Thursday Buzz: Conference Badge Innovation

Conference badges probably aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, in large part because they serve a hugely functional purpose: They tell attendees who you are.

But they shouldn’t necessarily be limited to that. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America decided to make its badges smart in more ways during its OAAA/Geopath National Convention + Expo in New Orleans this week.The badges included both near field communication (NFC) chips and radio-frequency identification (RFID) antennas, allowing for interactivity in multiple ways.

The NFC chip interacted with the attendee’s phone, allowing a person to tap his or her device against the badge and download conference materials, event agendas, weather updates, and other information.

The RFID antenna, meanwhile, allowed for a degree of personalization at the event—think media screens with personal welcomes.

The strategy, notes OAAA Chief Marketing Officer Stephen Freitas, highlighted the kind of technology that out-of-home (OOH) advertising is now capable of.

“This new experience at the industry’s largest annual gathering highlighted innovative capabilities that can be applied to today’s OOH campaigns,” Freitas said in a news release  (opens in a new tab). “Some of the most influential industry leaders saw firsthand exactly how OOH can use technology to connect with consumers in the real world.”

Social Video’s Shifting Shapes

http://twitter.com/RvanHilst/status/865237822260858883

Just like there’s no one way to share a video online, there’s no one way to make it effective.

But it does help to follow a few examples when building your own.

The Wochit blog highlights an array of video formats  (opens in a new tab) that have proven effective on social platforms—including concepts built on breaking news, text-based items, or listicles.

“From content to format, we see similar forms repeated consistently, and with good reason! Viewers want and favor certain formats,” the Wochit team explains  (opens in a new tab). “This doesn’t mean these are your only options, but you might call them standards of social video.”

Other Links of Note

Think big data: Skift reports on recent data-driven trends  (opens in a new tab) in improving events.

The next platform to watch? Google Home, the company’s AI-based device, got a series of big updates this week. The Verge has an explanation of what to expect  (opens in a new tab).

Don’t know where to start with micro-volunteering? This MemberClicks post  (opens in a new tab) will get you going.

(PR Newswire)