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Media bridging – the next big thing in mobile marketing?

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By James Connelly, founder and chief executive

July 30, 2013 | 3 min read

Technology and marketing. It’s a match made in capitalism heaven. Science gives us new ways to interact with and reach our audience and we in turn develop unthought-of ways for its application.

Enter media bridging.

Without getting too “techy,” media bridging uses WebSocket's API to establish a communication channel between a desktop computer and an HTML5 mobile site. De-jargonized, this means it allows you to control your desktop with your mobile. Sound familiar? You’ve probably played Google’s ‘World Wide Maze’, a Cannes Mobile Lions Silver winner. The tech giant’s advertising platform DoubleClick has been experimenting for over a year, developing it’s own media bridging technology they call Channel Connect. Their successes have only added to Google’s identity as innovators and forward thinkers (both in advertising and technology), but what about the marketing implications?

At the moment, media bridging’s applications are only just beginning to be realised, so campaigns utilising the technology are few and far between. However, the metrics coming back are outstanding from a branding perspective, reaching upwards of 12 per cent interaction rate. One champion of media bridging, the creative agency Spinnaker, has seen a .33 per cent click through rate - far exceeding the YouTube benchmark of 0.1 per cent - plus a 15.98 per cent interaction rate, 11 times higher than YouTube's benchmark.

Much like augmented reality, the fad possibilities of this technology are obvious. Yet, if used wisely it is yet another effective tool in the mobile marketers toolkit.

Here are three fantastic uses of media bridging:

The Amazing Spiderman Web Shootout

Supporting the release of Sony’s new Spiderman movie, Spinnaker knew the target demographic had a high propensity for gaming so created an interactive in-banner game that functions in the YouTube masthead and can be connected with a user’s smartphone. After the Spiderman TV spot plays in the banner, a unique QR code appears which the visitor can scan with their smartphone. The user is then able to sync their mobile device to their screen and engage with the ‘Shoot ‘em up’ web-slinging game.

Frito Lay’s Cheetahpult

After a 30 second video ad sets up the scenario, a call to action encourages the user to play the interactive game with a choice between mouse and mobile control. If users use their smartphone as the remote, a call-to-action prompts them to type a mobile Web site into their browser. Once the mobile site loads, the handset becomes a remote control for the game. Consumers then have to aim their mobile device at their desktop screen and aim Cheetos into the game character’s mouth by swiping their finger vertically across the screen.

Google’s World Wide Maze

Mentioned above, Google’s Channel Connect technology is matched with incredible creativity, producing this interactive game. Using Chrome's new Tab Sync feature, the game can turn any website into a 3D maze, and be played using a smartphone. Though not a formal advertisement, Google’s experiments have added lift to its brand through word of mouth reactions to technology. ‘World Wide Maze’ is an example of how thinking creatively with mobile technology can produce interactive and engaging experiences.

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