RFID - Old School Technology... New School Applications

In the ever-evolving world of technology, new acronyms pop up daily. You’ve probably heard of RFID but you may not know how it affects your life or how it can impact the marketing experience that you want to create for your brand. In this latest blog post, we will help you understand various ways to apply RFID and impress your team with innovative solutions to marketing challenges.

RFID, or Radio frequency Identification Device, is a wireless technology that uses electronic tags placed on objects, people, animals etc. to transfer identifying data with radio-frequency fields, to an electronic reader. RFID tags contain an antenna and a memory chip that stores data. Tags give you a wide range of passive one-way triggered interactions and depending on the frequency, they can cover 1 to 100+ feet.

Variations of this technology have been around awhile. In World War II, it was used as a way for the allies to identify enemy aircraft. It’s come a long way. These days, we are constantly finding new and innovative ways to apply this technology. It’s completely changed our ability to collect data, measure ROI and analyze brand experiences, taking the ever-expanding reach of social media so much further. ThingMagic, a company that builds embedded RFID readers has a blog that lists hundreds of ways to use RFID:

Keeping the focus on the amazing experience and driving home a branding message in a subtle way, can often be the best approach. Budweiser recently developed the “Buddy Cup.” The cup utilizes RFID to allow the person who is using that cup to seamlessly become Facebook friends with anyone they decide to give a “cheers” to and cling glasses.

Burburry’s in London recently equipped their entire store with RFID readers and RFID tags were attached to all of their clothing. While trying on a piece of clothing in a dressing room, the customer could watch an entertaining and informative video specific to that item’s designer.

Kellogg’s recently created an event that took a skate park in Australia and made it interactive by combining projection mapping, infrared and high-speed cameras. When RFID tagged keychains triggered cameras as skaters zoomed by, footage was seamlessly posted on their Facebook pages.

Exhibit designers are constantly exploring new ways to enhance a key executive’s experience in their booth. After an RFID reader is activated, customized visual content is a must. Coupling that with other innovative technologies like projected sound, can even take it to a more immersive level. The info and personal preferences from their profiles can give important insight toward creating successful promo items and giveaways, such as presenting a branded box of golf balls to a golf enthusiast.

As you can see, the research and possibilities are endless. Experiential design studios like 900lbs of Creative, are finding new ways to utilize RFID and make lasting buzz-worthy impressions. We look forward to brainstorming with you on the best application of emerging technology to make a big impact for your brand.