Chili’s is embracing mobile bar codes by placing them on 800 corporate-owned restaurant menus to advertise new products.  The bar codes link to seven new healthy menu items, where they are taken to a website which lists the nutritional information as well as more detail about the dishes.

They are also testing mobile bar codes on kid’s menus, where they will serve the same purpose, educating parents on the nutritional information of the meals.  These codes are part of a larger campaign, Kids LiveWell, which includes a partnership with the National Restaurant Association.

Chili’s has had some success in the mobile bar code department.  Most recently, the company ran a campaign that asked users to scan bar codes to donate.  The campaign generated 291,000 scans (see story).  Additionally, the company already has iPhone and Android apps in the marketplace that allow customers to place food orders from their phone.

This will be a very interesting test.  If consumers respond to these bar codes, it might open up the doors for other restaurants to start listing their nutritional items on websites, instead of paper take aways.  For more information, check out the full article at: http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/software-technology/11962.html

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.  Even if you aren’t counting down the days, it’s hard not to notice stores red and pink candy and stuffed animal filled sections that have popped up all of a sudden.  One business that is always in fashion on Valentine’s Day is jewelry.  MobileMarketer.com believes that the best way for jewelers to be successful this year is to evoke emotion with their ads and not to product-push.  The ability to use mobile sites, applications, banner ads and SMS allows marketers to inspire feelings for their loved ones and make this year’s jewelry purchase an emotional one rather than an obligatory one.

Consumers should be prepared to see a lot more jewelry-focused apps.  For example, Tiffany & Co. have created the “What Make Love True” app which allows users to discover secret adventures, surprising love stores and useful love tips.  It also encourages couples to share their romantic journey with friends by adding their initial and a note to special places on the site’s Love is Everywhere Map.

Since consumers are relying on their smartphones more and more, these dedicated apps and websites help consumers to search, browse, buy or find the closest store with that perfect piece of bling.  The sites also offer the jewelers that opportunity to engage with their customers by sending location-based offers and messages, encouraging them to come into the brick and mortar store.

For more information about making your Valentine’s Day one of the best yet (jewelers and consumers), check out the full article at: http://www.luxurydaily.com/emotive-mobile-advertising-imperative-for-jewelers-this-st-valentine%E2%80%99s-day/

In anticipation of Apple’s big announcement regarding “learning” taking place tomorrow (January 19th) at the Guggenheim, several products are making themselves known and hoping their programs are enhanced with whatever Apple presents or if they will become Apple’s competitors.

Kno is an iPad textbook which will release two new features this week: Kno Me and Kno Flashcards.  Kno Me is an interactive graphical dashboard that helps you understand your learning habits by detailing how much time you spent in a book, understanding the key terms as well as test grades.  Kno Flashcards are automatically drawn from a book and randomly compiled into flashcards.  The program’s software then uses metacognition, spaced repetition and episodic memory to help you learn.

Additionally, BioBook, is making headlines for its interactive learning approach.  BioBook is an interactive tool for tablets that allows professors to monitor their students progress.  Professors can see how far each student is in relation to others in the class as well as what page each student is currently at in the book.  This tool was developed in hopes that it can spark some interest in biology with the non-biology majors.  Since biology is a subject that is not linear, it is a tough concept for people to understand, this tool aims to assist those early in their college careers to understand the subject and perhaps not write it off entirely because it is a bit tough.  It is also a great tool for students with learning disabilities.  For more information, go to: http://www.fastcompany.com/1791871/biobook

Stay tuned for the BIG Apple announcement tomorrow!

2012 is the year that marketers and advertisers must begin to trade in adjectives and adverbs.  Since most campaign content is being filtered through social networks, we need to know what our consumers do with the content, rather than what they say about it.  Facebook’s “like” and “share” functions are just two social verbs frequently used by consumers, while Yahoo now has a “read” feature that is showing up on people’s news feeds.  Experts believe that “buy” and “watched” are the next two additions to the social verb list.

Although it seems like a strange tactic, Buddy Media CEO, Michael Lazerow, believes that sites who add the optional Facebook share capability can increase traffic to their page by 12.98%.  The Guardian, for example, has already embraced verbs and has seen 1 million additional monthly views with their new Facebook Page.  Yahoo, as mentioned above, has also found verbs helpful and now has expanded it’s relationship with Facebook to 26 more sites.

Verb campaigns will be a big necessity in 2012, so AdAge has suggested 3 helpful strategies to consider when thinking about how your company can utilize them.

1. Build Verb Hooks Everywhere – Data proves that people want to share.  Whether it’s an online poll, a news article they found interesting, or a contest that they’ve entered, people want their social networks to be involved.  If marketers can “adopt the verb structure and API’s into their assets, they are more likely to surface through Facebook’s algorithms.”
2. Consider the Lens of Friends - People see the web differently, and it’s extremely important for executives to know this.  Execs must think hard about their audiences, their core group as well as the majority outliers, because knowing who you are marketing to and how they can and will interpret your message, will help guide your verbs.
3. Prioritize Media That Thinks in Verbs - Media buys are becoming increasingly important, especially in the verb world.  Make sure you are partnering with media companies that have started to use verbs, so that you can easily add social functionality into basic banner ads, as well as rich-media.

For more information, go to: http://adage.com/article/steve-rubel/marketers-verbs-face-irrelevance/232080/

There’s a new app that’s making it fun to go to lunch, even if you don’t have anyone to go with.  GrubWithUs already has 30,000 people that have signed up to dine with strangers.  This website (and now app) hosts dining experiences in seven cities (including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC), with a theme and negotiated fixed menu.  Anyone is able to attend and people can sign up and pay through the GrubWithUs website or app, so there is no awkwardness when it comes time to pay the check.

The addition of the GrubWithUs mobile site makes the experience more well rounded for the guest.  Users can pull their reservation up on the can and also chat with fellow diners, a function that is available but somewhat hidden on the website.  The app also keeps track of favorite diners’ meal plans, which means users can star other’s profiles and when they sign up for an experience, the other users will get an alert.

Check out the website here: http://www.grubwithus.com/ or download the app here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id492155022

It’s CES time in Las Vegas, so you know there are going to be some really great and innovative products hitting the marketplace soon!  One of those products is the Cobra Tag G5.  This is a combination of GPS/Bluetooth physical tags and an iPhone app that assists people who find themselves frequently misplacing important items.

Cobra Tags use “smart blue tooth” technology to assist users in finding their precious (and tagged items).  Whether its your keys, wallet, phone or purse, Cobra Tags can help you find your items quickly and easily.  Once you tag your specific items, the Cobra Tag G5 iPhone app will either make a sound to notify you if you’ve left without something, or it will notify you via text or email, should you have trouble hearing your phone.  These notifications include a Google Map view of where your item is.  The tags are the size of a tradition key fob, which may not be comfortable in your pocket, but would easily fit in a purse, backpack or briefcase.

The Cobra Tag G5 will begin shipping in Q2 for $59.95.  Are any of our Rox readers interested? Please let us know if you try this technology, as we would love to share your experiences with our other readers.

For more information, watch the Cobra Tag G5 Video or check out a great article here: http://mashable.com/2012/01/09/cobra-lost-items/

Another year is here and with it comes another round of New Years resolutions.  Don’t despair, 2012’s resolutions are sure to stick, and if you need some help, there are 8 apps whose goal it is to keep you on track.

1. 21Habit- This app is $21 BUT it makes you earn the money back, with $1 each day for 21 days that you keep your resolution. It’s completely on the honor system but will get you in the habit of tracking and monitoring your progress.
2. Livifi is a very robust smartphone app.  You can keep track of more than 40 goals at one time.  The app allows for long-term progress reviews as well as adjustments as needed.  It also provides recommendations for how to accomplish your goals.
3. Strava is an app for solo athletes or those who like to train and share their results with friends and the sporting community.  When you bring your smartphone (with GPS) on your runs, bike rides, etc the app will sync your stats into the Strava website while also allowing you to share via social networking sites.
4. Health Month is an app that’s still in beta, but it’s a game that aims to help users accomplish their goals by creating rules.  The site rewards you with “life points” for sticking to your rules for that month but each time you don’t follow those rules you lose your life points.
5. Mind Bloom is an app and website where users create a tree by filling in their goals and personal information.  The tree will then blossom and turn green depending on the direction your life is going.
6. FitID is a fitness app that incorporates the trend of “social fitness.”  In addition to sharing your workout information with your social networks, this app helps you search for cool new workouts, diets and friends who may be waiting for you at the gym.
7. Stickk is a website where you put up money upfront and then have to earn it back by sticking with your goals.  Hey, who better to motivate you than yourself and your money?
8. GymPact is an app that that helps you bribe yourself to go to the gym.  This app has you set a dollar amount and a specific number number of times you want to hit the gym each week.  Then by checking in you retain your money, but when you don’t make it, GymPact deducts money from your account.

Good Luck Rox readers! We know you can make those goals and stick with them! Let us know if you use any of these apps and have great experiences with them!

There are sure to be some very exciting digital products hitting our shelves in 2012.  If 2011 was any indication of how important it is for a business to have an online strategy as well as an offline one, 2012 will only drive that point home further.  In addition to eMarketer projecting a 14.4% increase in US online ad spending, and Google claiming that video ad improve offline results, there is sure to be new and upcoming technologies that businesses should be ready for.  Here are a few 2012 Digital Marketing best practice tips from Jonathan Gardner, director of communications at ad company Vibrant Media.

1. Own Your Voice, Don’t Share It. “Word Ownership” is a huge tactic for online branding.  Make a strategy that allows you to best use emotive and topical keywords, such as football (Super Bowl) and Valentine’s Day, and allow these Key Words to do the work for you.
2. Resolve to Be Relevant. Consumers are in the driver’s seat more than ever, which is why as a company it is important to keep their desires, hopes and aspirations central to your marketing plan.  Additionally, consumers are becoming more spending-conscious, as opposed to price-conscious, so make sure to make a claim for your product’s value, not the price.
3. Context is King, and Content is Queen. The best advertising campaigns will continue to be those that are dynamic, but also provide useful information, not just innovative technology.
4. The Data is Smarter.  Are You? Click through rates do not define the success of a campaign.  The ability to dive deeper into these analytic reports to see consumer behavior will allow companies to get more mileage out of their campaigns.  Quality content is what drives results.
5. They’ve Changed the Channel. An incredible 98% of 18- to 24-year-olds use social media.  Creating avenues to interact with consumers via social media is key.  Facebook and Twitter are definitely the top sites in this avenue, so optimizing your company’s ability to interact with consumers on these channels is key.

For more information, check out the full article: http://mashable.com/2012/01/03/digital-marketing-2012/