the tech world by helping companies understand women (beyond 'pink it and shrink it'). We offer three things: Lady Geek TV (bespoke content), Female Immersion Days (workshops on how to connect with women) and Lady Geek Panel (collective voice of powerful women in IT)."



Here’s the first episode of their web series focusing on useful apps across a range of handheld devices, if you’re interested in checking out more, then why not look into either their main site, Lady Geek TV or their YouTube account.

In extention to the above Fiona here at Rocktime, recommends you read this post from the Mobile Entertainment site, which references a new report from Lady Geek TV.

Keep up the good work girls ;)


Author: Alice Cheetham

Geek Video of the month

The Galaxy Tab. Potential iPad contender?

We have talked quite a bit about the iPad on this blog, so we thought to shout about one of the so called challengers to the Apple iPad: introducing “The Galaxy Tab”.

We like the fact that they show a number of scenes on the video which are missing with the Apple devise (walking down the street, riding a bike etc). They are also pushing the most used smart devise features on the video, these being: Navigation, eReading, Web Browsing, Augmented Reality & Video Conference.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab was launched in Berlin on the 2nd of September, read the press release on the Galaxy Tab mini site:
http://galaxytab.samsungmobile.com/press/pressrelease.html

The smart device is being marketed as the 7 inch tablet which brings "more possibilities on the go". If you have any thoughts, we would love to hear them.


Author: Sarah Griffiths