• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, March 8, 2013

With their combination of retail, out-of-home signage, and face-to-face socializing, malls are natural venues for near-field communication, and AdSpace is helping 140 malls in its network ride the NFC wave through a partnership with Blue Bite, which builds and operates NFC platforms. The NFC installations, which should be active by April 15, are intended to help boost interaction with AdSpace’s network of digital Smart Screens.

Blue Bite’s mTAG platform uses both NFC and quick response (QR) capabilities to facilitate brand-consumer interactions -- allowing interested passers-by to either “tap” or “snap” to get more information or activate an offer on their smartphones. The mTAG platform allows consumers to download or access movie trailers, mp3s, eBooks, apps, games, maps, promotions and coupons, among other things. Content is location-specific, allowing advertisers to target campaigns by demographic, DMA or mall; users can amplify the effects of campaigns through social sharing.

Of course, NFC and QR integration has additional benefits in terms of measuring the impact of OOH campaigns. AdSpace CEO and chairman Dominick Porco noted that the “interactions are measurable and will confirm the shoppers’ engagement with our Smart Screens.”

The NFC initiative comes on the heels of AdSpace’s new mobile coupon offering. In October, the DOOH network launched Clip’d, a platform for delivering mobile coupons to consumers in the retail environment, which was developed for Adspace by Zoove. Last year the DOOH network also acquired Mallvision from Access Sports Media, boosting its network to a total of around 2,900 digital displays, which the company says reach about 48 million individual shoppers per month nationwide.