Delvinia Case Study: Microsoft Canada’s No Friend Left Behind Campaign

Microsoft Canada’s No Friend Left Behind Campaign, designed by Delvinia to promote the launch of Window’s Live Messenger for the iPhone and iPod touch, is a creative concept that highlights the critical moments when you need the expertise of the friends on your IM list the most—all while poking fun at the fact that different friends meet different needs in our daily lives.

Delvinia President Steve Mast discusses the project and the campaign strategy in the video below.

U.S. Grocery Chain Offers Scan-As-You-Go Shopping

As of Monday, shoppers at the U.S. grocery store chain Stop & Shop can now scan their purchases using an Android or iPhone app called Scan It! developed by Modiv Media. The shopper begins by scanning their Shop & Stop loyalty card with their iPhone’s camera. The app uses the camera to scan the bar codes of items the shopper adds to their shopping bags. The purchases are totalled through the app and the shopper checks out using their debit or credit card without unloading or interacting with a cashier. It’s an honour system, but the store will do random checks to make sure shoppers are scanning and paying for everything in their bags.

The smartphone apps build upon the existing Scan It! technology that previously required proprietary hand-held scanners, and more importantly lowers the cost of the system per store from $80,000 to only $7,000. Relevant offers can be sent to the phone based on the shopper’s previous purchasing habits. The system can use the store’s Wi-Fi network to determine where the shopper is located and then send relevant offers for products located in that immediate area.

The first question that always pops into my mind with these technologies is, “Do shoppers really want this?” It seems like it would take twice as long to shop if I have to stop, turn on my phone and app, scan the code and then move on to the next thing on my list. Not to mention deal with all the tips and special offers (I assume I can turn those off or set a limit). After watching the Scan It! demo video, I’m thinking that all this activity would slow down the shopping experience.

I know from talking to people that design store flow that slowing down the shopping experience is not a good thing. Stores are designed specifically for flow, with the idea of getting an ideal number of shoppers through within a defined time period. And if even a few of those shoppers are stopping to scan items as they shop, or to consider offers, crisscrossing the store to take advantage of related product offers, the whole shopping flow will bog down.

I do believe that large grocery stores will eventually have a self-shopping experience but it’s not going to include busy shoppers visually scanning each item with their smartphone. A method of scanning items using a contactless system is a much better solution. Items that are added or removed from a shopper’s cart are automatically totalled with a final transaction occurring as the shopper exits the store – and the amount of the purchase is removed from a user’s account according to pre-defined methods.

The intelligent shopping experience has always been the dream of futurists, allowing shoppers to move freely from store to store without having to reach into their wallets and purses for cash or a credit card. I for one would love to see store employees freed up to assist customers rather than spend time tapping buttons and making change.

Thoughts?

Delvinia Named an Official Honoree of the 15th Annual Webby Awards

The No Friend Left Behind marketing campaign—designed by Delvinia to promote Microsoft’s launch of Window’s Live Messenger for the iPhone and iPod touch—has been recognized as an Official Honoree in the 15^th Annual Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of the Digital Arts and Sciences.

Launched in August 2010, the No Friend Left Behind campaign is a creative concept that highlights the critical moments when you need the expertise of the friends on your IM list the most—all while poking fun at the fact that different friends meet different needs in our daily lives.

The app encourages users to download a badge that best describes their personality—examples include stylista, foodie, wingman and party pro—and then add it as their Messenger, Facebook or Twitter profile picture. Participants are then challenged with getting their friends to vote for them to unlock higher level badges and gain street cred.

The International Academy of the Digital Arts and Sciences acknowledges outstanding entries as Official Honorees, alongside Nominees and Winners. With nearly 10,000 entries received from more than 60 countries, the Official Honoree distinction is awarded to the top 10 per cent of entries that exhibit remarkable achievement.

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