London 2012: Olympic art recreates French masterpiece

We’re big sports fans here at Z-CARD®, so clearly we’re excited at the prospect of all the great sports viewing that 2012 will bring, with Euro 2012 and Olympics as the standout competitions in the sporting calendar. Continue reading ‘London 2012: Olympic art recreates French masterpiece’

Social media finds more champions in the marketing sector

It has over 800 million active users, of which 50% log in daily. On average 250 million photos are uploaded to it every day. Its App was downloaded 20 million times in one day.* Facebook is in fact one of the most trafficked sites in the world since its creation in 2004. With Twitter following close behind there is no surprise that social media marketing spend is on the rise for 2012! Continue reading ‘Social media finds more champions in the marketing sector’

‘Augmented-Reality’ windshields – the future of driving?

There’s clearly no limit to the possible applications of digital technologies in 2012; virtual reality shops were a hit over the recent festive period, there are smartphone AR apps that allow you to effectively interact with your favourite celeb and Cadbury’s chocolate bars come to life as part of their ‘Spots vs Stripes’ Olympic Games sponsor activity. This technology is now being heavily invested in by the motor industry, with augmented reality looking set to hit our windshields in the imminent future. Continue reading ‘‘Augmented-Reality’ windshields – the future of driving?’

Luxury brands keen adopters of tablet technology

With sales of tablet technology increasing, mobile video consumption is set to rise during 2012, creating an opportunity for luxury brands to target those more affluent and highly-engaged consumers. Continue reading ‘Luxury brands keen adopters of tablet technology’

Online shoppers splash-out over the festive period

Sadly the festive season is over for yet another year and has been replaced by New Year resolutions, most likely fitness based ones designed to remedy the excessive amount of food and drink we have all consumed. But this year there is also particular focus on the vast amount of money that shoppers spent purchasing Christmas gifts online. Continue reading ‘Online shoppers splash-out over the festive period’

Clothing retailer delights customers with X-Ray app

Well, this distinctive application of augmented reality will definitely grab people’s attention…

Clothing retailer Moosejaw released a cheeky new app last month to help ‘spice up’ a clothing catalogue which undresses its’ models to reveal what’s hiding underneath that bulky, winter knitwear. Continue reading ‘Clothing retailer delights customers with X-Ray app’

Get excited about 2012!

Last Friday saw the draw for Euro 2012, so start placing your bets and making your plans around the summer schedule, because Euro 2012 is set to be huge! UEFA reported that 155 million people watched the 2008 tournament and Spain’s close 1-0 final win over Germany was shown in 231 countries!* Continue reading ‘Get excited about 2012!’

Despite economic outlook, consumers are spending on quality.

According to a warning issued by the OECD*, the UK is heading for a double-dip recession. This is just the latest in a series of poor economic indicators, including failing retail sales and rising unemployment.

So, are these ‘failing retail sales’ indicative of current UK spending habits across the board? Well, for some higher-end retailers such as John Lewis, it’s certainly not all doom and gloom. Continue reading ‘Despite economic outlook, consumers are spending on quality.’

It’s true – Print is the “new Cool”

Everyone’s still talking about it…Two Sides Autumn Seminar held in London on November 7th reaffirms the popularity of print as an essential medium, citing print as being “the new cool” and having a unique appeal. Speakers talked of how important print is and results from their surveys suggested the younger generation actually preferred reading from paper than reading from screens! Continue reading ‘It’s true — Print is the “new Cool”’

Fox launches virtual store in time for Christmas!

Marketers have shown some great uses of QR codes recently, allowing brands to genuinely innovate and engage with consumers. A current example is the HMV and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment campaign. The campaign sees the launch of a new virtual shop that uses QR codes, enabling mobile users to buy DVDs on the spot and have them delivered to their home. The outdoor ads will be found at bus shelters around major UK cities, where consumers will be able to scan a code on the movie poster that appeals to them. Continue reading ‘Fox launches virtual store in time for Christmas!’