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2011 saw some exciting technological applications in the out-of-home industry. The rising popularity and availability of NFC-enabled devices has led to some very engaging outdoor campaigns and the ways brands can use this technology are diverse. Read on for a guide to NFC in the outdoor world. What is NFC? 'Near Field Communication' is a form of wireless communication. Used at short range (under 10cm), a user taps their NFC-enabled device (typically a phone or plastic card) on another the NFC-enabled device to instigate an action. NFC 'tags' are devices that can be preprogrammed with an action that triggers every time it is tapped by another NFC-enabled device. Advertisers typically program this action to 'open a website' which displays additional content regarding the brand or product.  
  NFC World reports there are approximately 30 phones currently on the market with NFC functionality. Most leading smartphone manufacturers have included this feature in their phones, notably, the Google Nexus S, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, BlackBerry Bold & Curve, Nokia C7 and HTC Stunning. Global adoption has not met the optimistic expectations, yet, with the recent launch of Google Wallet and other mobile payment systems, brands would be wise to consider factoring this technology into their outdoor campaigns. According to Forrester Research, over the next 4 years, global mobile commerce will rise to at least $31 billion.  
  The capabilities of Near Field Communication are vast. It's important to note that an NFC contact point can be so much more than a glorified QR code taking the user to a website. It can facilitate payment transactions at the wave of a phone or act as a voting mechanism.  NFC tags are cheap to produce and once programmed, can be easily installed into a panel because the contact points can be as small and thin as a sticker. The fact that NFC technology enables data transfer over a small distance means the creative possibilities are vast.  Here are a few scenarios of how this technology can be applied: 1) Access additional mobile content:tap to visit a webpage linked to the poster 2) Social media interaction:tap to 'Like' a brand on Facebook // tap to follow a brand on Twitter // tap to check-in at a location 3) Contact information: tap to save a brand's contact details - email address, phone number, website 4) Custom vouchers: tap to download a voucher 5) Payment: tap to buy the product featured on the panel   Limitations NFC is slower than other forms of data transfer like Wi-fi and Bluetooth. This means that only small amounts of data can be transferred when a device is tapped - so large files, like videos can't be downloaded. With mobile payments, there are security and privacy issues that need to be considered too.     JCDecaux has been at the forefront of testing and implementing Near Field Communication outdoor campaigns across the world. For the relatively small amount of consumers with NFC enabled devices, these campaigns are extremely effective and engaging. Is NFC a fun trend for the technologically inclined? Or will this be the future of outdoor advertising? Time will tell if adoption rates will increase, but what do you think now? Leave a comment below  

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