New Media Group to launch Dood Me Co

Hong Kong - New Media Group has rolled out a marketing campaign to introduce Dood Me Co, an interactive barcode that will allow readers from its Weekend Weekly and New Monday magazines to use their phones to interact with the barcodes for enhanced audio and visual content.

Zhang Wei Lun, general manager, content business department for New Media Group said the introduction of Dood Me Co shows that the media group is willing to invest resources in bringing innovation and creativity to its readers and advertisers particularly in the competitive local magazine publishing environment.

New Media Group has partnered with technology enabler 2DIC and initially with carrier provider 3 to allow 60 models of mobile phones from Motorola, LG to Nokia to be able to read the barcodes in the magazines that will lead to WAP pages, where users can find gift coupons or videos of editorial content.

Zhang said the marketing campaign worth HK$3.5million, which kicked off today, is aimed at encouraging readers to use Dood Me Co by promoting a strong editorial content, rather than using advertisements, as he would like readers to be accustomed to the user experience first.

He added that the mobile deal with 3 is a carrier breakthrough as it allows subscribers to sign on a subscription model for unlimited surfing at no added charges and users get six weeks of free trial period.

To motivate readers to use Dood Me Co, the campaign is giving away more than HK$180, 000 worth of gifts from the barcode's launch on 1 September until mid-October.

The campaign will run in Oriental Daily, The Sun, Headline Daily, with a 30-second TVC on Cable TV and Roadshow, in PC and digital related magazines, MTR, street events at shopping malls, outdoor billboards at Causeway Bay and Mongkok, banners and ambassadors at 3 shop fronts, and an online campaign on the magazine websites, forums and portals.

Zhang said the group has plans to get marketers to come on board for advertisements, URLs, launch-targeted promotional campaigns or contests using Dood Me Co at a later stage.

He said Weekend Weekly would most likely attract advertisers from the airlines, credit card and travel agencies while New Monday will see beverage, sportswear and youth brands interested in this new platform.