NeoMedia Technologies Inc. and Renu Mobile have reached an agreement to include NeoMedia’s 2D bar codes as part of Renu Mobile’s end-to-end mobile campaign management services.

This partnership will bring mobile bar code campaigns to Renu Mobile’s existing clients, enabling them to attract and connect with millions of consumers in simple and innovative ways. Renu Mobile is currently under a non-disclosure agreement, so it cannot name its clients at this time.

“We have partnered with NeoMedia because of their commitment to the development of their 2D bar code platform and their work to increase the availability of installed NeoReaders on many devices,” said Carol Glennon, CEO of Renu Mobile, Boston. “Also, we appreciate the fact that NeoMedia does not compete with Renu Mobile in the mobile marketing services space.

“2D bar codes help Renu Mobile clients to offer their customers one-click access to the information that they need,” she said. “By decreasing the steps required to respond to a customer’s desire for information, our client’s are delivering relevant information in a more meaningful fashion than traditional methods.

“A 2D bar code call-to-action overcomes challenges such as the long wait times for carriers to approve short code campaigns as well as the 2D responses ability to deliver an entire set of mobile Web pages instantly.”

Renu Mobile provides marketing and advertising services for the mobile phone including mobile Web/WAP, text messaging, mobile bar codes and social media via the mobile phone.

NeoMedia specializes in mobile bar code scanning, management and publishing services. Its technology platform allows mobile devices with cameras to read 2D bar codes and provide one-click access to mobile content

NeoMedia claims that it provides the platform infrastructure to make 2D camera bar code scanning and its associated commerce easy, universal and reliable worldwide.

The platform consists of NeoReader, universal mobile bar code reading software, and NeoSphere, a bar code management system.

Ramping up 2D bar codes
Renu Mobile is already known for their ability to deliver mobile messaging-based campaigns and building mobile Web sites. This partnership is designed to expand the options the company can offer its clients.

As more and more consumers do their searching, shopping and buying using increasingly sophisticated mobile phones, Renu Mobile realizes they can help their clients take advantage of mobile bar code applications powered by NeoMedia.

Renu Mobile’s clients will also be able to take advantage of the NeoReader, a free downloadable mobile handset application.

NeoMedia announced last week the release of its latest reader for the iPhone 3G and 3GS, as well as a major launch on new Sony Ericsson phones that come pre-loaded with NeoReader out of the box.

“Renu Mobile is driving 2D bar code adoption in the areas of publishing, pharma and homeland security,” Ms. Glennon said. “Publishers are interested in driving traffic to both editorial content and advertisers.

“Pharmaceutical companies can use a 2D code to greatly increase the real estate available on a typical bottle of medicine,” she said. “We are talking to various security agencies about issuing 2D bar codes to police, fire and EMS.

“These codes can provide contextual information about a responder such as medical issues, blood type, approved levels of access, etcetera.”

Renu Mobile claims that it is helping companies reduce their paper waste by using mobile bar codes in place of paper coupons.

Renu Mobile combines NeoMedia bar code products with text messages and the mobile Web to offer a consumer experience with far less waste than conventional print advertising.

Ms. Glennon said that Renu Mobile selected NeoMedia products for its client’s mobile bar code needs because of NeoMedia’s commitment to universal scanning and reliability, which will shape the future of one-click mobile access to information.

“NeoMedia makes it easy for Renu Mobile to offer mobile barcode campaigns—reliably and scalably—simply by using our reader, code creation and code management platform,” said Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia, Atlanta. “They can go to market very quickly and be confident their customers will get a quality end-user experience.

“Renu Mobile’s clients are challenged to find innovative, cost-efficient and intelligent ways to reach their target markets and interact with them—not only pushing information out to their mobile phones, but receiving important information back,” he said. “Mobile bar code campaigns are highly focused and very inexpensive with a low cost to create and high value, as consumers only opt-in if they are interested in the content or information being offered.

“With Renu Mobile’s strategic and creative campaigns, and NeoMedia’s flexible technology, Renu Mobile’s clients have an exciting new option to add into their integrated marketing mix.”

NeoMedia partners with Neustar for mobile bar code interoperability
At Mobile World Congress in February, Neustar announced the debut of its Mobile Barcode Clearinghouse Services.

The initiative is designed to help expand the reach and targeting capabilities of advertisers and enterprises using 2D bar codes, drive adoption among consumers and enable interoperability among wireless carriers, ad agencies and application providers.

Neustar intends to build a centralized, trusted clearinghouse that empowers a scalable, competitive and innovative marketplace, and at the same time ensures that any participating campaign enhances the overall ecosystem and educates consumers.

This coordinated approach is designed to let each of the participants benefit from the efforts of the others, including participation from barcode leaders NeoMedia Technologies, 3GVision, Mobile Data Systems and Mobile Discovery, all of which are using the Neustar clearinghouse (see story).

“The relationship with Neustar accelerates the evolution of the ecosystem dramatically,” Mr. McCready said. “With Neustar, campaigns will be open, interoperable and worldwide.

“It will increase reach for brands significantly,” he said. “The user experience will be consistent and secure—clearing and billing will be handled seamlessly.

“They help create the economy of the ecosystem with their proven, global routing and metering capabilities and much more.”