That's GREAT! » smigrod http://blog.greattv.com a Blog by GREAT! CEO & IDEAologist Dan Smigrod [@smigrod, @uSCANme] Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:12:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 en hourly 1 360-Degree iPhone 4/s Virtual Tour Photography: Top 10 Reasons to Get a ‘Gymbl Pro’ Gimbal Tripod http://blog.greattv.com/2011/11/360-degree-iphone-4s-virtual-tour-photography-top-10-reasons-to-get-a-gymbl-pro-gimbal-tripod/ http://blog.greattv.com/2011/11/360-degree-iphone-4s-virtual-tour-photography-top-10-reasons-to-get-a-gymbl-pro-gimbal-tripod/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:39:29 +0000 Dan Smigrod http://blog.greattv.com/?p=4494

November 1, 2011 – Atlanta, GA USA – Get a Gymbl!  If you enjoy shooting 360º panoramic images with an iPhone 4/4s, you’ll love the Gymbl ($69) gimbal tripod from YOUBIQ.

Gymbl Pro inlcludes Tripod Adapter

If you enjoy shooting 360º panoramic images with pro gear – and professional stitching software – you’ll love the Gymbl Pro ($99; includes a Tripod Adapter.)

The Gymbl elevates the quality of your images by enabling your iPhone to rotate around its optical center without optical distortion.

If you are a professional 360º photographer, the Gymbl panoramic head is small enough to always carry with your iPhone (when you don’t have or want to carry your pro gear). Plus, you might want to keep the Gymbl Pro tripod adapter always connected to a spare tripod in the truck of your car so you are ready to shoot 360ºs even when you don’t have your pro gear with you.

After shooting more than 30 test images (see links below) at various locations and with and without people; here are my …

Top 10 Reasons to get a Gymbl (or Gymbl Pro with Tripod Adapter)

  1. Cleaner, sharper images (will help eliminate ghosting when subjects are not moving)
  2. Maximize successful image height (you can do multiple “go arounds” when your iPhone is on the Gymbl gimbal. Simply not acceptable quality trying this technique without a Gymbl.)
  3. Like an iPhone, the Gymbl is small enough to alway have it with you (and keep the Tripod Adapter with your professional gear)
  4. The Gymbl (ergonomic) hard-shell case for the iPhone feels comfortable (while both protecting your iPhone AND enabling quick connect and release of the Gymbl).
  5. Shoot 360º x 180º (spherical) virtual tours are possible: (you’ll need to edit out the tripod with professional software for that full spherical look.)
  6. The Gymbl feels like it was designed by a 360º photographer enthusiast for other 360º enthusiasts (it was; so it lives up to your expectations [Click here for YOUBIQ CEO & Founder Gordon Fowler's (humorous) backstory about how the Gymbl came to life.]
  7. It’s iPhone 4 and 4s compatible
  8. Video: in addition to shooting 360º images, you can use the Gymbl for shooting video too: hand-held; using the tripod; or using the tripod adapter to your full-size tripod (Hint for Apple, Inc. – it would be great if the iPhone could be screwed directly onto a tripod without the need of a separate device.)
  9. Lifetime Gymbl warranty
  10. It’s easy! It just works! It’s sweet!
  11. Bonus: You’ll think of other ways to use your Gymbl than the reasons you bought it!

I included links to many of my test 360ºs (bel0w). Here are four sample 360ºs. Many examples and a list of iPhone 360º shooting apps are below the video.

  1. Test Shot 16: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and the 360 Panorama app – good; multiple “go around” to add height created a challenge with the waving American flag – good
  2. Test Shot 17: Shot with a Gymbl Pro, iPhone Camera and Stitched with PTGui Pro – best
  3. Shot with professional gear and stitching and editing software (PTGui Pro and Aperture 3) – very best
  4. Night Shot with professional gear and stitching and editing software (PTGui Pro and Aperture 3) – very best

While there are many 360º iOS shooting apps, I limited my Gymbl testing using 360 Panorama and AutoStitch Panorama because of their uniquely different ’spin’ on shooting 360ºs. (For the novice, 360 Panorama is simply easier and faster. For the pro, AutoStitch Panorama may give you some flexibility, better result and options – with some extra post production.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video (30 seconds): ‘How To’ Use A Gymbl (Source: YOUBIQ)

Examples Shot With Pretty-in-Pink Princess Dani in Atlanta

  1. Test Shot 2: Shot hand-held (without the Gymbl tripod or grip) and the AutoStitch app – okay
  2. Test Shot 4: Shot with the iPhone 4 camera mounted on the Gymbl tripod and stitched with the AutoStitch app – good
  3. Shot with professional gear and stitching and editing software (PTGui Pro and Aperture 3) – best

Examples Shot at Showcase Photo & Video in Atlanta

  1. Test Shot 5: Shot with Gymbl Pro (and then mounted to my full-size tripod) and used AutoStitch – ghosting (overlap of images that included people moving)
  2. Test Show 8: Shot with Gymbl Pro (and then mounted to my full-size tripod) and used AutoStitch – ghosting (overlap of images that included people moving)
  3. Test Shot 6: Shot with iPhone on Gymbl Pro (and then mounted to my full-size tripod) and stitched with PTGui Pro and re-touched with Aperture 3 – best
  4. Test Shot 7: Shot with iPhone on Gymbl Pro (and then mounted to my full-size tripod) and stitched with PTGui Pro and re-touched with Aperture 3 – best

Examples Shot at Lake Lanier, Georgia

In these these test shots, you can see that the ghosting disappears when I used the Gymbl connected to my tripod versus a hand-held 360º without using the Gymbl Grip: (at Lanier Sailing Academy Boat House, Lake Lanier, GA)

  1. Test Shot 15: Shot hand-held (and without the Gymbl Grip) and using the AutoStitch app – ghosting
  2. Test Shot 14: Shot with a Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and the AutoStitch app – no ghosting
  3. Test Shot 11: Shot hand-held (and without the Gymbl Grip) and using AutoStitch app – ghosting of the close-in railing
  4. Test Shot 13: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and the AutoStitch app – no ghosting (It was a dark and stormy day.)
  5. Test Shot 12: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and the Auto Stitch app (lightened image in Aperture 3) – no ghosting (windy; iPhone 4 moved some)

Examples Featuring the St. Simons Island, GA Lighthouse

  1. Test Shot 16: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and the 360 Panorama app – good; multiple “go around” to add height created a challenge with the waving American flag – good
  2. Test Shot 17: Shot with a Gymbl Pro, iPhone Camera and Stitched with PTGui Pro – best
  3. Shot with professional gear and stitching and editing software (PTGui Pro and Aperture 3) – very best
  4. Night Shot with professional gear and stitching and editing software (PTGui Pro and Aperture 3) – very best

Examples on the St. Simons Island, GA Beach

  1. Test Shot 27: Shot hand-held (and without Gymbl Grip) and using 360 Panorama app – notice the horizon over the ocean; not to bad as long as the subjects are are from the camera
  2. Test Shot 28: Shot hand-held (and without Gymbl Grip) and using 360 Panorama app – notice the horizon over the ocean and the uneven height
  3. Test Shot 29: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and the 360 Panorama app – okay

Examples at Gould’s Inlet at St. Simons Island, GA

  1. Test Shot 21: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and using the 360 Panorama app – multiple passes around to create additional height created major stitching challenges
  2. Test Shot 22: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and using the 360 Panorama app – multiple passes without major stitching challenges
  3. Shot with professional gear and stitching and editing software (PTGui Pro and Aperture 3) – best

Examples from Morningstar Marinas at Golden Isles, St. Simons Island, GA

  1. Test Shot 23: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and using the 360 Panorama app – some stitching challenges with the horizon over the water. Floating dock may have added to the challenge. Multiple pass (to add height) added to the stitching challenge
  2. Test Shot 24: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and using the 360 Panorama app – some stitching challenges with the horizon over the water. Floating dock may have added to the challenge
  3. Test Shot 25: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and using the 360 Panorama app – good
  4. Test Shot 26: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and using the 360 Panorama app – some challenges with stitching.
  5. Shot with professional gear and stitching and editing software (PTGui Pro and Aperture 3) – best

Examples from St. Simons Island, GA Pier

  1. Test Shot 18: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and using the 360 Panorama app – good
  2. Test Shot 19: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and using the 360 Panorama app – okay; some blurring with people moving
  3. Test Shot 20: Shot with Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and using the 360 Panorama app – unfortunately, I should not have tried multiple “go arounds” with people. I was trying to add height to the image. One “go around” would have made for a nice 360º.

Warning Will Robinson I should have either used this $6 adapter to mount the Gymbl Tripod Adapter (1/4″) to my professional (3/8″) tripod (instead of using my professional pano head ($80) to “step down” the screw size; or, used my light-weight consumer tripod (1/4″) without the need for this $6 adapter.  As a result of my error, you can see the pano head base, handles and knobs in images 2 and 3.

Examples with ‘Bear’ in the Woods Here are two more test shots to compare the difference of shooting hand-held (without the Gymbl Grip) and with the Gymbl and a full-size tripod:

  1. Test Shot 10: Shot with a Gymbl Pro (then mounted to my full-size tripod) and the AutoStitch app
  2. Shot with professional gear and stitching and editing software (PT GUI Pro and Aperture 3) – best

While the both the Gymbl and Gymbl Pro with Tripod Adapter connect to tripods, the advantage of the Tripod Adapter:

  1. Keep the Tripod Adapter with your full-size tripod and keep the Gymbl with your iPhone 4 (My “Man Bag” contains my iPhone 4, Gymbl, iPad. In lieu of carrying my two FLIP HD video cameras, I use my iPhone 4 with the Gymbl and save the FLIPS for events that need hours of video shot.)
  2. If you want to do 360º spherical panoramas (360º x 180º), the Tripod Adapter is easier to keep out of your image because it doesn’t have a Grip. The Grip is on the Gymbl: not the Tripod Adapter.

To see all my Gymbl tests using my iPhone 4, please go to TourWrist and search the keyword: GYMBL

Tips

  1. When using any powerful app like AutoStitch Panorama, it’s a good idea to close all your other apps (or do a re-start before stitching lots of high resolution images together).
  2. Before you invest in professional gear to shoot 360ºs, you might consider starting out with your iPhone 4, Gymbl Pro and investing in a tripod, professional stitching software (such as PT GUI Pro) and editing software such as Adobe’s PhotoShop (I used Apple’s Aperture 3 on my iMac.) It’s simply amazing what you can achieve with these tools. With the new iPhone 4s 8 megapixel camera, souped-up optics and enhanced image quality, you could probably come close to producing 360ºs that rival photographers with professional gear (at a fraction of the investment). Professional 360º photographers will find the convenience of always being able to shoot 360º attractive.
  3. Can’t decide between the Gymbl and Gymbl Pro? Get the pro version. The Tripod Adopter is worth the difference in price. While the Gymbl will mount a full-size tripod, I like keeping the Gymbl with me; and the Tripod Adopter with a spare full-size tripod in the truck.

Suggestion for YOUBIQ

  • With some slight modification, it looks like the next generation of the Gymbl iPhone case could (easily) be modified to work with the GoPano Micro from EyeSee 360 iPhone 4/4S lens accessory that shoots 360º video. I would like to use the Gymbl to shoot both 360º degree photos and video with the same iPhone 4/4S. (It’s not practical to switch between the Gymbl and GoPano Micro semi-permanent cases.)

Suggestion for 360º App Developers

  • Since the iPhone is upside down in the Gymbl, please provide a “Gymbl Mode” to change the orientation of your app.

iPhone 4/4S 360º Shooting Apps shown in TopAppCharts.com (Price on 10/19/11)

  1. 360 Panorama ($0.99)
  2. AutoStitch Panorama ($0.99)
  3. Apple (native 360º shooting coming soon: “How To: Take Panoramic Photos On Your iPhone Without A Jailbreak,” reports AppAdvice 11/8/11)
  4. DerManDar Panorama ($1.99)
  5. Pano ($1.99)
  6. PanoEasy (Free)
  7. PanoLab (Free)
  8. PanoLab Pro ($2.99)
  9. PanoMinute (Free)
  10. Panorama 360 Camera ($0.99)
  11. Panorama Camera ($2.99)
  12. Panoramatic 360 ($0.99)
  13. Panorama Free (Free)
  14. Panoramas ($1.99)
  15. PanoMinute (Free)
  16. Panorama Mosaicker (Free)
  17. Photosynth (Free)
  18. Pixeet 360 (Free)
  19. UScape.it (Free)
  20. YOUBIQ App ($2.99)
  21. Video to Panorama (Free)
  22. Video Panorama ($1.99)

Gymbl Resources

  1. Gymbl Quick Start Guide
  2. Gymbl Tripod Adapter (Ships with Gymbl Pro) Quick Start Guide
  3. www.YOUBIQ.com
  4. YOUBIQ on Facebook
  5. YOUBIQ’s Panorama Examples
  6. YOUBIQ Community: Blog, Gallery, Tutorials, Forums

Short URL for This Article


Test 6 Image: iPhone 4 with Gymbl Pro Using the Tripod Adapter. This Image Retouched

Disclosures

]]> http://blog.greattv.com/2011/11/360-degree-iphone-4s-virtual-tour-photography-top-10-reasons-to-get-a-gymbl-pro-gimbal-tripod/feed/ 0 TourWrist Media Coverage and Press Releases http://blog.greattv.com/2011/09/tourwrist-media-coverage-and-press-releases/ http://blog.greattv.com/2011/09/tourwrist-media-coverage-and-press-releases/#comments Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:50:29 +0000 Dan Smigrod http://blog.greattv.com/?p=4358

September 2, 1011 – Atlanta, GA USA – Since its commercial launch January 2011, TourWrist (Executive Summary, Presentation Deck) continues to be reviewed by consumer and trade press.

Free TourWrist App on an iPad. Here are links to the TourWrist platform (mobile, web and social) consumer and trade media coverage, press releases and video.

[This list below was last updated 1/31/12.]

The free TourWrist app is frequently among the Top 200 Great Free Apps in the Apple iTunes App Store, according to TopAppCharts.com, plus:

  • #6 in iPad Travel Apps (8/3/11)
  • #9 in iPad Entertainment Apps (4/14/11)
  • #36 in iPhone Travel Apps (9/9/11)

TourWrist Media Releases

TourWrist Media Coverage (Consumer)

TourWrist Media Coverage (Consumer – Short Items)

TourWrist Media Coverage (Business Trade Press)

TourWrist Media Coverage (Photography Trade Press)

TourWrist Coverage (Retail Trade Press)

TourWrist Coverage (Real Estate Sales/Leasing)

TourWrist Media Coverage (Travel Trade Press)

TourWrist Media Coverage (Education)

TourWrist: That’s GREAT!

TourWrist Custom White Label Apps (Articles, Webpages and Videos)

TourWrist Video Coverage

TourWrist and Crime Scenes (Media Coverage)

TourWrist Honors

TourWrist Media Coverage (International) [Google Translate -->English]

TourWrist Websites (Official)

Free TourWrist App on an iPhone

TourWrist Custom White Label Apps

TourWrist Attending Events/Trade Shows/Conferences

TourWrist Embed Virtual Tour Scene Examples (Using TourWrist Embed Code)

If you find a TourWrist article that belong here, please let Dan Smigrod know.

Short URL Link To This TourWrist Post

Disclosure: GREAT! CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dan Smigrod is also a TourWrist Marketing and Public Relations Consultant (via his agency, GREAT!). In addition, Dan is an Atlanta-based TourWrist photographer. Here are some examples of his TourWrist 360º virtual tour scenes: St. Simons Island Lighthouse (look for the satellite); Fashion and Glamour Photo Shoot; and a TourWrist microsite for Fire Mountain Inn near Highlands, GA USA.

]]> http://blog.greattv.com/2011/09/tourwrist-media-coverage-and-press-releases/feed/ 2 Predictions: Apple’s New Mobile OS to Include Shoot & Share 360º Virtual Tour Photography; 2011 is the Year of 360º Virtual Tour Marketing http://blog.greattv.com/2011/07/predictions-apple%e2%80%99s-new-mobile-os-to-include-shoot-2011-is-the-year-of-360%c2%ba-virtual-tour-marketing/ http://blog.greattv.com/2011/07/predictions-apple%e2%80%99s-new-mobile-os-to-include-shoot-2011-is-the-year-of-360%c2%ba-virtual-tour-marketing/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:30:48 +0000 Dan Smigrod http://blog.greattv.com/?p=4283

July 19, 2011 • Atlanta, GA – 2011 is the Year of 360-degree panoramic virtual tour marketing: super-charged by Apple. And, Apple’s new mobile OS – to be introduced soon – will include shoot and share 360-degree virtual tour photography. These are my predictions for 2011.

Here’s Why! And, Why This Matters To You

The world is rapidly moving to mobile because of the speed of innovation by Apple in the mobile space with its iPhone and iPad mobile iDevices. Mobile app usage now surpasses web usage, according to a study released in June 2011. Smartphone purchases have overtaken feature phones in the U.S., according to a Nielsen mobile study also released in June. Apple reported today (7/19/11) that iPhone 3Q11 sales (20.34 million iPhones: more than double than 3Q10) grew by 142% and iPad sales (9.25 million iPads in the quarter: 29 million iPads to since its launch April 2010) grew 183% with record revenue up 82%, according to Apple’s press release.

By September 2011, Apple will release its new iPhone 5 and its new iOS 5 mobile operating system that will, for the first time, include the ability to shoot and share 360-degree panorama virtual tour photos.

Why 2011 Will Be The Year of 360º Virtual Tour Marketing

  1. Know The Code: industry trades report that Apple’s iOS 5 code includes pano and panorama: these are keywords in the 360-degree panoramic virtual tour photography space.

    Free Tour Wrist App on an iPad

  2. Apple iTunes App Store: Apple is sharing its over-the-top love for virtual tour photography to help grow the space in time for its by September 2011 launch in this space. The Apple iTunes App Store Great Free Apps; Staff Picks; What’s Hot and New and Noteworthy frequently include 360-degree panoramic photo apps such as Tour Wrist; Photosynth; Dermandar; and Jetsetter. For example, between Saturday (7/10/11) and today (7/19/11), Apple iTunes App Store Top 100 Great Free Apps list includes these four 360-degree photography apps.
  3. Big Players in the Space: Microsoft has a panorama app (Photosynth) and platform (Bing maps) for sharing virtual tour photos; and, Google Street View spawned the new Business Photos from Google (shooting 360-degree panoramic view) service. Apple sees the success of big players in this space and knows that it can do a better “it just works” user experience.
  4. Tour Wrist API – The Tour Wrist API (first press release 4/27/11), second press release 7/18/11) will enable millions of iPhone users to easily and seamlessly shoot and share 360-degree virtual tour scenes via Tour Wrist – free. Six developers have already expressed interest in integrating the Tour Wrist API into their 360-degree virtual tour shooting app, reported Fast Company and WIRED on July 5, 2011. Will Apple and Microsoft be among the developers that leverages the Tour Wrist platform (mobile, web and social) by enabling its iOS 5 panoramic shooting capability to publish to the open Tour Wrist platform the YouTube of 360-degree virtual tour images – or pursue a proprietary platform strategy – or both?

“A race is underway to map the world’s interior and exterior spaces,” says Tour Wrist CEO & Founder Charles Armstrong. “With web and mobile technology advancing by the day and consumers keeping pace, the ability to travel remotely will soon change the way we market, discover, share and engage with business and one another.”

“Google and Microsoft, the biggest existing virtual tour platforms, continue to show that their motivation is to index properties to create the virtual tour equivalent of a white pages directory rather than yellow pages,” says Armstrong. “Tour Wrist – the YouTube of virtual tour images – gives business the ability to market themselves proactively, stand to unlock a significant consumer buzz generator and mainstream revenue channel.”

Why This Matters To You

Marketers of cable TV, entertainment and travel/tourism are quickly positioning their brands now to benefit from Apple’s “it just works” innovation that will (soon) result in millions of iPhone users easily and seamlessly shooting and sharing their life experiences within 360-degree geo-tagged virtual tour images. Crowd-sourced user generated content (UGC) will quickly and efficiently map the world where Google Street View can’t take you – inside – all of the world’s spaces.

Free Tour Wrist App on an iPhone

By getting started now, you can be ready Fall 2011 – concurrent with Apple’s newest iPhone 5 and iOS 5 releases so you can benefit from tons of media coverage; social media; web and world-of-mouth regarding what brands are doing with 360-degree virtual tour photography. In the Fall 2011, everyone will discover the next generation of 360-degree panoramic photography.

So why use the Tour Wrist virtual tour platform (mobile, web and social) when you could opt to build a virtual tour strategy around Microsoft’s Photosynth app and Bing maps; Business Photos from Google and Google Maps; or Apple’s shoot and share 360-degree photography integrated in its soon-to-be released iOS 5?

Watch Out Goliath, Here Comes David

In a world of slow-moving Goliaths, there is always an opportunity for agile Davids to win the battle.

“Tour Wrist is a total reinterpretation of what it means to shoot, publish, host, search, view and share virtual tours with a platform [mobile, web and social] designed for consumers and marketers,” says Armstrong. “We see great momentum with consumers, content providers and a range of marketing partners since we launched Tour Wrist commercially on January 1, 2011.”

Tour Wrist has added more than 20,000 360-degree virtual tour scenes in just months of its launch.

“Now that we have released the free Tour Wrist publishing Application Programming Interface (API), we anticipate many panoramic image apps, software, and even cameras – to upload and host images on the Tour Wrist platform – free,” says Armstrong.

Top 10 Reasons Why Tour Wrist is Positioned To Contribute to – And Benefit From – 2011 is the Year of 360º Virtual Tour Marketing

“Tour Wrist has an early lead in the race to bridge virtual tours via mobile tools; social media and user generated content from millions of iDevice owners,” says Armstrong. And while I have a Tour Wrist platform bias – my company, GREAT! is the marketing agency for Tour Wrist and has a meaningful interest in the success of Tour Wrist – my sense is that Tour Wrist has – or will have – the right mix of:

  1. Crowd-Sourced Consumer Content – to map the world’s interior spaces via user generated content (USG) leveraging the Tour Wrist publishing API (as Twitter has done with opening its API) – free for consumers. “The old perception is that closed data is a competitive advantage,” reported Read/Write Web in 2007 in discussing the open Twitter API. “The new reality is that open data is a competitive advantage.”
  2. A-list Media and Entertainment Brands – major A-list media and entertainment brands providing both celebrity content and marketing muscle to drive viewership and downloads of its free Tour Wrist app (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch). While Tour Wrist was created for the travel/tourism space, innovation often comes when marketers in different industries use a tool in a new way – a mashup – that may not have been envisioned by its inventor: disruptive innovation. For example, please see my That’s GREAT! story about how cable TV channels and movie marketers will use disruptive innovation to leverage Tour Wrist: Two-Screen Marketing: TV and Movie Marketing Meets ‘Tour Wrist’ Mobile Experience Meets Immersive Consumer Engagement Experience
  3. Hobbyist and Professional Photographers –  producing virtual tour content sourced from the 6,000+ members of the Panoguide community powered by Tour Wrist and its freemium; $5 per month Hobbyist; and $30 per month Professional membership pricing.
  4. A-list Anchor Content Provider Brands – A-list anchor brands in travel/tourism, real estate and vehicle manufacturers will provide tonnage in 360-degree virtual tour image content. For example, hotel chains and cruise lines already have thousands of virtual tour images that can be re-purposed on the Tour Wrist platform (mobile, web and social) Content and marketing are provided by consumer and business users in the course of providing and promoting their Tour Wrist content.
  5. Social Media Promotion – Consumers share their 360-degree virtual tour scenes with family and friends via Facebook, Twitter, email and other social media share tools.
  6. Scalable Business – Tour Wrist lives in the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) – via the Heroku cloud application platform for Ruby on the Rails open-source web framework – and not tied to fixed infrastructural costs. The Amazon EC2 cloud enables Tour Wrist to easily scale digital content storage and usage spikes created by national media promoting Tour Wrist content.
  7. Smart Leadership – In addition to being a brilliant, creative, passionate and energetic technology visionary, Tour Wrist CEO and Founder Charles Armstrong is a great leader, team builder and motivator.
  8. Great User Experience – Charles’ obsession with the design esthetic meets user experience – recognized by Communication Arts magazine – resulted in Tour Wrist being the YouTube of 360-degree virtual tour photography.
  9. Venture Capital –Tour Wrist will soon benefit from millions of dollars in investment capital that will accelerate its consumer marketing; technology development; and Tour Wrist white label re-skinned and custom apps for business to leverage its existing platform, proprietary technologies and expertise. Within just months of its commercial launch, Tour Wrist has already produced five white label app versions of Tour Wrist: a) Eckerd College; b) ProTours360; c) Drink Wine 360; d) Home Tours Florida; e) University of Florida’s CrimeSeen 360 (password required); f) 360iTours; g) City of Redlands, CA and h) Redlands PD [Tour Wrist will create additional white label apps.]
  10. Great Timing – While both Google and Microsoft have paved the way for the next generation of virtual tour photography, Apple’s “it just works” innovation and introduction of a 360-degree virtual tour shooting and sharing built into its mobile OS will empower millions of iPhone users to shoot panoramic images. Instead of limiting Tour Wrist content providers to 6,000+ Panoguide professional photographers using nearly $3,000 or more in camera gear/software and advance photography skills, millions of people will soon use their iPhone and iPod Touch to shoot and share virtual tour images – free (and without any special gear/software or training).
  11. Bonus: Just as opening the Twitter API helped accelerate the success of Twitter, opening the Tour Wrist publishing API will enable many virtual tour app developers – and camera gear manufacturers – to integrate Tour Wrist into their customer experience resulting in millions of people easily and seamlessly shooting and sharing 360-degree virtual tour scenes – free via the Tour Wrist platform (mobile, web and social).

www.TourWrist.com on a Desktop

So, knowing that the future arrives by September 2011 when Apple bursts on the 360-degree panorama virtual tour scene, if you get started today with your test and learn strategy … you’ll be ready to benefit from the media coverage, social media and world of mouth in the Fall of 2011 and beyond.

So, how good am I at predicting the future of emerging digital media trends in the United States? Should you believe me and act now to be ready when the future arrives Fall 2011?

On June 12, 2010, I proclaimed 2010 as the year of the quick response (QR) code in the U.S.

In 2010, did your company even know what a QR code was?  In 2011, is your company still asking, “What’s the ROI on QR codes?”

# # # # #

Virtual Tour Photography Resources

  1. Tour Wrist Publishing API Developer Site
  2. Tour Wrist Publishing API Documentation

App Developers

  1. 360 Panorama (Occipital)
  2. AutoStitch Panorama (Cloudburst Research)
  3. Bubbli (Bubbli Co)
  4. Dermandar (Dermandar (Offshore) S.A.L.)
  5. Pixeet 360 (Pixeet)
  6. Pano (Debacle Software)
  7. PanoLab and PanoLab Pro (Originate Labs)
  8. PanoMinute (Denis Martin)
  9. Panorama (Airshed)
  10. Panorama Free (Free the Apps!)
  11. Panorama Mosaicker (Intpel)
  12. Panoramatic 360 (Andrea Esposito)
  13. Porsche 360º (Porsche)
  14. YouSpin360º (3sixty Ltd.)
  15. UScape.it (EveryScape)
  16. Video to Panorama (Haiqun Deng)

Software Developers

  1. Apple iOS 5 (Apple)
  2. AutoPano Pro (Kolor)
  3. Hugin (Open Source)
  4. ImmerVision (ImmerVision)
  5. Photosynth (Microsoft Corp.)
  6. PTgui (New House Internet Services B.V.)

Hardware Manufacturers

  1. 0-360 Panoramic Optic lens accessory (0-360.com)
  2. Apple iPhone 5 (Apple)
  3. Canon “PhotoStitch” (Canon)
  4. Casio TRYX (Casio)
  5. FujiFilm FinePix Cameras “Motion Panorama 360º” (FujiFilm)
  6. GE “Pancapture” (GE Consumer Electronics)
  7. Giroptic 360 Degree Camera (Giroptic) – 360-degree panoramic video camera
  8. GoPano Micro (EyeSee360) – 360-degree iPhone 4 video accessory
  9. Kodak “Panoramic Stitch” (Kodak)
  10. Nikon COOLPIX “Easy Panorama” (Nikon)
  11. Nodal Ninja (Nodal Ninja)
  12. Olympus “Combine” (Olympus)
  13. Pano Pro MkII one-shot 360º lens (Pano Pro USA)
  14. Pixeet iPhone 360º lens accessory (Pixeet)
  15. Panasonic-Lumix “Panorama Assist” (Panasonic)
  16. Pentax “Digital Panorama” (Pentax)
  17. Samsung “Advanced Panorama with Object Tracking” (Samsung)
  18. Sony iSweep–Enabled Cameras (Sony) — consumer cameras (Watch Sony TX7 Cyber-shot Camera ‘Taylor Swift’ Commercial Video) (View Sony Cyber-Shot Digital Camera with iSweep in Amazon Store)
  19. Vivitar (Sakar International, Inc.)
  20. WebCube – 360 Webcam (ImmerVision)

Panoramic Photography Resources

  1. IVRPA – International Virtual Reality (VR) Photography Association
  2. Panoguide – a community of 6,000+ virtual tour photographers
  3. 360º Photography Weekly – a free weekly online newspaper published by Tour Wrist Virtual Tour Photographer Dan Smigrod using this list of article contributors
  4. Panoramic Photography Shooting Apps ­­– a Twitter list of 360º photography apps (curated by @smigrod)
  5. Panoramic Photography – a Twitter list of 360º photographers, hardware and software providers and other related vendors (curated by @smigrod )
  6. All Tour Wrist articles by Dan Smigrod [See PostScript with Related Tour Wrist stories]

Short URL For This Article

PostScript

Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://blog.greattv.com/2011/07/predictions-apple%e2%80%99s-new-mobile-os-to-include-shoot-2011-is-the-year-of-360%c2%ba-virtual-tour-marketing/feed/ 0 Tour Wrist 360-Degree Panoramic Virtual Tour Hosting Company Surpasses 20,000 Virtual Tour Scenes; Launches API & 8 White Label Apps http://blog.greattv.com/2011/07/tour-wrist-360-degree-panoramic-virtual-tour-hosting-company-surpasses-20000-virtual-tour-scenes-launches-api-8-white-label-apps/ http://blog.greattv.com/2011/07/tour-wrist-360-degree-panoramic-virtual-tour-hosting-company-surpasses-20000-virtual-tour-scenes-launches-api-8-white-label-apps/#comments Sat, 16 Jul 2011 17:59:06 +0000 Dan Smigrod http://blog.greattv.com/?p=4243

July 18, 2011 • Atlanta, GA USA – Tour Wrist, a mobile and web-based 360-degree virtual tour hosting company, announced today it has surpassed hosting 20,000 virtual tour scenes; released eight white label apps; surpassed 250,000 downloads of its free Tour Wrist app; and that its Tour Wrist Publishing API (“Application Programming Interface”) is now available, free to developers.

Tour Wrist Adds More Than 20,000 360-degree Virtual Tour Scenes

“Tour Wrist is the YouTube of virtual tours and quickly becoming the definitive destination for searching for and viewing virtual tours,” said Tour Wrist CEO and Founder Charles Armstrong.

“Of the more than 20,000 virtual tour scenes we have added in just months of our launch, nearly 15,000 are hotels. Plus, with our recently announced RE/MAX® Approved Supplier status for virtual tours, we anticipate huge growth in real estate for sale virtual tour scenes on Tour Wrist.”

Companies seeking a professional virtual tour photographer can email their contact information to: orders@TourWrist.com.

Tour Wrist White Label Apps

Since its 1/1/11 commercial launch, Tour Wrist has developed and released these eight white label apps – nearly all available in the Apple iTunes App Store:

  1. Eckerd College provides immersive virtual tour of its Florida Gulf Coast college including: the gulf coach beach, classrooms, cafeteria, library, auditoriums and student housing. The app seamlessy integrates an Eckerd College created and maintained mobile optimized webpage with dynamic content such as Eckerd College news and sport scores.
  2. CrimeSeen 360 allows students of the University of Florida’s Forensic Science program to enter mock crime scenes, capturing photographic evidence in an immersive and engaging new way; then submitting forensic reports to their instructors. (This is a private app with the required password available only from the instructors.)
  3. ProTours360 offers virtual tours of businesses, including a strong emphasis on service industries such as dental and medical practices.
  4. Drink Wine 360 delivers virtual tours of wineries in exciting locations such as Arizona and Setubal, Portugal.
  5. Home Tours Florida allows users to view immersive virtual tours of some of Florida’s most beautiful properties for sale.
  6. 360iTours presents a diverse collection of 360-degree experiences spanning many industries.
  7. City of Redlands delivers a single mobile destination for the many tourist destinations that make up Redlands, CA. This app is being distributed outside of the Apple iTunes App Store, using the city’s own distribution technology.
  8. Redlands PD is a community safety app for use by the Redlands’ Police Department. This app is also being distributed via the city’s own distribution infrastructure.

Additional white label apps are in development. Companies interested in learning about Tour Wrist white app solutions, can email their contact info to: orders@TourWrist.com.

Tour Wrist Publishing API Available Free To Developers

“Millions of iPhone and iPod Touch users will soon be able to shoot and share 360-degree virtual tour images – free, as a result of Tour Wrist making available the use of its powerful Tour Wrist publishing API free to developers,” says Armstrong. “Tour Wrist has embraced developers and manufacturers that specialize in 360-degree imaging.”

Tour Wrist on an iPad

“Developers and manufacturers can now focus on their core competencies; including image capture; stitching; and processing from computers; smartphones; and other devices, says Armstrong. “Tour Wrist picks up where they leave off, providing an easy and seamless consumer experience that extends to uploading; hosting; searching; viewing; and sharing the resulting images through our best–in–class virtual tour platform.”

“While Tour Wrist’s Panoguide photographer website has over 6,000 registered pros and semi-pros,” releasing the Tour Wrist Publishing API truly democratizes panoramic photography – enabling virtually anyone with a smartphone to create and share 360-degree images for free,” says Armstrong.

“Businesses – such as travel and tourism destinations (hotels, bed and breakfasts), real estate professionals and restaurants – will embrace digital panoramic image solutions that enable them to shoot, share and promote their business at little or no cost,” said Armstrong. “Until recently, shooting and sharing panoramic images normally required thousands of dollars in camera gear and software, plus hosting – not to mention an expertise in using it all.”

Plus, with its free–to–paid “freemium” pricing model, Tour Wrist will offer enhanced tour hosting with services that include:

  1. Interactive hotspots linking to web pages, other scenes, photos and more
  2. Standard links to companies’ branding/marketing documents
  3. Inclusion in industry–specific sales categories (e.g. Real Estate for Sale)
  4. Turn–key microsites
  5. Custom advertising spaces
  6. Advanced traffic reporting

“For businesses that require professional virtual tour shoots, Tour Wrist offers a world–wide, professional ‘pano’ photographer community,” says industry veteran and Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Handley.

Video - Tour Wrist: Virtual Tours of Hotels

“We anticipate great uses of the Tour Wrist Publishing API will include mashups that we haven’t even imagined; just as developers have done for other social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr,” says Armstrong. “Tour Wrist has created the very best virtual tour authoring experience by enabling pano developers and manufacturers to do what they do best while leveraging our robust hosting, searching and sharing infrastructure.”

“By enabling consumers to have a seamless shoot and share experience from their choice of multiple apps, programs, and cameras, Tour Wrist will continue to be the new ‘go to’ critical mass repository for geo-searching, viewing and sharing virtual tours — just as YouTube is for video,” said Chief Strategy Officer Tony Miller. “Plus, when appropriate, tours will be syndicated to our other private label apps, supporting individual businesses such as real estate brokers.”

Developers and manufacturers who would like to use the Tour Wrist Publishing API, can email their contact info to: API@TourWrist.com.

About Tour Wrist

Spark Mobile, LLC has been doing business as Tour Wrist since September 2010. The Tour Wrist service was launched commercially on January 1, 2011. The free Tour Wrist viewing app (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) is available from the Apple iTunes App Store and has been downloaded over 250,000 times as of July 5, 2011.

Tour Wrist App

The highly acclaimed and award winning Tour Wrist app allows user to control what they see. On iDevices, it appears as a window to each space. So, for example, pointing upward may reveal the ceiling within a room and looking down, the floor. The Tour Wrist user experience on an Android device will be optimized by August 1, 2011.

Tour Wrist was among the Apple Picks for Great Free Apps, Hot Apps, and New and Noteworthy for much of April 2011 in the iTunes App Store. Also in April, Tour Wrist was among the Top 10 Free Entertainment iPad Apps in the App Store.  And in July, Tour Wrist was among the Top 10 What’s Hot in Travel Apps in the App Store and Top 30 iPad Travel Apps.

The Tour Wrist app is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars among 1,100+ reviewers of the app in the Apple iTunes App Store, as of July 5, 2011.

Tour Wrist owns and operates the world’s largest panoramic photography forum, Panoguide, with 6,000 professional virtual tour photographers globally.

Tour Wrist is a member of the International VR Photography Association (IVRPA).

The Tour Wrist company (private) is headquartered in Tampa, FL with satellite offices around the country. Tour Wrist® and AmaTour® are registered trademarks of Spark Mobile, LLC. For more information about Tour Wrist, please visit:

Short URL for this Article

Additional Resources

]]> http://blog.greattv.com/2011/07/tour-wrist-360-degree-panoramic-virtual-tour-hosting-company-surpasses-20000-virtual-tour-scenes-launches-api-8-white-label-apps/feed/ 1 GREAT! Agency Retained As Exclusive Marketing Agent for the 400 MPH Rocket Car at Air Shows http://blog.greattv.com/2011/06/great-agency-retained-to-market-air-show-performers-nearly-400-mph-in-9-seconds-smoke-n-thunder-jet-car-is-first-off-the-starting-line/ http://blog.greattv.com/2011/06/great-agency-retained-to-market-air-show-performers-nearly-400-mph-in-9-seconds-smoke-n-thunder-jet-car-is-first-off-the-starting-line/#comments Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:33:40 +0000 Dan Smigrod http://blog.greattv.com/?p=2046

June 1, 2011 – Atlanta, GA USA – Would you like your marketing campaign to take-off like a rocket in 2012?

Smoke-n-Thunder Jet Shows (Braack Motorsports, Inc.) has retained Atlanta-based GREAT! agency as the exclusive marketing agent for integrated marketing sponsorship packages for Braack’s 400 mph Rocket Car performances at 20 Air Shows in 2012.

Rocket Car Creates Three-Stories of Smoke

More than 7 million Air Show enthusiasts annually experience the Rocket Car accelerating its more than 10,000 horse power J34 jet engine (from a T-2A Buckeye military aircraft) to a crowd-pleasing 400 mph (without leaving the ground) – in just nine seconds – racing (and often beating) an aircraft (that has a heads start).

Then, a 14′ double-ringed military-style Rocket Car parachute deploys – producing up to 14g’s of negative force to the pilot – brings the Rocket Car to an abrupt stop to cheering crowds. The Rocket Car 2012 sponsorship opportunity is unique: the Rocket Car is the only land performer at the 20 Air Shows it performs in annually.

Air Show attendance continues to soar above other national sporting events with 10-12 million spectators attending Air Shows in the United States annually: shows that are often free.

Braack Motorsports President and Rocket Car Pilot Bill Braack (retired Air Force 20-year C-130 and C-141 Air Force and Air Force Reserve Veteran) works the revved-up crowd – prior to each Rocket Car versus aircraft race – from his Rocket Car cockpit commanding all eyes on the Rocket Car as he slowly drives the Air Show flight line, generating:

  • a roar of multiple near-sonic boom thunder-claps;
  • three-story billowing clouds of smoke; and
  • 30′ shooting flames from the Rocket Car’s afterburner.

Rocket Car and Aircraft Race at an Air Show

“America loves the thrill of racing meets Air Shows. And I’m thrilled that GREAT! is the exclusive marketing agent for the Rocket Car performances at Air Shows across America,” says Braack. “We seek A-List brands – and their agencies – brands that can benefit from sponsoring the 2012 Rocket Car tour at 20 Air Shows to reach more than 7 million engaged fans,” said Braack.

In contrast, USA Today estimated that all annual NASCAR races combined in 2010 would be 3.6 million: that’s 1 million less than in 2003. NASCAR race attendance is nearly half the estimated annual attend of a 20-market annual Rocket Car Air Show tour. And, unlike NASCAR with 40+ cars on the track at one time; all eyes (and ears) are exclusively devoted to the Rocket Car. [The attendance for the entire National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) season attendance equals about two Rocket Car Air Shows, according to Braack.]

“The sky’s the limit for creating and marketing efficient on-brand; adrenaline pumping experiential; integrated entertainment sponsorship packages leveraging the Rocket Car at U.S. Air Shows,” said GREAT! CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dan Smigrod. “There are many terrific opportunities – such as product sales, sampling, lead generation and social media on steroids – that the Rocket Car can help sponsors activate and engage consumers; while firing-up marketing plans at near super-sonic speed in support the brand’s distribution channels such as – retailers, grocery stores and drug stores. With hundreds of Air Shows annually in North America, the title sponsor can pick and choose Air Show markets strategically.”

Rocket Car Excelerates to 400 MPH in Nine Seconds

“We also include VIP money-can’t-buy-experiences. For example, Sponsor’s VIP guests get to flag-start the race between the Rocket Car and an aircraft racing just 100 feet above the  Rocket Car. It’s a heart-pounding experience as the Rocket Car accelerates to 400 mph and an aircraft with 180 mph head start – rockets past the VIP just yards from their whirling green flags to signal the start of the race,” said Smigrod.

“Flag starting the race on the runway starting line is an over-the-top, unique, thrilling and exciting experience to offer a VIP client guest or winner of an internal sales contest. With 20 Air Shows annually, 120 VIPs get to flag-start a race and 360 guests annually experience the adrenaline rush just feet from the flag-starter. Plus, new in 2012, thousands of VIPs will get to experience the Air Show from the Sponsor’s Rocket Car chalet,” said Braack.

With 6,500 pounds of 3:1 thrust-to-weight ratio at 4.5 g’s, the Rocket Car accelerates faster than any jet in an Air Show; including U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds jets. If the 2,250 lb. Rocket Car was stood on its tail, it has enough raw-power thrust to take-off like a rocket, according to Braack.

Integrated sponsorship marketing opportunities to activate and engage audiences experiences during the typical three-day, eight-hour-per-day experience include:

  • Social Media
  • Experiential
  • Sampling
  • Lead Generation
  • Product Selling
  • Publicity
  • VIP Experience
  • Military Activation
  • Pro-Social

Specific Rocket Car marketing legs include:

  • Exclusive performer re-branding naming rights
  • Sampling; couponing (and product selling)
  • VIP Chalet shaded seating on-the-flight-line
  • One-on-one experiences with the Rocket Car Pilot
  • VIP flag-start the race (and accompany the flag-starter)
  • VIP fly-alongs on media/rehearsal day
  • Trade and consumer TV/print/radio media interviews (fly-alongs for media on media day to film the Rocket Car from the air)
  • Pro-Social (at Sponsor’s option: Air Shows at military bases only)
  • Air Show enthusiasts photos and videos of the Rocket Car for their Facebook, YouTube and flickr accounts
  • Social media engagement with Rocket Car Pilot Bill Braack
  • Media interviews with Rocket Car Pilot Bill Braack
  • Retailer, drug store and grocery marketing extension opportunities
  • Media buy integration opportunities
  • Unique contest and sweepstakes prizing opportunities
  • Internal and external sales incentive (with money-can’t-buy VIP experiences)
  • Eco-green/sustainability integration – the Rocket Car can run on biodiesel B20 fuel (20 percent recycled cooking oil) [when/where available]
  • Rocket Car-Cams – video showing the Sponsor’s branding: including inside the 14′ parachute
  • Public Address (PA) announcements during the Rocket Car Air show performance, in particular, and through-out the day
  • Official Air Show program
  • Official Air Show map
  • Official Air Show poster
  • Official Air Show advertising
  • Official Air Show Welcome Party for Performers (and their guests) – and other private events

“Rocket Car Pilot Bill Braack is the ultimate media-savvy spokesperson: well spoken; articulate; a 20-year (retired) airman veteran that can integrate client ‘talking points’ into his media interviews,” says Smigrod. “The Discovery Channel Daily Planet six-minute (11/1/10) segment is an excellent example of Bill and his Rocket Car generating TV coverage.”

In 2012, local market TV coverage – and newspaper and social media coverage – will leverage all Sponsor branding, including the:

The Discovery Channel Daily Planet Segment with Rocket Car Pilot Bill Braack Racing an Aircraft

“Between our decades of Air Show and military expertise – and the nearly 25 years of GREAT! agency entertainment marketing experience – our combined teamwork creates a win-win-win opportunity for brands – and their agencies – with the Rocket Car (presently doing business as the Smoke-N-Thunder Jet Car Shows) and Air Shows across North America,” says Braack.

The International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) estimates that 10 to 12 million people annually attend one or more of the 325-350 Air Shows in the U.S. and Canada. ICAS reports a 20 percent spectator growth trend during the 2008 and 2009 Air Show seasons and that this trend is forecasted to continue in annual Air Shows in the next couple of years.

The Rocket Car typically participates in the larger Air Shows – often at military bases – that are frequented by:

“After more than 4,000 performances since 1980, the Rocket Car has a 100 percent safety record,” says Braack. “Plus, since current safety procedures have been put in place, no spectators fatalities have happened at a North American Air Show since 1960: an enviable safety-record for any business.”

For Rocket Car sponsorship opportunities – including an exclusive Rocket Car “buy out” for the 2012 Air Show season – please contact GREAT! CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dan Smigrod:

For the 2011 Rocket Car performance tour schedule, please visit the Smoke-N-Thinder Jet Car Shows official website: www.smoke-n-thunder.com/ The 2012 Rocket Car performance tour schedule will be determined in conjunction with the 2012 title sponsor of the Rocket Car.

Short URL For This Story

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video: Six Jets Flying in Tight Formation – flying just fee above the runway — race the Rocket Car at 350 mph in this :45 video shot at the Oregon International Air Show on Friday, August 19, 2011.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video: PencilCam video of the Rocket Car at NAS Patuxent River, MD [Rocket Car racing the airplane starts at 3:40 into the video]

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video: Rocket Car at JBLM Air Expo 2010

]]> http://blog.greattv.com/2011/06/great-agency-retained-to-market-air-show-performers-nearly-400-mph-in-9-seconds-smoke-n-thunder-jet-car-is-first-off-the-starting-line/feed/ 0 TOUR WRIST 360-Degree Panoramic Virtual Tour Hosting Company Engages GREAT! Agency for Strategic Alliance and Business Development http://blog.greattv.com/2011/04/tour-wrist-360-degree-panoramic-virtual-tour-hosting-company-engages-great-agency-for-strategic-alliance-and-business-development/ http://blog.greattv.com/2011/04/tour-wrist-360-degree-panoramic-virtual-tour-hosting-company-engages-great-agency-for-strategic-alliance-and-business-development/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:22:04 +0000 Dan Smigrod http://blog.greattv.com/?p=4081

May 9, 2011 – Atlanta, GA USA – TOUR WRIST®, a mobile and web-based virtual tour hosting company, has engaged GREAT! agency for strategic alliance and business development in the television, entertainment and travel spaces; ideation; and additional marketing services.

Video - Tour Wrist: Virtual Tours of Hotels & Real Estate

TOUR WRIST – already the destination for 19,000 virtual tour images since the platform launched commercially January 1, 2011 – will soon enable millions of consumers to easily shoot, upload, host, search, view and share 360-degree virtual tours using third-party smartphone apps, desktop software, and panoramic cameras when it makes its AmaTour®Application Programming Interface (API) available in June 2011.

“As YouTube is for video, TOUR WRIST will soon be for 360-degree virtual tours,” says TOUR WRIST CEO and Founder Charles Armstrong. “GREAT! CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dan Smigrod shares our vision and passion for the TOUR WRIST platform. We’re thrilled to be working with GREAT! to develop strategic alliances and large-scale business opportunities for TOUR WRIST in television, entertainment and travel.”

“As exciting as millions of iPhone users visually mapping the world with their geo-tagged-virtual tour images – coming soon are 360-degree video virtual tours – also created with an iPhone using an iPhone lens accessory scheduled to ship this summer,” says Smigrod. “Television, entertainment and travel companies that get started now with TOUR WRIST will be ready to leverage user generated content.”

“We’re honored that TOUR WRIST selected GREAT! to help share TOUR WRIST large-scale opportunities such as: private label solutions; re-purposing libraries of existing 360-degree virtual tours; and mashups of TOUR WRIST in ways not even anticipated when the platform (mobile, web and social) was developed for the travel-tourism-destination and real estate sale spaces,” says Smigrod.

About TOUR WRIST®

Spark Mobile, LLC has been doing business as TOUR WRIST® since September 2010. The free TOUR WRIST viewing app (for iDevices) is available from the Apple iTunes App Store and has been downloaded over 150,000 times since its launch. The highly acclaimed TOUR WRIST app allows user to control what they see. On iDevices, it appears as a window to each space. So, for example, pointing upward may reveal the ceiling within a room and looking down, the floor.

Scan This QR Code to Download the Free TOUR WRIST iPhone App (http://lite.tw/) • Text SCAN to 43588 to get a Free Scanner App

TOUR WRIST was among the Apple Picks for Great Free Apps, Hot Apps, and New and Noteworthy for much of April 2011 in the iTunes App Store. Also in April, TOUR WRIST was among the Top 10 Free Entertainment iPad apps in the App Store. The current version of the app (2.1.5) is rated 4.5 stars from 275+ reviews; and four-stars among all versions of the app from 730+ reviewers. A mobile–optimized web app for Android devices is also being developed.

The TOUR WRIST company (private) is headquartered in Tampa, FL with satellite offices around the country. TOUR WRIST® and AmaTour® are registered trademarks of Spark Mobile, LLC. For more information about TOUR WRIST, please visit:

About GREAT!

GREAT! creates, sells and delivers value for TV and other entertainment brands by conceiving fun; innovative; brand activating; creative and multi-platform: strategic alliances; imaginative integrated marketing campaigns, and ground-breaking buzz marketing campaigns that often include innovative new digital media technologies. The Atlanta-based agency was founded in 1987 by IDEAologist Dan Smigrod.

Related Tour Wrist Stories by GREAT! CEO & IDEAologist Dan Smigrod

Short URL For This Story


TOUR WRIST 360-Degree Virtual Tour Scene of Mountain Junction General Store in Scaly, NC by Photographer Dan Smigrod

]]> http://blog.greattv.com/2011/04/tour-wrist-360-degree-panoramic-virtual-tour-hosting-company-engages-great-agency-for-strategic-alliance-and-business-development/feed/ 4 QR Code 101: Video ‘10 Reasons Why Free Quick Response (QR) Codes Will Bite Me In The Tush’ http://blog.greattv.com/2011/03/qr-code-101-video-10-reasons-why-free-quick-response-qr-codes-will-bite-me-in-the-tush/ http://blog.greattv.com/2011/03/qr-code-101-video-10-reasons-why-free-quick-response-qr-codes-will-bite-me-in-the-tush/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:04:46 +0000 Dan Smigrod http://blog.greattv.com/?p=3734

March 7, 2011 – Atlanta, GA USA – If you are researching Quick Response (QR)* scan codes for your company, you probably have stumbled on free QR scan code generators on the web.

So, you may be asking yourself, why pay for QR codes when you can get them for free?

Using free scan codes may result in costly and embarrassing mistakes for you and your company. That’s why I wrote and produced this video: 10 Reasons Why Free QR Codes Will Bite Me In The Tush.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video: ‘10 Reasons Why Free QR Codes Will Bite Me In The Tush’

  1. Dynamic Versus Static Scan Codes – with paid scan codes, you can change the URL after the scan code has been generated. For example, if you are promoting a television series, you may want to change the URL that the scan code points to for this week’s teaser video. With free scan codes (jargon alert: “non-managed” or “direct code generation”), the information is contained in the scan code rather than pointing to a dynamic look-up table in a database that can easily be updated with the appropriate URL.
  2. Early Production Deadlines – with paid scan codes, you can generate the code well before your content is ready. For example, if you have an early production deadline for a magazine ad, but the video you would like your scan code to point to will not be ready until after you need to provide your ad, then a paid scan code will make this – easier!
  3. Correction – with paid scan codes, if someone makes a mistake regarding the URL that the scan code points to, you can easily make the correction: with free codes that’s very hard to do unless you get a Ph.D. in engineering and scan codes and chocolate chip cookies for the IT guy to generate free codes using referring links). If you are already a rocket scientist in scan code generation, then you already know not to use free code generators because they will bite you in the tush.
  4. Analytics – with paid scan codes, you can get analytics, including: total scans; unique users; gender; income; age; handset operating system; and scan location (including interactive maps); to help you make decisions about the effectiveness of your print advertising, for example.
  5. Free Codes May Be Harder To Scan – free scan codes may be harder to scan because they often are “dense” compared to paid scan codes (See a “dense” QR code example). That’s because with free scan codes, the URL (or other information) is contained within the scan code rather than simply pointing to a dynamic look-up table in a database for the appropriate URL or other action. [For more on how to make a free code less dense, please see "point 8" in my That's GREAT! article, Top 10 Mistakes To Avoid When Integrating Two Dimensional (2D) Codes (QR • EZcode • Tag) In Your U.S. Marketing Plans (8/2/10)]
  6. Add Value – It’s essential to add value to the scanning engagement experience. With paid scan codes, you can change the URL after the scan code has been generated, which may be key to creating value for the scanning experience. You may not know what works best for you until after the scan code is in use. For example, if you using the scan code to point to a “how to assemble” this product video on YouTube and a better video is created, you can simply change the URL. (When you update a video on YouTube, it creates a new URL: you can’t use the previous video’s URL.) [For more on adding value with QR Codes, please see "point 1" in my That's GREAT! article, Top 10 Mistakes To Avoid When Integrating Two Dimensional (2D) Codes (QR • EZcode • Tag) In Your U.S. Marketing Plans (8/2/10)]
  7. Printing – Can you afford to toss large printing press runs because the scan code points to a URL that needs to be updated? When you use paid scan codes, you can (easily) update the URL for the scan code rather than re-printing brochures; catalogs; direct mail pieces; signage; or any other physical thing that contains your scan code such as t-shirts or cupcakes. For example, if you are a Realtor using a scan code on your Home For Sale signs, you’ll want to change the URL that the scan code points to rather than printing up new signs for each Home For Sale sign.
  8. Change – Stuff happens. With paid scan codes, you can easily deal with change. For example, if you are using scan codes for vCard contact info for a direct mail piece and the contact info changes after the mailing goes out, you can easily change the vCard info.
  9. Large Batch of Scan Codes – With paid scan code platforms, it’s easier to generate a large batch of scan codes.  If you need to create a large batch of scan codes with a free scan code generator, you – or your team – will likely be overwhelmed with the time-consuming code creation process. For example, while you may ultimately point to the same video, you may want to use different scan codes to know which magazine ads generated those scans.
  10. Scan Code Management – With a paid scan code platform, it’s easier to label and keep track of all your scan codes. That’s important for making sure the correct scan code is used and for running scan code usage reports. For example, you may want to use different scan codes for different magazine ads and run a report that compares unique scan code usage by magazine. If you mark, track and manage campaign collateral for lead generation, you’ll want to mark, track and manage your scan code campaigns too.
  11. Bonus: You’re A Hero – When you use a paid scan code platform, such as Scanbuy’s ScanLife Platform (GREAT! ScanLife Promo Code (“Invitation Code” = great), you will be a hero when senior management has requests that can only be accomplished with a paid scan code solution. GREAT! ScanLife Promo Code (“Invitation Code”) = great (for small, medium, large businesses and agency/resellers so you can play with a robust, paid scan code platform (For example, generate free QR codes to practice with; and generate usage reports for these scan codes). When you are ready to use the scan codes commercially, please request a quote from ScanLife or GREAT! CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dan Smigrod.

For most businesses, using free scan code generators will cost the business more: either eating the cost of re-printing, the inability to use the most effective value-added experience; or the staff time consumed using an inefficient free tool for volume business use. If you recommend a free scan code generator, you will go from hero to zero the first time senior managements wants to – or must – make a change that can only be done with a paid scan code platform.

Plus, if you are using free scan codes for your company, you are also likely to repeat the same costly and embarrassing mistakes already made by major U.S. brands using scan codes and major media companies using scan codes. In addition, if you are using free scan code generators, it’s likely that you will fail to follow scan code best practices that could help your marketing campaign to be as effective as possible.

Hero to Zero! Using free QR codes will bite you in the tush!

Special Thanks

Subscribe to the Free Daily Online Scan Code Newspaper From GREAT!

That’s GREAT! Quick Response (QR) Scan Code Resources

  1. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  101 Ideas for Using QR Codes
  2. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  101 ‘Pointers’ for Using QR Codes
  3. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  101 Major U.S. Brands Using QR Codes
  4. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  50 Major Media Companies Using QR Codes
  5. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Using QR Codes
  6. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 10 Best QR Codes Uses in the U.S
  7. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  (Video) ‘10 Reasons Free QR Codes Will Bite Me In The Tush’
  8. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  (Video) What’s the Return on Investment (ROI) on QR Codes?
  9. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  (Video) – 2011 is the Year of the Quick Response Code
  10. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Multiple Choice:  (2010) (2011) (2012) is the Year of the QR Code
  11. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 300 Must Read QR Code Articles
  12. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 150 Must Read QR Code Articles
  13. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  How Newspapers Can Use QR Codes to Delay the Demise of Print
  14. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  QR Code Book : ‘I Live in the Future & Here’s How It Works
  15. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 10 Reasons EZcodes Are Better Than QR Codes
  16. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Guest Post: The 10 Commandments for Marketers
  17. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Guest Post: How to Use QR Codes to Promote Your Business
  18. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Guest Post: An Introduction to QR Codes
  19. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Product Camp Atlanta: 25 QR Code Ideas in 10 Minutes
  20. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Follow Dan Smigrod’s QR Twitter Account: uSCANme
  21. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Free Daily Online QR Code Newspaper (The uSCANme Daily)
  22. That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  All ‘That’s GREAT!’ QR Code Lists, Videos, Articles and Resources
  23. Bonus: GREAT! ScanLife Promo Code (“Invitation Code”) = great (for small, medium, large businesses and agency/resellers so you can play with a robust, paid scan code platform (For example: generate free QR codes to practice with and generate usage reports for these codes). When you are ready to use the scan codes commercially, please request a quote from ScanLife or email GREAT! CEO Dan Smigrod.

_____________________

Short URL For This Story

Disclosures

*Though Quick Response (QR) brand scan codes are a registered trademark of Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave, Quick Response Code (QR) are commonly – and incorrectly – used generically to refer to all Two Dimensional (2D) mobile barcodes: including ScanLife EZcode brand scan codes; Microsoft Tag codes; datamatrix codes; and still other scan codes that are scanned or photographed on a smartphone such as an iPhone 4. Saying Quick Response code or QR code is like saying that you TIVOed the TV show when you actually used the Comcast brand digital video recorder to record the TV show.

]]> http://blog.greattv.com/2011/03/qr-code-101-video-10-reasons-why-free-quick-response-qr-codes-will-bite-me-in-the-tush/feed/ 19 Ideation: ‘Zambia – Feel Like Royalty in the Animal Kingdom’ (Plus, 5 More Re-Branding Zambia Ideas) http://blog.greattv.com/2011/02/ideation-zambia-%e2%80%93-feel-like-royalty-in-the-animal-kingdom-plus-5-more-re-branding-zambia-ideas/ http://blog.greattv.com/2011/02/ideation-zambia-%e2%80%93-feel-like-royalty-in-the-animal-kingdom-plus-5-more-re-branding-zambia-ideas/#comments Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:07:05 +0000 Dan Smigrod http://blog.greattv.com/?p=3626

February 25, 2011 – Atlanta, GA USA – The GREAT! team is helping Zambia re-brand the country.

While the Zambia Tourism Board has not engaged GREAT!, they did run an awesome world-wide contest seeking the best slogan – tag line – to replace, Zambia, the Real Africa. The prize: an over-the-top 15-day eco-adventure of a lifetime for two including: safaris to three wildlife parks; and a visit to one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Victoria Falls.

Count me in!

Victoria Falls – the Smoke that Thunders – Livingstone, Zambia

While you may know me as a creative CEO and IDEAologist of Atlanta-based GREAT! agency for 23+ years who has helped GREAT! clients give away (and fulfill) millions of dollars in prizes – including two houses; cars; thousands of trips; and a $100,000 dream-job to watch TV – you may not know that I love international travel (35 countries). My wife and I have never been to Africa. (“Not Yet”)

Plus, my agency conceived and implemented the AMC Planet of the Apes: Adopt an Ape Month that included 50 gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees adopted at 50 zoos across America – and apes watching Planet of the Apes movies – to call attention to the threatened and endangered apes (and to promotion Planet of the Apes on AMC.)

And, I am a passionate and prolific semi-pro photographer who has photographed natural wonders including the Niagara Falls; Iguazu Falls (including under the falls); glaciers and Mount Rainier in Alaska; and the Grand Canyon.

Add to this, I have always wanted to do photo safaris and visit Victoria Falls. I grew up on Daktari, Tarzan and the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom television series and animal expert Jack Hanna “hands on” segments on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

Wow! That’s a Prize!

So, you can imagine my excitement reading about the Zambia Tourism Department re-branding contest with a $30,000 prize package that also includes: international airline tickets; flights within Zambia; ground transfers; and all accommodations and meals.

While I will photograph and videotape the bungi jumping at Victoria Falls instead of taking the (big) leap of faith, I’m there … for walking with elephants and a canoe and fly fishing experience on the Zambezi river. While not included in the prize, I will add a bush microlight flight experience for some aerial images ”over the game in the Zambezi National Park without disturbing them.” Plus, a float plane that flies over Victoria Falls and lands on the Zambezi river near a pod of hippos.

Plus, I’ll shoot some 360 degree panoramic images while on Safari and from Livingston Island of Victoria Falls – with “its largest sheet of falling water in the world” – that will look amazing on the travel remotely/’teleport in’ Tour Wrist app (iPhone, iPad).

The official rules allowed three (3) tag line entries per person, so here are the six (6) tag lines that my wife and I entered between us:

  1. Zambia - Feel Like Royalty in the Animal Kingdom
  2. Zambia – Quench Your Thirst for Adventure
  3. Zambia – Adventure Powered by Victoria Falls
  4. Zambia – Victoria Falls For You
  5. Zambia – Adventure In
  6. Zambia – Victoria Falls For Us

To help us with ideation – short of flying to Zambia – the GREAT! team did a “deep dive” to immerse ourselves in all things Zambia tourism, including:

Our four key take-aways about driving Zambia tourism that we integrated into our tag line ideation:

  1. Victoria Falls –  named after (royalty) Queen Victoria by Explorer Dr. David Livingston – is the unique and compelling selling proposition for Zambia.
  2. Safaris – experiencing all kinds of wildlife of Zambia is an important driver of tourism; though safaris are not unique to Zambia
  3. Adventure – Zambia appeals to adventure travel enthusiasts; Livingston – the home of Victoria Falls – is known as ‘Adventure Centre’ of Southern Africa
  4. Differentiator – As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Victoria Falls differentiates Zambia from other African adventure destinations that offer safaris and water falls. Victoria Falls is the “anchor mall tenant” tourist traffic generator that draws you to Zambia; once there, there are other great places; adventure and historic places to visit.

'Sanctuary Retreats' in Zambia

Plus we drew on some ideation process inspiration from Thinking for a Living by Joey Reiman. While there was no word count limit, we honored the request for “short and snappy” and we mashed up aspirational, personal tone and play on words in our tag lines.

For example Victoria Falls For You allows you to imagine that the Queen of England – royalty – has fallen in love with you; you will experience her misty-eye tears of happiness; that the Falls (For You) are uniquely special – personal – for your visit; and it’s a “short and snappy” tag line that leverages the unique differentiator of Zambia among other African countries in a positive way. [Do you have a favorite? Please comment below (and share why). Or, add your tag line ideas to promote Zambia Tourism.]

Photo Safari in Zambia

Now that the month-long deadline for entries has passed, the Zambia Tourism Board will post their short list of the top five – for voting – on the official Zambia Tourism Board re-branding competition website on March 14, 2011 and announce the winner on March 21, 2011. If one of our six ideas makes the cut, may I count on you for your vote?

While we can’t take you with us, you’ll get to Quench Your Thirst for Adventure at Victoria Falls – while we Feel Like Royalty in the Animal Kingdom – through my Zambia, Adventure In images that I will post here (if we’re lucky enough – with your help – to win the Zambia, Adventure Powered by Victoria Falls experience of a lifetime). Check out these – feel like royalty – prize sponsors to see the Royal Treatment that awaits the winner:

Plus, check out the Zambia Tourism Re-branding Competition Sponsors:

If my wife or I wins the adventure experience of a lifetime, I will also post a Zambia, Victoria Falls For You travel log here – including Flip UltraHD Video and 360 degree panoramic virtual tour images – ’cause I know … in, Zambia, Victoria Falls For Us!

Short URL To Share This That’s GREAT! Article

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video: Sausage Tree Camp on the banks of the Zambezi River in the heart of the Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia

PostScript (3/14/11)

  • Of the 4,445 tag lines submitted – from 2,017 individuals – here are the five (5) tag lines that made the Zambia Tourism short list: 1) Zambia – Beyond Imagination; 2) Zambia – Let’s Explore; 3) Zambia – Big heart, Big smile, Big adventure; 4) Zambia – Africa’s Smile; 5) Discover Zambia, Experience Africa. The Winner will be announced March 21, 2011.
  • Looks like our adventure experience of a lifetime in Zambia is on hold until either GREAT! handles a VIP incentive travel experience to Zambia; or Zambia Tourism invites bloggers/photographers for an expense-paid exploration of Zambia to share our experience.
]]> http://blog.greattv.com/2011/02/ideation-zambia-%e2%80%93-feel-like-royalty-in-the-animal-kingdom-plus-5-more-re-branding-zambia-ideas/feed/ 0 Two-Screen Marketing: TV and Movie Marketing Meets ‘Tour Wrist’ Mobile Experience; Meets Immersive Consumer Engagement Experience http://blog.greattv.com/2011/02/two-screen-marketing-tv-and-movie-marketing-meets-tour-wrist-mobile-experience-meets-immersive-consumer-engagement-experience/ http://blog.greattv.com/2011/02/two-screen-marketing-tv-and-movie-marketing-meets-tour-wrist-mobile-experience-meets-immersive-consumer-engagement-experience/#comments Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:23:02 +0000 Dan Smigrod http://blog.greattv.com/?p=3452

February 21, 2011 – Atlanta, GA USA – Network and cable television marketing today is about two-screens.

“‘We know people are multitasking while they’re watching TV,’ said Albert Cheng, the executive vice president for digital media for the Disney/ABC Television Group, which oversee ABC. ‘The question is, how do we tap into that and create a whole different consumer experience?’” reported The New York Times on Sunday (2/20/11).

As a GREAT! IDEAologist in the television and entertainment space, I am always looking for two-screen audience engagement technologies first developed for other spaces that can be mashed up for television series, movies and other entertainment experiences.

Vision: 'Teleport In' to TV show sets and movie locations with the Free TOUR WRIST iPhone and iPad Immersive Experience Apps from TOUR WRIST

So when I attended the by invitation only technology Startup Riot in Atlanta on Wednesday (2/16/11) and saw the ‘teleport in’ go-anywhere-without-going Tour Wrist online and mobile marketing platform – first conceived for virtual tours in the travel space – I immediately visualized how the free Tour Wrist iPhone/iPad app – and two-screen online experience – could create value for television series and movies.

The new paradigm for creating and marketing television series and movies in a world of social engagement and brand activation means that television and movie producers and marketers – to create value – now also need to create immersive consumer engagement experiences during TV Series/Movie production – in addition to: 1) product integration; 2) sponsorship; and 3) other integrated marketing opportunities. Here is a GREAT! example of why you want to embed the consumer marketing team within the production of your TV show or movie – rather than handing over a finished television show or movie to then be marketed.

First, to help visualize where I am going with this idea, please:

  1. Watch the 90 second video at the bottom of this article or click here.
  2. download the free Tour Wrist app (for iPad) (for iPhone)
  3. Visit: www.tourwrist.com/tour and look at some of the 360 degree panoramic tour images

While you may have seen 360 degree panoramic images when looking at a hotel room, cruise ship cabin, restaurant or rooms in a house for sale, the free Tour Wrist app (for iPhone) (for iPad) enables you to ‘teleport in’ to have a being-there-without-being-there immersive location experience by levering magnetometer data and the real-time accelerometer in your iPhone and iPad. “We saw a significant opportunity to connect the world with locations in a way that is much more intuitive than what people are currently use to,” says Tour Wrist Founder and CEO Charles Armstrong. “In addition to viewing the photographer’s cylindrical or spherical imagery on the web, the Tour Wrist app places the viewer inside of the photographed environment for an intimate and tactile experience.”

10 GREAT! Ideas* For Integrating Tour Wrist Immersive Experiences in a TV Series or Movie
  1. Go On Set Experience: What’s it like to be on set – to see the set from the actors’ perspective? Actors and crew freeze for 15 seconds while a photographer shoots a 360 degree panoramic “you control the move-e image” with the Tour Wrist app of each scene shot: including the lights, cameras, set, actors and production crew. All the 360 degree panoramic images are linked so that the viewer can visit the adjacent sound stage set – or location – room-by-connecting-room. The viewer sees the actual configuration of the set experience. It’s the ultimate ‘teleport in’ immersion experience for your audience – without your audience actually being on the set. For example, if you are producing a television series or movie with a crime scene, your viewers can ‘teleport in’ with the Tour Wrist produced “white-label” [TV Show Name] Crime ‘Seen’ 360 App – for an immersive, get-in-close examination of the clues and evidence.
  2. Movie Sequence: Same as number 1, except the “360 degree you control the ‘move-e’ panoramic images are linked in the order of the actual television show or  movie sequence. Viewers can hit pause on their DVR and take a behind-the-scenes closer look in “real time” …
  3. Go Backstage Experience: Actors and crew freeze for 15 seconds while the photographer captures a 360 degree panoramic Tour Wrist “you control the move-e image” while actors get their make-up and hair done, get styled; and while the actors and crew visit craft services or are on meal break.
  4. Visit The Stars’ Trailer Experience: Let’s go inside each of the actors’ trailers to see the “you control the move-e image:” ideally, with the actor present
  5. Visit The Production Trailers Experience: Let’s go inside each of the production trailers.
  6. Product Integration Experiences: actors freeze for 15 seconds while the photographer captures a 360 degree panoramic Tour Wrist image with the product integration experience.
  7. Product and Stars: the photographer captures a 360 degree panoramic Tour Wrist “you control the move-e image”with the integrated products and stars.
  8. Red Carpet Premiere From The Stars’ Perspective Experience: At the theatrical movie premiere, a photographer shoots a 360 degree panoramic Tour Wrist “you-control-the-move-e image” …
  9. Stars and Producers Collaboration Experience: When actors and producers congregate and collaborate together, freeze for 15 seconds while the photographer shoots a 360 degree panoramic Tour Wrist “you-control-the-move-e image” …
  10. Location Scouting Tool Experience: TV and film production executives get an immersion experience “visiting” potential shoot locations (better, faster and easier decision). These location scouting trip images become part of the DVD or micro-site bonus content.

These 360 degree panoramic Tour Wrist “you control the move-e images” get re-purposed to help get more viewers, increase viewer engagement and help sponsors sell more product. For example:

  1. Tour Wrist iPad/iPhone app immersive experience
  2. Tour Wrist iPad/iPhone private label app immersive experience (TV Network, Cable Channel or Sponsor)
  3. Websites (TV Network, Cable Channel, Sponsors production company)
  4. DVD bonus content

While it may seem early for a television series or movie to leverage new audience engagement services like the “travel remotely” Tour Wrist app, media companies that are early adopters will benefit from the buzz generated from traditional media coverage and the viral social engagmenet word-of-mouth; and be better positioned to leverage a rapidly growing smartphone audience [More than 50 percent of the U.S. will have a smartphone by 3Q11 or 4Q11, according to Nielsen (as reported by MediaPost on 2/5/11).]

“A recent study by Deoitte of 2,000 American consumers ages 14 to 75 found that 42 percent sometimes surfed the Web while watching TV,” reported The New York Times on Sunday (2/20/11). “Analysts say such behavior will become more common as tablets and smartphones become more prevalent.”

Imagine being among the first television series or movie to go full throttle with Tour Wrist ‘teleport in’ immersive mobile experience.

Tour Wrist online and mobile marketing platform is a GREAT! big 360 two-screen marketing idea.

*This ideation is a mashup of thinking by the GREAT! and Tour Wrist teams to help television networks, cable TV channels, producers, production companies and movie studios visualize and leverage the Tour Wrist online and mobile marketing platform and to experience GREAT! ideation.

PostScript

Tour Wrist Related Stories by GREAT! CEO Dan Smigrod

Short URL For This Page

Disclosures:

Click here to view the embedded video.


Example (above): TOUR WRIST virtual tour image using Embed Tour as Popup Code • Atlanta Spring 2011 Swimwear & Glamour Photo Shoot, Atlanta, GA Image by TOUR WRIST virtual tour Photographer Dan Smigrod

]]> http://blog.greattv.com/2011/02/two-screen-marketing-tv-and-movie-marketing-meets-tour-wrist-mobile-experience-meets-immersive-consumer-engagement-experience/feed/ 4 QR Code 101: 20 GREAT! Questions (and Answers): Including How to Respond to ‘What’s the ROI on Quick Response (QR) Codes?’ And, ‘Why Not Wait?’ http://blog.greattv.com/2011/02/qr-code-101-20-great-questions-and-answers-including-how-to-respond-to-whats-the-roi-on-quick-response-qr-codes-and-why-not-wait/ http://blog.greattv.com/2011/02/qr-code-101-20-great-questions-and-answers-including-how-to-respond-to-whats-the-roi-on-quick-response-qr-codes-and-why-not-wait/#comments Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:09:46 +0000 Dan Smigrod http://blog.greattv.com/?p=3358

Atlanta, GA USA – February 15, 2011 – Your “gut” says your company should be using Quick Response (QR) scan codes now, but your boss says let’s wait. What’s a visionary like you to do?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video: 2011 is The Year of the QR Code Or, What’s the ROI on QR Codes?
Video Written and Produced by GREAT! CEO & IDEAologist Dan Smigrod

Besides updating your LinkedIn profile to help you find a company that can take advantage of your smarts, see if the answers to these objections can help you move your company forward.

  1. What’s the Return On Investment (ROI)? – Just like our website, how we use the QR codes will evolve. QR codes enable us to activate our brand and engage our customers in all our marketing communication tools, at point-of-sale and with our products and services. If we don’t want to jump into the deep end of the pool, let’s put our toe in the shallow end to get started. It’s not going to cost much to learn and the potential upside in generating revenue and social engagement is huge.
  2. Does everyone have a smartphone to read QR codes? – More than 50% of the U.S. will have a smartphone by the 3Q11 or 4Q11, according to Nielsen (as reported by MediaPost on 2/5/11). And, 45% of mobile users upgraded to a smartphone in 4Q10. Now that Verizon offers iPhones, it’s likely the smartphone adoption rate will continue to grow rapidly.  Our customers probably index higher for smartphone usage too. Smartphone sales now exceed computer sales.
  3. Has everyone heard about QR codes? – While not everyone has heard of QR codes, that’s changing now that more than 50 major U.S. media and more than 100 major U.S. brands are using scan codes.
  4. You have to download a scanning app? – Best practices when using scan codes are to let people know which scanning app to download. It just takes a few words like: Text SCAN to 43588 to get a free scanner app.
  5. QR. EZcode. Isn’t this 2D thing just too confusing for our customers?– Best practices when using any scan codes are to let people know which scanning app to download: that would be true if there was just one kind of scan code. It just takes a few words like: Text SCAN to 43588 to get a free scanner app.
  6. Let’s wait. Isn’t it too soon to get started with QR codes? – Don’t we need help now increasing: a) sales; b) brand engagement; c) activating our customers; d) generating trade and consumer media coverage; and e) leading our company into new ways that our customers want to engage with us? Even social engagement!
  7. Why can’t we wait until everyone is doing it? – Yes. All our competitors will be using scan codes. By getting started now, we can learn how best to use scan codes to increase: a) sales; b) help our customers easily engage with our brand (social engagement); c) activate our customers; d) help generate trade and consumer media coverage; and e) lead our company into new ways that our customers want to engage with us.
  8. It’s just not a priority – All departments in our business will want to be using scan codes. Let’s lead the way.
  9. Let’s keep studying the space – Consumer and trade media loves writing about QR codes. If we get started now, we can generate buzz: media, social media and word of mouth about how we are using the QR codes.
  10. I haven’t heard of QR codes (and neither have our customers) – Actually, the interest in QR codes is skyrocketing. Look at the  Google Insight for Search results for QR Codes.
  11. Let’s use a free code generator rather than pay for scan codes – While free QR generators are fine for personal use, our company should pay for QR codes so that: a) we can change the URL after the code has been printed; b) get scan code data that can help us understand the effectiveness of our print marketing tools; c) make it easier for the consumer to scan our (less dense) QR codes.
  12. There are other new media/social media/mobile opportunities I want to do first. – Since using scan codes is relatively new, there’s still an opportunity to generate buzz (traditional consumer, business and trade media coverage, social media and word-of-mouth) by getting started now. It’s easy to get started; plus, like the web, the scan codes will not only be used in our marketing communication tools, they will also be used in our product and help with customer service.
  13. There’s no risk in waiting – By waiting, we’re missing out on increasing sales sooner; learning how best to leverage scan codes for our business; plus, our competitors are using – or will be using – scan codes.
  14. The whole thing is just too confusing – While scan codes can be confusing – just like getting started with a home page, Facebook or Twitter for our business – we learned by doing. We need to learn now so that we can engage our customers and activate our brand.
  15. Not our responsibility. Go ask (marketing) (IT) (PR) (Web) (Mobile) – Since I am excited about the potential for using scan codes – by all our departments – let us show the way to innovate and leverage smartphones. Once we get started, we can figure-out later which department should “own” scan codes. Just like all departments use the web, all departments will use scan codes. We all need to help innovate. Once we’re up and running for our needs, we can socialize the use of scan codes by other departments to help achieve their objectives too.
  16. It’s too hard to get an okay from (marketing) (IT) (PR) (Web) and (Mobile) – Yes. I can understand the challenge of getting everyone to “buy in” to the use of scan codes. That was true about our company’s first home page. Back then, our online presence could have easily have started in any of our departments. Once we launched, we figured out how to get all departments to participate in the success of our website. Let’s get started with our department’s scan code needs. Once we’re up and running, we can socialize the use of scan codes – and their potential uses by other departments.
  17. QR codes are a fad – Smartphones are with us – and our customers – 24/7. That’s not a fad. That’s a trend that gets stronger everyday. We need to leverage QR codes on smartphones.
  18. I scanned a code and had a bad experience – Lots of companies are making the same scan code mistakes over and over leading to bad customer experiences scanning codes. Like a rocket launch, we need to have a QR check list of pre-launch pointers. Here’s a list of more than 100 pointers to help us with a scan code successful launch.
  19. It’s not a threat or an opportunity for our business – Yes. Scan codes are both a threat and opportunity for our business. Look at: a) Blockbuster versus Netflix; Newspapers and magazines versus the web (and mobile); typewriters versus computers.
  20. People don’t watch video on mobile phones – “38% of iPhone users and 37% of Android users are watching videos now,” according to Nielsen.
  21. Bonus: It’s too easy to make costly and embarrassing mistakes – Yes. Lots of major brands are making costly and embarrassing mistakes. Let’s engage GREAT! to provide us (and our agency) with the scan codes; help us with strategy for use of the codes; manage our scan codes, give us a fast-to-market experience; and help us avoid costly and embarrassing scan code mistakes common even by large A-list brands and major U.S. media companies using scan codes. GREAT! provides scan code services for  a flat monthly fee that includes the scan codes. [For a quote, please email GREAT! CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dan Smigrod.]
  22. Bonus Video: Let’s go to the video tape. (Do they still make video tape or video tape players?)

Subscribe to the Free Daily Online Scan Code Newspaper From GREAT!

That’s GREAT! Quick Response (QR) Scan Code Resources

1.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  101 Ideas for Using QR Codes
2.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  101 ‘Pointers’ for Using QR Codes
3.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  101 Major U.S. Brands Using QR Codes
4.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  50 Major Media Companies Using QR Codes
5.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Using QR Codes
6.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 10 Best QR Codes Uses in the U.S
7.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  (Video) ‘10 Reasons Free QR Codes Will Bite Me In The Tush’
8.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  (Video) What’s the Return on Investment (ROI) on QR Codes?
9.     That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  (Video) – 2011 is the Year of the Quick Response Code
10.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Multiple Choice:  (2010) (2011) (2012) is the Year of the QR Code
11.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 300 Must Read QR Code Articles
12.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 150 Must Read QR Code Articles
13.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  How Newspapers Can Use QR Codes to Delay the Demise of Print
14.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  QR Code Book : ‘I Live in the Future & Here’s How It Works
15.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Top 10 Reasons EZcodes Are Better Than QR Codes
16.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Guest Post: The 10 Commandments for Marketers
17.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Guest Post: How to Use QR Codes to Promote Your Business
18.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Guest Post: An Introduction to QR Codes
19.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Product Camp Atlanta: 25 QR Code Ideas in 10 Minutes
20.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Follow Dan Smigrod’s QR Twitter Account: uSCANme
21.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  Free Daily Online QR Code Newspaper (The uSCANme Daily)
22.   That’s GREAT! – QR Code 101:  All ‘That’s GREAT!’ QR Code Lists, Videos, Articles and Resources

Bonus: GREAT! ScanLife Promo Code (“Invitation Code”) = great (for small, medium, large businessesand agency/resellers so you can play with a robust, paid scan code platform (For example: generate free QR codes to practice with and generate usage reports for these codes). When you are ready to use the scan codes commercially, please request a quote from ScanLife or email GREAT! CEO Dan Smigrod.

Short URL For This Story

Disclosures

*Though Quick Response (QR) brand scan codes are a registered trademark of Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave, Quick Response Code (QR) are commonly – and incorrectly – used generically to refer to all Two Dimensional (2D) mobile barcodes: including ScanLife EZcode brand scan codes; Microsoft Tag codes; datamatrix codes; and still other scan codes that are scanned or photographed on a smartphone such as an iPhone 4. Saying Quick Response code or QR code is like saying that you TIVOed the TV show when you actually used the Comcast brand digital video recorder to record the TV show.

]]> http://blog.greattv.com/2011/02/qr-code-101-20-great-questions-and-answers-including-how-to-respond-to-whats-the-roi-on-quick-response-qr-codes-and-why-not-wait/feed/ 17