Tag Archives: Mark Rice

QR Codes are handy for promotions that require a fast turnaround

Events, Graphic Design, Marketing, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When I was Creative Director for my former employer Webinar Resources, we built QR codes, that is Quick Response codes, into many of our campaigns. I liked them so much I made a header graphic for our Facebook page meant to celebrate their functionality and their high-tech look. They appealed to me for design reasons as well.

We put QR codes on any surface we could think of – door knockers, cards, posters, electronic slides, buttons, t-shirts, holiday wrapping… I’m probably forgetting some. Eventually I even had a rubber stamp made of a QR code for my online store! I also made some graphics at my boss Mark Rice’s direction along the way to try to show how they work.

A selection of a few past QR code projects I worked on, 2010-2021

I thought for awhile that it was difficult to get people to adopt QR codes and that they might die out. That possibility was disappointing to me because they are useful and a lot of fun. But while working on Marketing and Communications homework for my classes at Webster University recently, I’ve snapped some pictures while doing research that make it look like QR codes are here to stay after all. It’s possible that the COVID-19 pandemic may have helped speed up the adoption of QR codes a bit because they provide a quick way to disseminate information without people having to touch anything. QR codes are also easier to access now because in many cases you don’t need to install a special app – on my newest iPhone the QR code reader is built right into the camera.

QR code sightings within the last two years, from left to right: downtown St. Louis in the City Garden, a mobile police camera in Dutchtown, a store front in Dutchtown, and a WalMart promotional free sample bag with QR code on the bag and on the enclosed advertising piece.

I have a client who is appearing in a live performance in two days in Scottsdale, Arizona. This morning I took some graphics off of some of the existing promotional and ticketing web pages and made a collage of some of them with a QR code on it. My intention was to make something fast and easy for people to share if they are inclined to, with the link built in by way of the QR code so that people who are interested can get to the ticketing page easily no matter how the graphic is shared.

The Unapologetically American Comedy Tour
The Unapologetically American Comedy Tour
I made a graphic of just the ticket for instances when the code is too small on the screen to be read.

There is a lot you can do with QR codes if you build them into campaign planning at an early stage. Even when you are under a time crunch, incorporating a QR code into a shareable graphic for social media is a very convenient way to spread information.

New Electronic Display Installed At Schnarr’s Hardware Webster Groves Store

Marketing, , , , , , , , , , ,


Pictured at the right is Mark Rice of Displays That Pay installing the SHOWCloud interactive marketing display at the Schnarr’s Hardware Webster Groves location. I’ve been working with Mark since 2005. I work for both Schnarr’s Hardware and Displays That Pay which gives me an exciting opportunity to experiment with Display’s That Pay’s SHOWCloud marketing communications application to best serve Schnarr’s customers.

If you want to stop by Schnarr’s Webster at 40 East Lockwood to see the new display, it’s located on top of the drinks cooler across from the registers. It’s also been playing for some time toward the bottom of the front page of the Schnarr’s web site – my presentation can be embedded within a web page. That’s one of the things I really love about using SHOWCloud – versatility. A wide variety of devices that have the capability of running a web browser or that have an HDMI port can run my SHOWCloud presentations. Such devices include laptop computers, desktop computers, iPads, smartphones, e-book readers, and flatscreen TV’s. Sometimes when the computer in the paint department at the Schnarr’s Ladue store is not in use I’ll go over to the paint counter and open a window to this url so that paint department customers can see it:
http://www.daasx.com/chasenfratz/ladiesnightpreview

SHOWCloud on a desktop computer monitor
SHOWCloud on a desktop computer monitor

As you might guess from the URL (web address), I started out using this presentation to promote one of Schnarr’s past Ladies’ Night events. Over time the content has changed and will be ever evolving and updating. If needed I can make multiple presentations tailored to different locations or different devices within one store. For example, if a store has different departments there could be different content at each station. The application can show more than just slides – I can add in web pages, video, live content and fun interactive applications.

Any place with access to wireless Internet can display SHOWCloud. Here is a picture of me last fall at Missouri Botanical Garden using an iPad to show a presentation promoting the Master Gardener program and the topics prospective participants would study. If you want to see the slides close up, here is the url:
http://www.myshowcloud.com/chasenfratz/stlmg

SHOWCloud displayed on an iPad
SHOWCloud displayed on an iPad

Below is a picture of me and my Displays That Pay colleague Jason at the Startup Connection 2016 event held in November at Washington University. There are a variety of examples in our booth showing how SHOWCloud can be used on different devices, including a multi-screen variation that gives additional flexibility, functionality and impact.

Displays That Pay at Startup Connection
Displays That Pay at Startup Connection

I can also update these presentations from anywhere that has an internet connection – from home or on the go. That’s very convenient and is a quick way to get timely information to our customers. I’m excited about the possibilities! Stop in to Schnarr’s Webster to see how we’re using this great new tool!

Displays That Pay Live from Startup Connection!

Events, Marketing, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tonight Jason and I are at the Displays That Pay Booth at Startup Connection in St. Louis
Tonight Jason and I are at the Displays That Pay booth at Startup Connection in St. Louis

Here is our press release:

Displays That Pay Announces MyCare Displays Healthcare Solution

Designed to Scale and Support Caregiver Communications and Provide Peace of Mind

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI (PRWEB) NOVEMBER 16, 2016

MyCare DisplaysDisplays That Pay® today announced the pre-release of their newest display solution, MyCare Displays, at the Startup Connection Conference being held today at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. MyCare Displays is a display service cloud solution that allows skilled nursing/extended care facilities, assisted living facilities, and hospice organizations to manage the display of patient care information at the patient’s location. MyCare Displays provides a simple user portal for family caregivers, home health workers, nurses, therapists, hospice personnel and even patients to dynamically update and share patient information.

“Providing affordable displays at the point of need for patients reduces confusion, stress and dependence,” said Mark Rice, CEO/founder, DisplaysThatPay. “Patients can enjoy peace of mind as they view care messages that include reminders and updates for medicine, office visits, therapy, and family activities.”

Untethering Caregivers with the Right Technology Helps Strengthen Connections Between Caregivers and Patients

The AARP recently published a report that indicates there are over 40 million caregivers providing unpaid care to an adult. Almost half of these caregivers are made up of people under the age of 50. Almost two thirds of these caregivers are seeking effective uses of technology to help them untether and free up time they must devote to providing caregiving activities. The AARP also projects an increase of only 5 million caregivers by the year 2020. At the current rate that means a gap of 72 million caregivers required to support 117 million adults requiring care.

Caregiving consumes a lot of time and resources that can sometimes put undue stress on relationships with family, friends and co-workers. MyCare Displays simplifies caregiver communications and provides peace of mind so that caregivers can be in touch without having to be present 100% of the time. Of course this depends on the patient’s needs, but for many caregivers and patients, having the connection 24/7 can take the place of a caregiver being present all of the time.

The MyCare Displays solution helps strengthen the relationship between patients, medical care teams, caregivers and families. It is projected that caregiving is going to personally affect you or someone you know in the next few years. MyCare Displays is a solution designed to meet the challenges of caregiving.

MyCare Displays will be available in the first quarter of 2017. Keep up to date on progress or be an early adopter. Visit http://mycaredisplay.com/peaceofmind

About Displays That Pay

Displays That Pay helps companies be more efficient with their time and resources when planning and exhibiting at trade shows and customer events. Our unique dynamic and interactive display solutions, let customers leverage their multi-channel content and boost attraction, interaction and transaction of lead capture. Our display service cloud solution transforms flat displays into, dynamic and interactive, social, mobile and video walls that enable businesses to tell their company story, connect with customers/prospects and capture leads. Fortune 500 to small businesses have deployed and enjoyed our display solutions to provide easy management and display of multi-channel content.

www.displaysthatpay.com

Displays That Pay Announce SHOWCloud for the Office

Events, Marketing, , , , , , , , , , ,

SHOWCloud platform instantly transforms flat TVs into interactive marketing communication walls

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI (PRWEB) APRIL 21, 2016

Displays That Pay® today announced the release of their latest display solutions suite, SHOWCloud™ for the Office, at the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference being held at the historic Union Station in St. Louis, Mo. SHOWCloud is a display service cloud solution that allows businesses of any size to manage and display a mix of different content (social media, web, video, images and mobile capture) on large flat panel displays. With SHOWCloud users can dynamically update images and web content, display videos and invite others to collaborate in real-time.

win_a_chromebit

Now customers who have enjoyed the dynamic and interactive display experience of SHOWCloud for Trade Shows can also use the solution in their office and at customer events. SHOWCloud for the Office is great digital display solution for retail stores, business lobby’s, cafeteria’s or any location where employees, customers and partners will see the displays. Content marketers, sales organizations and office managers are key target users of SHOWCloud for the Office.

Integrates to Dropbox
SHOWCloud for the Office integrates to Dropbox to provide easy management and display of user content. Venture Café St. Louis, located at the @4240 building within the Cortex Innovation Community, uses the SHOWCloud Dropbox integration to update the SHOWCloud display at their weekly Gathering events to help connect and inform the community.

“We found the SHOWCloud display helps increase the level of awareness of our various activities and deepens social media engagement,” said Travis Sheridan, Executive Director, Venture Café St. Louis.

“We are excited to offer the ASUS Google Chromebit as a simple solution for managing and displaying SHOWCloud content on any display with an HDMI connection”, says Mark Rice, CEO and Founder of Displays That Pay. “With our Startup SHOWCloud for the Office package, anyone can use the Chromebit and their SHOWCloud software to quickly create and display content”.

SHOWCloud for the Office customers can:

  • Display and rotate mobile, social, video and web content
  • Embed YouTube, Vimeo and Brainshark video content without any coding
  • Collaborate with team members using a shared SHOWCloud Dropbox folder and instantly update the user’s display
  • Add new content from anywhere using the SHOWCloud controller on laptops, tablets and smartphones or just add a file to Dropbox
  • Get remote support services to help users connect, display, captivate and share message with viewers.

SHOWCloud for the Office is available immediately. Start a 14-day free trial at http://myshowcloud.com/startmeup

Mark and i showing off our new shirts!
Mark and I showing off our new shirts!