There are plenty of people who are using scanners, QR codes and various apps to price shop at different retailers.  They go to a store, find the price and then the app or website will give them competitors rate all over town.  Food and medicine are two categories that have seen the least amount of smartphone usage (researching) for coupons and discounts.

But these categories won’t be left alone for long.  In fact, “Catalina, the company that powers loyalty programs for 30,000 stores nationwide (including those coupons at checkout), acquired mobile commerce company Modiv Mobile.”  Modiv, now Catalina Mobile’s app will work like this:  “A shopper walks into the store, opens the store-branded app and receives offers based on their shopping history. To skip the line at checkout, shoppers can scan barcodes of items they put into the cart to buy the haul right on the phone. Catalina says the app will be available in 200 more Stop & Shops this summer.”  The company knows that people are not going to scan a box of Cheerios and run across town if it’s a few cents or a dollar cheaper elsewhere, what people will do though is redeem food coupons through the app and either print them at home, or sync and load them onto their supermarket loyalty cards.

Additionally, a new app that has hit the market is SnipSnap.  This app simplifies the couponing process by allowing users to snap pictures of all of your coupons, save them to your iPhone and redeem them from your device, without having to carry around all those bits of paper.  The app also provides you with in-store reminders for when to use your coupons, expiration date alerts, uses for your “any” coupons and the ability to share with friends.

For more information on both products, check out the articles, here and here

Punchcard is a digital version of paper loyalty cards, which have been less popular over the years due to the easy ability for people to take advantage of the cards.  The Punchcard app allows customers to take photos of their receipts in order to get their loyalty “points,” which then equates to cash payouts or other rewards directly from the merchants.  Though this app is not the only one on the market, their marketing is a bit different.  They’ve “turned on” loyalty programs for millions of locations across the US, even if the merchant hasn’t requested it.  The company believes that this seeding technique will build their business faster than their competitors (Facebook just acquired loyalty play Tagtile, Google acquired Punchd, Perka and Perkville).

Currently the app works at 15 million locations in the US.  As users snap photos of their receipts and input them into the Punchcard system, they earn cash, freebies and rewards (usually on the 10th purchase).  The company currently offers two tiers of service “(one for $29/month, another for $99/month), which provides businesses with access to an analytics view into who their customers are, and an automated re-marketing program that pushes offers back to customers to incent them to buy again. The solution works best for retailers, restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, and other local businesses that want to increase the frequency of their customers’ purchases.”  The company boasts “huge conversion rates” from the app download to usage and repeat usage.

For more information, check out: http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/27/barely-3-months-post-launch-loyalty-app-punchcard-live-in-15m-locations-nears-profitability/

There are very few places that are “off limits” to marketers these days.  It’s no secret that consumers are overloaded with brand messaging everywhere they turn, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t new, creative ways to get people’s attention.  Here are a few new and unusual ad placements from around the world, our question is creative or intrusive?Watch Full Movie Online Streaming Online and Download?

• Bowling Balls – A horror-themed TV channel in Germany, placed photos of decapitated heads on bowling balls in public bowling alleys.
• Metro Ceiling – Panorama Hair is making those with thinning hair a bit more conscious of that fact with their branded mirrors on the metro’s ceiling.  Embarrassed enough to go try their product?
• Bike Wheels – Flashy LED bicycle spokes helped promote the superhero movie Green Lantern in Brazil.
• Your House – An agency in California will help you pay your mortgage by putting billboards on your house.  While this might not be an option for those of us who live in a place with HOAs, it’s a new idea that I’m not sure your neighbors will be extremely happy with.
• Your Thigh – Don’t you hate those chairs that leave an imprint in the back of your legs? Well, a New Zealand agency has found a way to make these imprints work for their customers, by enabling marketers to put their logo or message in the wiring, which will then make its way onto the customers body.

For more about these ideas, as well as the agencies who came up with them, visit: http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ambient-overload-139333

Chipotle is somewhat of an enigma.  How does a now household restaurant chain name with more than 1,200 stores, 1.7 million social media fans create so much buzz without an onslaught of traditional marketing?

It’s something that Chipotle prides itself on, keeping loyal to its simple goal of “changing the way people think about their food,” while not spending millions on traditional advertising and channeling their energy and resources into grassroots initiatives.  Here is a sneak peek into Chipotle’s social media efforts, with a few highlights from Mashable’s interview with Chipotle’s New Media Manager, Joe Stupp:

1. One-on-One Conversation – Chipotle is very loyal to its one-on-one engagement model for its social media platforms, in fact the company responds to 83% of its Facebook posts and about 90% of its Twitter activity.  The 3-person response team makes it a point to get to know their customers, by having genuine conversations with them and not simply chasing metrics.
2. Creative Content – The company does not like producing boring content, so if you are looking for dry press releases, you may be out of luck.  The company made a bit of a splash during the Grammy Awards when they launched their first (and only) tv ad, an animated film called “Back to the Start,” which reinforces the company’s core philosophy of getting people to think about where their food comes from.  Additionally, the company launched a YouTube video “Abandoned,” in which they “spotlight on the impact of industrialization on family farms and, again, initiated public conversation on a relevant issue.”  Keeping content creative is a key to engaging with their community.
3. Community-Driven Initiatives – Chipotle is very passionate about creating tangible online and offline promotions that “reinforce its commitment to supporting family farmers and educating people about food.”  This is done through their Halloween “Boo-rito” contest and subsequently the newest dress up as a family farm animal and you can buy a burrito for $2, where the $2 actually goes towards FarmAid.  Also through the new Chipotle Cultivate Music Festival in Chicago, where food, farmers, chefs and musicians are all together to feature responsibly-grown dishes and educational opportunities about sustainable farming and treatment of animals.  Lastly, the company recently launched “Farm Team,” which is an online initiative that rewards people for exploring the website, watching videos, taking polls and sharing their farming practice knowledge with others in their social network.  Participants are rewarded with food, t-shirts and other prizes.

So, what’s next for the company? Honestly, Stupp says more of the same.  The focus on individual conversations and community education initiatives are core to the company and will not waiver as the brand grows.

For the full article, go to: http://mashable.com/2012/03/21/chipotle-social-media/