Microsoft Tag came out of beta about 18 months ago, and since then mobile barcodes have become more mainstream and adoption is growing at an impressive clip. Marketers are just beginning to harness the power of Tag for all its qualities: a high-quality reader, Tag customization, advanced analytics, extensibility via our SDK and more. http://forums.mydigitallife.net/Libraries/Blog/Announce_QR-Press-FINAL.sflb.ashx However, based on feedback we’ve heard in the industry, marketers wanted an easy way to use a full suite of recognition technologies all in one place. And with so many formats and readers on the market, there is increasing frustration among consumers over not knowing which reader to use for which code. http://forums.mydigitallife.net/Libraries/Blog/Announce_NFC-Press-FINAL.sflb.ashx To help simplify the growing fragmentation currently taking place in the barcode/reader market, today Microsoft Tag is providing support for the two commonly used 2D barcode formats (Tag and QR Codes) and for Near Field Communications (NFC) capabilities. With this extension, brands have the freedom to choose the format most appropriate for their campaigns and give consumers the ease of one reader to use. http://forums.mydigitallife.net/Libraries/Blog/Announce_Tag-Press-FINAL.sflb.ashx We’ve already seen a lot of enthusiasm for these Tag updates among leading media and marketing companies like Meredith. “One of the strategic reasons we standardized on Tag was to unify the 2D barcode experience for the audience of 80 million women who consume our content,” said Liz Schimel, EVP/Chief Digital Officer, Meredith. “Microsoft Tag gives us the creative freedom to match the right recognition technology to the appropriate mobile experience, and erases customer confusion about which app is needed to launch that experience.” We are excited about the explosion of interest in Tag and believe these industry-leading innovations help marketers engage more deeply and easily with their target audiences. And by providing a one-stop shop for both brands and users alike, Microsoft Tag will be the obvious choice for your campaign. For more details on choosing which format makes sense for your next campaign, check out the grid here.