Google launches ‘Favorite Places’
Friday 11 December 2009 | By Heidi Scott, Gosh! Media Copywriter
Google in the US is rolling out a new campaign called 'Favorite Places' that aims to empower shoppers with mobile devices on the streets of American towns and cities.
The Internet company has distributed 100,000 window stickers with Google's logo and a QR code to what the company deems to be the most popular businesses in its 'Local Business Center'. This database allows businesses to place listings on Google Maps, with information such as opening hours, and over a million businesses in the US have listed themselves. Google analysed which local listings were generating the most activity and has judged these to be its 'Favorite Places' and eligible for the coveted window sticker.
Google's Favorite Places
Mobile device users can use code-scanning applications to look up the 'Place Page' for a business displaying a sticker, which shows listing data, reviews, photos, links to other sites with more information and vouchers that can be redeemed in the store.
In a post on the Official Google Blog, Product Marketing Managers Ryan Hayward and David Kim explain the detail of how the codes work:
"To scan the codes, you'll need a phone with a camera and an app that can read QR codes. For Android-powered devices, including the Droid by Motorola, we recommend using the free Barcode Scanner app. For iPhone, we have found the $1.99 QuickMark app to work best, and starting today, we're partnering with QuickMark to offer the app for free for the first 40,000 downloads. For other devices, we recommend searching for 'QR reader' in your app marketplace, if it has one, or searching for the model of your phone and [qr reader] on Google. BeeTagg and NeoReader are two other apps that we've found to work well with the decals."
How Google's Favorite Places Works
Google plans to send out new waves of the window decals over time. The strategy behind the campaign is that, by expanding its local presence, Google will be able to sell more targeted ads to other companies.
The scheme is not available outside the US for the time being but it is likely to be extended worldwide. Watch this space!
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