Pongr is a mobile photo marketing and technology company that develops image recognition, artificial intelligence and direct response advertising tools for companies of all sizes to monetize their customer-shared photos on social networks. Brands use the Pongr platform to automate and manage direct-response programs, loyalty and social campaigns, multi-channel promotions and shopper marketing initiatives.
Pongr's image recognition technology is used by brands such as Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Arby's, Nestle and 7-Eleven to make logos and product packaging interactive with mobile phone cameras. The Pongr system processes customer-submitted photos as the entries in contests, sweepstakes and promotions, and also ties photo sharing on social networks to brand loyalty programs.[1] Pongr is an alternative technology to QR codes or bar codes. [2]
In the crowded photo app and photo-sharing software market, Pongr is positioning itself as the only social sharing platform for brands that can monetize the millions of customer photos posted daily on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other sites. Consumer photos are monetized by integrating them with brands' existing CRM databases.
The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with a software development office in Des Moines, Iowa, and a computer vision R & D lab in Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Company history
Pongr was founded in 2008 by CEO Jamie Thompson, Computer Vision Scientist Neal Checka, and Chief Software Architect Zach Cox, who met while they were both exploring the commercial applications of various military R & D projects for Charles River Analytics in Cambridge, Mass.
Pongr was built on the premise of applying artificial intelligence and computer vision discoveries from the research labs to the worlds of shopper marketing, photo sharing and social media--focusing on what brands can learn about their customers by how and when they take pictures of products.
In 2010, Pongr launched a consumer game aimed at brand enthusiasts challenging them to become the "CEO" of their favorite company by taking fan photos and sharing them on social media. Snapping and sharing photos earned players loyalty points which could be turned in for brand rewards. The CEO game structure was later dropped, with brand enthusiasts later challenged to become the #1 Fan.
In 2011, the company introduced ImagePulse, a way to measure customer attitudes and moods in brand-related photos using a mix of text-based and image-based sentiment analysis. The system is aimed at predicting buying behavior based on the location, time and context of the photo.
As of September 2012, Pongr enabled hashtags for its search engine and allows users to submit photos via Twitter. In February 2013, Pongr announced its acquisition of a broad-based, licensed IP portfolio from Sightec, an Israeli computer vision R&D company, a deal designed to alter the way brands leverage the amount of photos shared around the world.
Also in 2013, the company introduced the Pongr App for the iPhone and the Pongr App for Android, platforms that allow users to earn points and brand rewards by taking pictures and sharing them on social networks.
Applications
For B2B, Pongr offers a variety of PRM (Photo Response Management) tools to drive direct engagement between brands and consumers. Pongr also provides at-shelf, visual retail intelligence and consumer insight services, partnering with ad agencies, public relations firms and retail advertisers.
Pongr technology also makes traditional media advertising (print, TV, billboards) interactive with camera phones.
On the B2C side, Pongr.com is a picture-sharing site for consumers and brand ambassadors. The site encourages fans of any brand to submit pictures to earn rewards such as gift cards, merchandise, or charity donations. Registered users earn points for taking and sharing picture and those points can be connected to existing loyalty or rewards programs.
According to Nielsen Research, consumer-generated photos shared by friends are the most trusted form of advertising. Brand photo galleries on Pongr.com provide a forum for fans of a brand to express their passion.
There are Pongr photo-sharing apps for Android and iPhone users. Both versions feature customized photo filters and cropping as well as integrated sharing on social networks.
Major Brand Campaigns
Mountain Dew
In March 2011, Pongr teamed up with Mountain Dew to celebrate the return of Mountain Dew Pitch Black. Users sent in Pitch Black related pictures to earn 'Pitch Black' Bucks and redeem them for prizes.
Pepsi & Simon Cowell's "The X Factor"
In September 2011, Pongr teamed up with Pepsi in its role as the primary sponsor of Simon Cowell's The X Factor talent competition on FOX. Pongr's image recognition technology made specially marked packages of Pepsi interactive with consumers seeking to win a chance for a free trip to Los Angeles to see a live broadcast of The X Factor. Participants also gained access to Pepsi-exclusive videos of contestants and behind-the-scenes content.
Pongr partnered with Pepsi again in 2012 on a similar X Factor promotion.
The Ultimate Match-Up & Super Bowl XLVI
In February 2012, Pongr partnered with Pepsi and Frito-Lay in their Ultimate Match-Up contest. Participants took photos of their favorite "match-up" of a Pepsi product and a Frito-Lay product for a chance to win tickets to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.
Rock Your Summer
In the Summer of 2012, Pongr teamed with Pepsi and Frito-Lay again for "Rock Your Summer," a sweepstakes that rewarded fans with concert tickets, music downloads and free Pepsi products for photographing one Pepsi beverage and one Frito-Lay snack paired together. Pongr's image recognition platform can detect multiple brand logos in the same photograph.
Arby's Snap & Rock
In July 2012, Pongr's computer vision and direct response platform was used by Arby's restaurants to encourage fans to photograph one of three artists pictured on their fountain drink cups: Taio Cruz, The All-American Rejects or Trace Adkins. Photographing a particular recording artist entered the customer into a drawing for a VIP concert experience with that artist. The promotion attracted more than 660,000 photo entries.
UNREAL Candy Unjunked Sweetstakes
In January 2013, UNREAL Candy partnered with Pongr to launch a sweepstakes celebrating their national distribution in Target stores. Participants emailed photos of themselves posing with UNREAL Candy for a chance to win a $10,000 Target gift card or a year's supply of UNREAL. The campaign set a high standard for social sharing with a rate of 31.45% and a click-through rate of 5.43%.
Nestle's Skinny Cow "WoCave" Instant Win Game
During the spring of 2013, Pongr provided the image recognition and mobile direct response platform for the Skinny Cow "WoCave" Instant Win Game and Grand Prize Drawing. Customers entered the drawing by taking a photo of the logo or packaging of any Skinny Cow dessert. The Grand Prize is $10,000 to spend on furnishings for a "Woman Cave" or "WoCave," a female spin on "Man Cave" sports dens and basement bars. Pongr's computer vision platform processed tens of thousands of customer photo entries.
Big Green Egg Sweepstakes at 7-Eleven
For the summer of 2013, 7-Eleven stores partnered with Ruffles potato chips to give away one Big Green Egg grill each day to a randomly selected winner drawn from customers who snapped and sent a picture of an in-store Ruffles display. The daily sweeps was part of 7-Eleven's ongoing #AWESUMMER campaign co-branded with various Consumer Packaged Goods (CPGs).
Pongr in India
CEO Jamie Thompson has been exploring mobile marketing and shopper marketing opportunities in India, where global brands are finding it challenging to make inroads against local brands because of a decentralized distribution network that places more collective weight on mom and pop stores than on national retailers. Thompson maintains that mobile contests and promotions are ideal for big brands to gain leverage for shelf space and preferential treatment. Unlike Foursquare, which asks social media followers to "check in" by location, Pongr asks brand enthusiasts to "check in" by product, regardless of where or when they buy it. This approach is a way for brands to connect to consumers in emerging markets where large chain stores are not dominant.
Pongr for Events
One Run For Boston
In June 2013, Pongr provided live photo tracking for One Run For Boston, a 3,300-mile, 24/7 cross-country relay from Los Angeles to Boston to help raise money for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Pongr software gave the month-long charity event streaming visual snapshots of the action to enhance their electronic map and GPS tracking.
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