Instagram API: What People Are Doing And What Can Be Done

Last month the popular iPhone camera app Instagram released it's API. By opening up the code behind the product the company invited independent developers to use the API to create products and services using the technology.  A couple of really interesting products have emerged recently.

First up is Instaprint by the excellent New York based agency Breakfast. The Instaprint machine searches for Instagram images tagged using a specific location i.e Ciaran's House Party, and prints out Polaroids complete with comments, of any image taken at the party.



Instawar creates a random pair of Instagram images and asks you to vote for the best. Photographers accumulate points that are redeemable for print-outs of their images from an associated product Printstagr.am.

Because the service includes location tagging and a growing community of amateur photographers it will be interesting to see how brands and advertisers will use the technology. Some thoughts on what these could be:

Brands in the social space could offer a service similar to Instaprint and provide people with print outs of photos taken from parties or special occasions.

Outdoor advertising could use the API to create print ads featuring pictures with a specific tag.

Retail screens could stream customers photos live in the shop. 

Very interesting stuff. Since the release of the API is only a month old expect to see a lot more projects using Instagram.

Thanks to Ed for the links.

TV and the Third Screen

2011 was predicted as the year that your old TV box in the corner would begin to catch up and join in with the social, interactive world of the modern internet. As we become more attached to our smartphones and tablets, some of us unable to put them down even as we watch our favourite shows, TV needs to figure out a way to use what is being referred to as "the third screen" to offer bespoke content that deepens the experience of television viewing.

Several high profile entertainment shows and advertisers have begun to use the third screen to offer such experiences. The technology they're using is sound recognition.

How the technology works:

An app is programmed to recognise certain sounds within a TV show or advertisement and deliver specific content based on that sound. For example, in an ad for H&M, the app could recognise a section of music from the ad that corresponds with a model wearing a summer dress. That dress would then appear on your smartphone or tablet and offer you the chance to buy it there and then, store it in a wishlist, browse your local stores to see where it is in stock, or share it with your friends. Mobile phone operators could sell phones directly, supermarkets could allow you to add items to your digital shopping list, software companies could offer instant game downloads... the possibilities are endless.

Some examples:

W+K London's brand new campaign for Honda "This Unpredictable Life" is a great example of this technology in use. By downloading an app to their iPhone, viewers can "capture" characters from ad.



ABC released an iPad app this week that synchs with Greys Anatomy. Although content wise it looks a little bit like the the extras on DVD's that no one watches, it is a sign that entertainment companies are willing to invest in creating these types of apps for very popular shows.



This is a very interesting and exciting area, and one we as marketers need to keep a very close eye on.

Google Goggles and Advertising

Google goggles has been around for a while now, but the technology was somewhat imperfect. They seemed to have been working hard on it though and this week, Google launched the video above which shows how they've has teamed up with some big brands to explore the possibilities of how the technology can be used for advertising. It's a similar technology to a QR code but thankfully doesn't rely on the codes graphic aesthetic. With google goggles now available to iPhone and Android it's definitely something all of us in advertising should to keep an eye on.

An iPhone Game Powered by Carrots

CP+B have released this carrot powered game as part of their campaign to promote baby carrots as a snack. Using audio recognition to turn carrot eating into in-game power ups. It's part of a larger carrot campaign you can view here.



Yet again CP+B are forging the way forward with iPhone technology. I like them. I like them a lot.

Street Slide from Microsoft

Very impressive stuff here from Microsoft. The iPhone application is particularly interesting.

The future of Tv and NEVER TAKE HOLIDAYS!!!

I've attempted to post several items this week, but I went on holidays. And now I'm back. And now I barely have time to eat / sleep / play Call of Duty. So, I'm never taking a holiday again. It's easier.

I'll keep this part short and sweet, because of the aforementioned busyness and it's better explained here. Notion, an Irish strategic industrial design studio from my homeland of Ireland, have developed MetaMirror a programme that integrates the iPad with live TV. In their words:

"Meta-Mirror is a concept application that delivers an enhanced television experience without disrupting the conventional expectations of home entertainment. It allows viewers to access content relevant to the program currently being viewed.
The product is a software platform which runs on a secondary device of the users choice, displaying this contextual content over a mirror of the television broadcast. By bringing together live television, real-time contextual information and an intuitive user interface, Meta Mirror is positioned to update television from uni-directional broadcast to two-way interaction. Three scenarios explain how this can happen:

I've seen several pieces of work that explore the use of the iPhone / iPad as a second screen. CP+B's work for Despicable Me and Best Buy for example:



Very interesting stuff.

Apologies for all of the spelling mistakes, bad grammer, and the most rushed post I've ever written.

Well said...

"You’re gonna die. You’re gonna die. And nobody’s gonna care which version of the iPhone you used to make something on Twitter, or to go and post about your bowel movement on Facebook. And I’m not even talking about legacy; I’m talking about the fact that I personally feel most alive when I’m making something, and I feel least alive when I’m being led around by some obnoxious use of my attention that I wasn’t aware of. To me, that’s the thing. You can buy the jogging shoes and you can buy the Runner’s World, but until you put them on and walk out the door every day, you’re just a fat man."

This is an extract from the transcript of 'The Marketplace of Ideas' - an interview with Merlin Mann. Full audio podcast available on the site. And I found it here on Andy Kinsellas Posterous.

Makes you stop and think for a minute. And in my case turn off twitter and draw.

A Clever Football iPhone App.

This is a great Football app for the iPhone. Simple, fun and brilliant. I bought it and now I need to buy some styrofoam.

It's probably not that environmentally friendly.

(via PSFK)