Consumers Used As Telstra Marketing Guinea Pigs

Selected mobile phone users on the Telstra Next G network will be able to use their handset cameras to scan specially-designed barcodes on posters, LCD screens and in magazines to connect directly to third-party websites such as KFC and Pizza Hut, in a trial announced today by the telco.In conjunction with Sensis, the system, called Mobile Codes technology, will allow customers to receive directional maps and obtain discount offers from vendors including Nike and Toyota, along with fast-food outlets.

Ultimately, the technology will be used in conjunction with the Telstra website allowing users to share contact details, blogs and messages as part of a social networking system.

“Consumers will have fast one click access to mobile websites, rich streaming media from Bigpond and Foxtel, location based services and localised information from Sensis, all on Australia’s fastest and largest Next G network,” said Telstra group marketing director, consumer marketing and channels, David Moffatt.

“Consumers could even wear their own barcodes on a t-shirt as a fashion statement which could then be scanned and linked to their personal BigBlog, Facebook or MySpace pages.”

The system is part of a move for Telstra from a traditional telecommunications provider to a media-communications company, designed to bring mobile internet to a wider range of consumer, said Moffatt.

But the big benefits could be for the companies engaged in posting their barcodes in the public eye, generating larger traffic numbers for their websites and simultaneously causing more brand awareness in the marketplace.

“Large corporations and small-to-medium businesses can now easily engage with consumers in the world of mobile advertising. This new technology from Telstra and Sensis will allow advertisers to place codes on billboards, magazines, newspapers, posters or even T-shirts. My making traditional advertising media interactive, mobile codes are also a great way for advertisers to engage in a two-way dialogue with consumers,” said Sensis general manager mobiles, Amanda Brook.