Arc, the shopper marketing and activation agency which is part of marketing services group Leo Burnett, has signed an exclusive partnership with Thin Film Electronics ASA, a global leader in printed electronics and smart systems.
The two companies will collaborate to deliver Thinfilm’s NFC OpenSense technology to Arc and Leo Burnett clients across a variety of product categories.
NFC OpenSense tags are thin, flexible labels that adhere to products and can be activated with the tap of an NFC-enabled smartphone. Each tag is uniquely identifiable and can detect both a product’s “factory sealed” and “opened” states. Once tapped, the tag wirelessly communicates with a smartphone, instantly delivering contextual brand content at shelf or when using the product at home.
Thinfilm’s products can be used to create ‘smart packaging’ – the company has just announced at Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona that leading Spanish winemaker Barbadillo has launched a rare sherry in “smart bottles” protected by Thinfilm’s NFC-based authentication technology (see image). The NFC OpenSense tags incorporated into each bottle are specifically designed to beat counterfeiters, prevent unauthorized refills, and facilitate product authentication.
Thinfilm and Leo Burnett/Arc teams will work side-by-side, ensuring the technology is accessible to brands and creating custom NFC OpenSense solutions for agency clients. In addition, the combined team will help further shape the technology to ensure the technology is more attractive and accessible to brands.
Nick Jones, EVP, Innovation & Growth at Arc/Leo Burnett, says: “Technology affords people the opportunity to plan, shop, and buy on their own terms anytime and anywhere, resulting in highly sophisticated shoppers and a highly competitive marketplace. Thinfilm’s NFC OpenSense technology is a game changer. It allows brands to connect with shoppers beyond the point-of-sale, delivering multiple messages throughout a product’s lifetime.”
In June 2015, Thinfilm highlighted its NFC OpenSense technology at Leo Burnett/Arc’s fifth annual FutureShop showcase in Chicago. Leo Burnett/Arc clients and staff learned firsthand how next-generation, mobile-centric retail marketing technologies can change the way brands communicate and the way consumers make purchase decisions.
Davor Sutija, CEO of Thinfilm, adds: “Thinfilm is very excited to partner with a global leader and innovator in the field of digital communication and shopper marketing. We look forward to working closely with the team at Leo Burnett/Arc to help provide the agency’s clients with solutions that strengthen consumer relationships and ultimately, grow their businesses.”
Thinfilm was the first company to commercialize printed, rewritable memory and is creating printed systems that include memory, sensing, display, and wireless communication, all at a low cost.
Thinfilm’s roadmap integrates technology from a strong and growing ecosystem of partners to enable the ‘Internet of Everything’ by bringing intelligence to disposable goods.
Thin Film Electronics ASA is a publicly listed Norwegian company with headquarters in Oslo, Norway; product development and production in Linköping, Sweden; product development, production, and business development in San Jose, California, USA; and sales offices in the United States, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Arc is the Intelligent Activation Agency within Leo Burnett Worldwide. Headquartered in Chicago, Arc provides brands with innovative, insightful and imaginative creative solutions rooted in understanding people and behaviour through the lens of a shopper. As part of one of the world’s largest agency networks, Arc has 26 offices in 22 countries with more than 1,000 employees.
Arc works with some of the world’s most valued brands including Coca-Cola, Fiat, Adidas, Samsung, Microsoft, McDonald’s and P&G.
