Here’s what’s happening in mobile interaction marketing in Winnipeg right now. I missed a few—there was a pork one on a bus king I didn’t feel 100% comfy taking a photo of while driving, but you get the picture. Or, at least, these pictures.
My friend QR Code King Roger Marquis reminds us that mobile tagging is a link to a brand experience. In order to make it a positive one, I’d suggest using codes when your marketing question is “how do we get this in people’s hands/phones at this moment/place”, not “how can we use QR codes”.
I’m going to call mobile tagging mainstream in the Peg! Thank Ace & Chrissy & the Mayor—QR has tipped and is appearing in places positioned for very broad audiences.
Note: “Coolness” is of interest because you can still rely on novelty and surprising creative in the “attention” phase of advertising. You still gotta deliver the goods once the code is scanned. Doing so will solidify the value of the tool & it’ll join the ranks of normal-use tech (meaning you can use it—probably in even more workhorse ways—after its no longer cool, but the way you implement it visually will be less focal/glamourous).
QR is everywhere in Winnipeg.
Check out the giant code on the APTN building on Portage. (Incidentally: scannable from the street, went to nonmobile but still cute site. Because the code appeared alone & was held for a usable length of time, I didn’t realize it was part of the Aboriginal Day ad that immediately preceded it. Some minor branding on the sides of the ad could have situated it—on its own it was compellingly ominous).
Turn down your speakers or you’ll get an earful of Portage.
This code appeared outside of Danier in Polo Park—not exactly the supertechno early adopter crowd, I’m assuming (but maybe I’m wrong—leather tank top, anyone?), so it’s interesting they felt the target audience would use it. I’d love to know how many entries this has received.
I asked Probe Research Associate Curtis Brown if they were able to determine if all the people who report having Twitter accounts actually use it, but he explained it’s difficult in a short survey to get data that’s kinda subjective.
“Asking someone if they use Twitter or Facebook can be ambiguous, depending on how they “use” it, whereas asking people if they have an account is more clear-cut,” Curtis says.
7.3% is great news, because it shows Twitter is being adopted in Winnipeg, albeit more slowly than the rest of the country. Our Ikea isn’t here yet either, but that doesn’t mean it’s never going to happen, you know?
A recent eMarketer survey says 59% of Canadians are using social sites in 2010. What about here in the Peg? The numbers may surprise you / affect your marketing strategy.
Facebook use in Winnipeg
Here’s the demographic breakdown of Winnipeggers on Facebook, gathered from Facebook’s advertising platform. I’ve highlighted where I think the data is suspect [mainly due to teenage creativity]. Click the image to biggie-size.
What percentage of Winnipeg is that? A hefty 70%. You can make a pretty good case for your local business having a Facebook page at this point, especially with Facebook Places allowing people to broadcast the fact that they’re hanging out with you. Incentivize their endorsement with a nice coupon—Winnipeggers love that.
Twitter use in Winnipeg
And how ’bout microblogging platform Twitter? In Winnipeg, it’s not so much how many people are on Twitter as how many people aren’t.
This data is gathered from people self-identifying their location in their bios, so is subject to bullshit, but still. 6759 Winnipeggers, or 1.1% of our population, claim to be from the Peg. This is actually higher than the overall Canadian average (determined the same way) of 0.88%. [I've heard wildly different numbers for Canadian use, but this is an algorithm talking].
That said, I’ve met—virtually and IRL—lots of very cool Winnipeggers because of Twitter, and Biz Stone promised on Larry King a few weeks ago that he’s adding 300k users/day (American use is higher than Canadian at 8%). Watch for Twitter use to blow up here in the next 1-2 years, and get started buildin’ those relationships now.
Numerical caveats: Stats gathered from self-identified data are subject to inaccuracy, of course. Some people are valiantly fighting the inevitable by not providing their location data. And sadly, I’ve noticed Winnipeggers sidestepping their location in their Twitter bios as if it makes them less cool. On the contrary, we’re so cool we’re -40!
