Taco Bell and MTV have teamed up to help promote this year’s MTV Video Music Awards with the help of ScanLife. The fast food chain has placed QR Codes on all of their “Big Box Remixed” packages and large cups. The codes deliver all kinds of VMA content to users including teasers, sneak peeks, artist interviews and performance footage.

Even better, the content changes on a weekly basis, so users can expect to receive a different experience for scanning throughout the six week campaign. The scan rates are already into the six-figure digits, and you can find out more about it from their website.  Don’t have an app?  You can even use our Scan and Send service by just snapping a photo of the QR Code and texting it to 43588.

They did a great job with explaining how it all works, so check it out, and head out to your nearest Taco Bell and join in on the fun!

We’ve just released our latest campaign examples from July. Like always, campaigns ranged from a variety of industries including Tourism, CPG and Retail. The summer has also become a popular time for sweepstakes, as we had codes linking users to contests from Hanes, JanSport, Tilly’s and more. And in perhaps the most bizarre code use we’ve ever seen, a man from Paris had an EZ code tattooed to his chest, becoming the first ever animated tattoo.

July’s Key Campaigns:

-          Frito Lay – Our Promise campaign

-          HP – Packaging promotion

-          SeaWorld – App Download promotion

-          Sharpie – Start Something Now campaign

-          Crystal Light – Flavor Over Fizz campaign

Frito Lay just launched a brand new program to get people using their products in a whole new way – by scanning the bag!  All you need to do is pick up a current bag of Lay’s Original, Sunchips, or Tostito’s Scoops, open up the ScanLife app, and scan the UPC code right on the back of the package.

After you scan, you can learn more about “Our Promise” from Frito Lay which is “the belief that all can benefit from doing good.”  The barcode will show a video of how the potatoes are grown by local farmers to how the chips are made in an all natural ways.  It will also give you some great recipes to try at home.

Many of our customers use a QR Code to take people to this kind of content, but you can’t forget that 1/3 of our scans come from UPC codes, and it is already on millions of products so you don’t have to change a thing.  They are also doing a great job by sharing this new feature through their social networks, and it doesn’t hurt to have 2.1 million fans!

Don’t forget that you have to have the ScanLife app with any AF phone like iPhone 3GS and above, any Android, and most newer BlackBerry’s – pretty much this describes a majority of our users.  Just go to getscanlife.com from your device if you don’t have the app already.

Happy scanning – and snacking!!

Three years ago, we had an app here called Scanbuy Shopper which scanned UPC codes from products to show comparison product information.  The only problem was that the technology in camera phones was no where near read to read them, so we put it on the “shelf.”

Fast forward to 2009, enter the auto-focus camera!! Anyone who has purchased a new smartphone lately probably has seen that their camera now has auto-focus which allows you to take better, clearer pictures.  That little feature also helps you get more information from regular barcodes from millions of products you see every day.

We have just released new versions of our app to read “1D” barcodes (UPC/EAN/ISBN) for all of the three major smartphone operating systems – Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone!!

Just scan a UPC code from products like books, DVDs, or electronics to see pricing shopping information, consumer reviews, and even buy it right from Amazon.  We will be adding more features soon, but this is a great way to kick of the New Year.

Examples of phones with AF:

Android – Droid, Eris, G1, Hero, MyTouch
BlackBerry – Storm, Storm II, Tour, 9700
iPhone – 3GS

And of course, our app can also read all of the major 2D codes like Datamatrix, EZcode, and QR.  So, now all you need is ScanLife to read every kind of code you see…

Here is a demo running on the BlackBerry Tour:

Let us know what you think, and happy scanning!

We sometimes overlook the importance of the simple package, but it’s really what consumers interact with more than any other branded media.  We use it to make a final decision at the store and it can sometimes sit on our dining table every morning of the week.  But let’s face it, it’s not the most dynamic or exciting thing in the world – it’s a box, a bottle, or a bag that we throw away as soon as we can.

Enter 2D barcodes to the rescue!  (more…)