Revision 559502201 of "Pongr" on enwiki

{{infobox dotcom company
| company_name     = Pongr
| company_type     = [[Privately held company|Private]]
| location_city    = [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], [[Massachusetts|MA]]
| location_country = [[United States|USA]]
| location         =
| locations        =
| area_served      = [[Multinational corporation|Worldwide]]
| industry         = Mobile Internet, Photo Marketing, Advertising Technology, Visual Search
| products         = ImagePulse, Pongr, Pongr Cloud API, Pongr App for Android, Pongr App for iPhone
| services         = 
| revenue          = 
| operating_income =
| net_income       =
| owner            = Pongr, Inc.
| parent           =
| divisions        =
| subsid           =
| company_slogan   ="Putting The Power of Photos to Work for Brands"
| url              = http://corp.pongr.com
| alexa            =
| screenshot       =
| caption          =
| website_type     = [[photo response marketing engine]]/[[mobile image recognition#Mobile direct response marketing|Mobile ad network]]
| language         = English
| advertising      =
| registration     =
| launch_date      =
| current_status   =
| footnotes        =
| intl             =
}}

==Company Overview==
'''Pongr''' is a mobile photo marketing and technology company that develops [[image recognition]] and direct response advertising tools for companies of all sizes to monetize their customer-shared photos on social networks.<ref>[http://pongr.com Pongr Website]</ref> Brands use the Pongr platform to automate and manage direct-response programs, loyalty and social campaigns, multi-channel promotions and [[shopper marketing]] initiatives.

Pongr's image recognition technology is used by brands such as Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Arby's, Nestle and 7-Eleven to make logos and product packaging interactive with mobile phone cameras. The Pongr system processes customer-submitted photos as the entries in contests, sweepstakes and promotions, and also ties photo sharing on social networks to brand loyalty programs.[http://www.inc.com/magazine/201305/jennifer-alsever/4-ways-to-market-with-online-photos.html] Pongr is an alternative technology to [[QR codes]] or bar codes. [http://www.fastcompany.com/1802706/forget-qr-codes-pongr-easily-turns-your-photos-brand-rewards]

The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with a software development office in Des Moines, Iowa, and a computer vision R & D lab in Tel Aviv, Israel.

==Company History==
Pongr was founded in 2008 by CEO Jamie Thompson<ref>[http://twitter.com/Jamie_Thompson Jamie Thompson’s Twitter page]</ref> and Chief Software Architect Zach Cox,<ref>[http://twitter.com/zcox Zach Cox’s Twitter page]</ref> who met while they were both exploring the commercial applications of various military R & D projects for Charles River Analytics in Cambridge, Mass.<ref>[http://corp.pongr.com/our-story/ Pongr Website: "Our Story."]</ref>

Pongr was built on the premise of applying [[artificial intelligence]] and computer vision discoveries from the research labs to the worlds of shopper marketing, photo sharing and social media -- focusing on what brands can learn about their customers by how and when they take pictures of products.

In 2011, the company introduced ImagePulse, a way to measure customer attitudes and moods in brand-related photos using a mix of text-based and image-based sentiment analysis. The system is aimed at predicting buying behavior based on the location, time and context of the photo.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/external/venturebeat/2011/05/25/25venturebeat-imagepulse-sees-how-you-feel-about-brands-34323.html?partner=rss&emc=rss NY Times/VentureBeat: "ImagePulse 'Sees' How You Feel About Brands"]</ref>

As of September 2012, Pongr enabled [[hashtags]] for its search engine and allows users to submit photos via [[Twitter]]. In February 2013, Pongr announced its acquisition of a broad-based, licensed IP portfolio from Sightec, an Israeli [[computer vision]] R&D company, a deal designed to alter the way brands leverage the amount of photos shared around the world.

Also in 2013, the company introduced the Pongr App for the iPhone<ref>[http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pongr-app/id550845586?mt=8 Pongr for iPhone]</ref> and the Pongr App for Android,<ref>[http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pongr&hl=en Pongr for Android]</ref> platforms that allow users to earn points and brand rewards by taking pictures and sharing them on social networks.

==Applications==

For B2B, Pongr offers a variety of PRM (Photo Response Management) tools to drive direct engagement between brands and consumers. Pongr also provides at-shelf, visual retail intelligence and consumer insight services, partnering with ad agencies, public relations firms and retail advertisers.<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/advertising/claire-beale-on-advertising-print-gets-augmented-reality-check-1929771.html Print gets augmented reality - The Independent]</ref>

Pongr technology also makes traditional media advertising (print, TV, billboards) interactive with camera phones.<ref>[http://www.wdesires.com/mobile Conde Nast Publications example]</ref>

On the B2C side, Pongr.com is a picture-sharing site for consumers and brand ambassadors. The site encourages fans of any brand to submit pictures to earn rewards such as gift cards, merchandise, or charity donations. Registered users earn points for taking and sharing picture and those points can be connected to existing loyalty or rewards programs.

According to Nielsen Research, consumer-generated photos shared by friends are the most trusted form of advertising.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nielsen: Global Consumers' Trust in 'Earned' Advertising Grows in Importance|url=http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/press-room/2012/nielsen-global-consumers-trust-in-earned-advertising-grows.html|publisher=Nielsen}}</ref> Brand photo galleries on Pongr.com provide a forum for fans of a brand to express their passion.   

There are Pongr photo-sharing apps for Android <ref>[http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pongr&hl=en Pongr for Android]</ref> and iPhone <ref>[http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pongr-app/id550845586?mt=8 Pongr for iPhone]</ref> users. Both versions feature customized photo filters and cropping as well as integrated sharing on social networks.

==Major Brand Campaigns==

=== Mountain Dew ===

In March 2011, Pongr teamed up with [[Mountain Dew]] to celebrate the return of Mountain Dew Pitch Black. Users sent in Pitch Black related pictures to earn 'Pitch Black' Bucks and redeem them for prizes.

=== Pepsi & Simon Cowell's "The X Factor" ===

In September 2011, Pongr teamed up with [[Pepsi]] in its role as the primary sponsor of Simon Cowell's [[The X Factor (U.S.)|The X Factor]] talent competition on FOX. Pongr's image recognition technology made specially marked packages of Pepsi interactive with consumers seeking to win a chance for a free trip to Los Angeles to see a live broadcast of The X Factor. Participants also gained access to Pepsi-exclusive videos of contestants and behind-the-scenes content.<ref>[http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2011/09/20/pepsi-picks-pongr-for-the-x-factor Digital Media Wire: "Pepsi Picks Pongr for 'The X Factor'"]</ref> 

Pongr partnered with Pepsi again in 2012 on a similar X Factor promotion.

=== The Ultimate Match-Up & Super Bowl XLVI ===

In February 2012, Pongr partnered with [[Pepsi]] and [[Frito-Lay]] in their Ultimate Match-Up contest. Participants took photos of their favorite "match-up" of a Pepsi product and a Frito-Lay product for a chance to win tickets to [[Super Bowl XLVI]] in [[Indianapolis]].<ref>[http://www.playultimatematchup.com/ The Ultimate Match-Up]</ref>

=== Rock Your Summer ===

In the Summer of 2012, Pongr teamed with Pepsi and Frito-Lay again for "Rock Your Summer," a sweepstakes that rewarded fans with concert tickets, music downloads and free Pepsi products for photographing one Pepsi beverage and one Frito-Lay snack paired together. Pongr's image recognition platform can detect multiple brand logos in the same photograph.<ref>[http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/13094.html Rock Your Summer Sweepstakes article]</ref>

===Arby’s Snap & Rock===

In July 2012, Pongr's computer vision and direct response platform was used by Arby’s restaurants to encourage fans to photograph one of three artists pictured on their fountain drink cups: [[Taio Cruz]], [[The All-American Rejects]] or [[Trace Adkins]].<ref>[http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arbys-invites-you-to-snap-and-rock-for-a-chance-to-win-an-ultimate-vip-concert-experience-with-taio-cruz-the-all-american-rejects-or-trace-adkins-164252336.html Snap and Rock Press Release]</ref><ref>[http://nrn.com/article/chains-experiment-photo-sharing?page=0,0 Restaurant Chains Experiment with Photo Sharing]</ref> Photographing a particular recording artist entered the customer into a drawing for a VIP concert experience with that artist. The promotion attracted more than 660,000 photo entries.<ref>[http://www.pongr.com/brand/arbys Arby's Fan Photo Gallery]</ref>

===UNREAL Candy Unjunked Sweetstakes===
In January 2013, UNREAL Candy partnered with Pongr to launch a sweepstakes celebrating their national distribution in Target stores.<ref>[http://blog.pongr.com/2013/01/shopper-marketing-unreal-candy-target-stores/ UNREAL Sweepstakes]</ref>  Participants emailed photos of themselves posing with UNREAL Candy for a chance to win a $10,000 Target gift card or a year's supply of UNREAL. The campaign set a high standard for social sharing with a rate of 31.45% and a click-through rate of 5.43%.<ref>[http://corp.pongr.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/UNREAL-Case-Study.pdf Case Study]</ref>

===Nestle's Skinny Cow "WoCave" Instant Win Game===
During the spring of 2013, Pongr provided the image recognition and mobile direct response platform for the Skinny Cow "WoCave" Instant Win Game and Grand Prize Drawing.<ref>[http://blog.pongr.com/2013/06/pongr-for-shopper-marketing-skinny-cows-wocave-game/ Nestle's Skinny Cow "WoCave" Instant Win Game and Grand Prize Drawing] </ref>  Customers entered the drawing by taking a photo of the logo or packaging of any Skinny Cow dessert. The Grand Prize is $10,000 to spend on furnishings for a "Woman Cave" or "WoCave," a female spin on "Man Cave" sports dens and basement bars. Pongr's computer vision platform processed tens of thousands of customer photo entries.<ref>[http://www.pongr.com/brand/skinnycow Skinny Cow Contest Photo Gallery]</ref>

===Big Green Egg Sweepstakes at 7-Eleven===
For the summer of 2013, 7-Eleven stores partnered with Ruffles potato chips to give away one Big Green Egg grill each day to a randomly selected winner drawn from customers who snapped and sent a picture of an in-store Ruffles display. The daily sweeps was part of 7-Eleven's ongoing #AWESUMMER campaign co-branded with various [[Consumer Packaged Goods]] (CPGs).

==Pongr in India==

==Pongr for Events==
===One Run For Boston===
In June 2013, Pongr provided live photo tracking<ref>[http://www.onerunforboston.org/Send-Us-Your-Training-Pics-c-23.asp One Run: Send Us Your Training Pics]</ref> for One Run For Boston<ref>[http://www.onerunforboston.com One Run For Boston Fundraiser]</ref>, a 3,300-mile, 24/7 cross-country relay from Los Angeles to Boston to help raise money for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Pongr software gave the month-long charity event streaming visual snapshots of the action<ref>[http://www.pongr.com/brand/onerun One Run For Boston live streaming photo gallery]</ref> to enhance their electronic map and GPS tracking.

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
* [http://www.pongr.com Pongr] official website
* WikiMobilePedia: [http://www.wikimobipedia.org/index.php?title=Pongr WikiMobilePedia Pongr Data Sheet]
* The Eleventh Screen: [http://11thscreen.com/2010/04/great-mobile-engagement-from-pongr Great Mobile Engagement from Pongr]
* Social Media Explorer: [http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2009/08/05/pongr-brings-better-opt-in-to-mobile-marketing Pongr Brings Better Opt-In To Mobile Marketing]
* Mobile Marketer: [http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/opinion/columns/11029.html "India's Irony: Mom and Pop Shops Control Destiny of Global Brands"]
* Mashable: [http://mashable.com/2011/09/19/pepsi-x-factor-packaging/ Pepsi Packaging Promotes “The X Factor” With Photo-Scanning Contest]
* SocialBeat: [http://venturebeat.com/2011/05/25/imagepulse-sees-how-you-feel-about-brands/ ImagePulse "Sees" How You Feel About Brands]
* PCMag: [http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2413086,00.asp "The Top 100 Websites of 2012 -- Undiscovered: Social Category"]
* [[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Company]]: [http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/162/pongr Forget QR Codes: Pongr Easily Turns Your Photos Into Brand Rewards] 
* [http://mrecruitingcamp.com/pongr-its-information/ Keynote speaker at Mobile Recruiting Camp, Pongr CEO Jamie Thompson]
* [[Inc. Magazine]]: [http://www.inc.com/magazine/201305/jennifer-alsever/4-ways-to-market-with-online-photos.html "4 Ways to Market With Online Photos"]
* [[Adweek]]: [http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/ad-targeters-are-laying-groundwork-visual-advertising-148760 "Ad Targeters Are Laying the Groundwork for Visual Advertising"]
* [[Boston Herald]]: [http://corp.pongr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Boston-Herald-3-03-13_Pongr-Sightec-Deal-1-copy.pdf "Boston's Pongr gains Sightec"]
* AllFacebook: [http://allfacebook.com/pongr-sightec_b111506 "Photo Marketing Platform Pongr Takes Aim at Monetizing Facebook Photos With Sightec Technology."]



[[Category:Internet search engines]]