Mobile network operator Three Sweden has launched an ad campaign that uses NFC on the Stockholm metro.

In conjunction with NFC vendor Tapit and outdoor media provider Clear Channel, Three has redecorated the windows, walls and ceiling of a subway carriage with posters advertising phones and current offers available from the mobile operator.

The posters include NFC tags and QR codes that enable commuters to interact with the advertisements, with the aim of bringing the Three retail store on board the train.

To take advantage of one of the offers advertised, commuters tap their phones against the NFC tag or scan the QR codes on the posters, which will then launch the 3 website on their mobile device, directing them to their desired offer.

“We had a meeting with Three Sweden, and the timing was just right. They wanted to launch a new campaign and thought it would be perfect for them to use NFC”, Niklas Bakos, Tapit’s vice president of EMEA, told NFC World.

“QR codes are more complicated than NFC; there are too many steps to get to where you want to get with them, whereas NFC is simple, there is no barrier.”

“It is great for us to do such a fantastic campaign in Stockholm. It is great exposure for NFC and a nice addition to the way Three interacts with their audience, bridging the gap between the physical and digital world”.

Bakos said: “QR codes are more complicated than NFC; there are too many steps to get to where you want to get with them, whereas NFC is simple, there is no barrier.

“So far, the numbers of taps and scans made in this campaign have proven to be pretty equal. It is quite funny really; we are still in the early days of NFC in Sweden and we are far from mass market when it comes to smartphone penetration.

“Yet, we are already seeing as much NFC tags as QR scans being used in our recent campaigns. Just imagine when the penetration of smartphones increases in Sweden; the potential for NFC is huge.”

Around 220 NFC tags are implemented in the carriage, with every tap and touch controlled by the Tapit platform. The company can change the redirect to a new offer whenever Three requires them to do so.

“This campaign is definitely a big step forward for NFC in Sweden. We haven’t really progressed far with mobile payment through NFC; we are a little bit behind compared to other leading European countries,” Bakos continued.

“Tapit will be able to provide really interesting analytics after the campaign has finished. We know everything that goes on inside that train; we will know which posters were the most popular, how many people used the NFC tags in comparison to the QR code and what times people were accessing the offers.

“The results will be very interesting and we are almost sure we will work on similar things with Three in the future”.

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