Jagtag claims that its 2D bar codes now work on every camera phone in the United States, delivering optimized multimedia content to both smartphones and standard feature devices.

Jagtag is now available to all T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and Alltel camera phone users. This means that 87 percent of users have access to Jagtag bar codes without having to download  a reader application.

“For the first time, we have pull mobile multimedia for the masses—our 2D bar codes work on every camera phone in the U.S. instantly, representing about 90 percent of all mobile users,” said Dudley Fitzpatrick, founder and chairman of Jagtag, New York. “We’ve expanded the horizons of 2D bar codes, and the potential is limitless.

“We’ve been waiting for this moment for two years, as we had to complete integration with all of the carriers, and now it is here,” he said. “Clients have been asking for this—mobile is certainly hot, it’s a category everybody’s interested in, but the limited reach of mobile Web media has been a barrier preventing brands from coming in to mobile even faster.

“The reason brands have been hesitant has been limited reach, but being able to use 2D bar codes to deliver multimedia content to 90 percent of the market instead of 20 percent of the market is really a watershed moment for mobile.”

Anywhere consumers encounter a Jagtag mobile 2D bar code, they can use their phone to request and receive multimedia content such as video, audio, pictures, coupons and text sent immediately to their phone.

Jagtag claims to be the only 2D bar code company capable of engaging consumers via short code, email or Twitter.

Verizon Wireless, Alltel and AT&T subscribers can send a picture of a Jagtag via MMS to the short code 524824.

Customers of all other carriers can text or email the Jagtag picture to [email protected]. Jagtag uses a different keyword and email address for each campaign.

Users can also tweet a picture to @jagtag to share with their followers.

Mobile marketing
Jagtag recently powered campaigns for NBC Universal, Sports Illustrated, Dell, Toyota and Yahoo.

In recent campaigns, Jagtag found that response rates precisely mirror the overall mobile phone market.

Smartphone owners represent approximately 25 percent of Jagtag users, while standard phone owners account for approximately 75 percent of all mobile users who activate Jagtag.

Mr. Fitzpatrick said that market figures and Jagtag usage data highlight where other mobile marketing tools fall short in delivering multimedia to a mass consumer audience.

“The big barriers to the 2D bar codes in the U.S. have been requiring consumers to download an application and depending on an Internet connection, which limits reach,” Mr. Fitzpatrick said. “Now brands can reach four times as many phones and hardware and ten times as many consumers will interact with the 2D bar codes if they don’t have to download an app.

“Marketers we’ve talked to have been waiting for more reach, and they can now use Jagtag to go beyond smartphone-only advertising, which is where they’ve been stuck,” he said. “With text they had reach but no multimedia, and with the mobile Web they had multimedia but no reach.

“Now they can reach the masses with multimedia mobile content—we’re eliminating the barriers to adoption for marketers.”

Mobile retail
Mr. Fitzpatrick said that his company has experienced increasing interest from retailers and companies in the consumer packaged goods sectors.

“We have started to design programs with several large CPG companies that will be activated at retail outlets,” Mr. Fitzpatrick said. “I think retailers have perhaps the most to gain from 2D bar codes, because they are closest to the point of sale, so they have the most likelihood of impacting the sales conversion through the mobile device.

“Retailers have two great uses for 2D bar codes, in-store for converting sales and helping them direct their shoppers throughout their footprint,” he said. “They can use the 2D bar codes to lead consumers through the footprint of their store.

“A third one, of course, is to drive traffic through mobile coupons and promotions delivered via 2D bar code.”