MULTI-COLOR IRELAND:
CLEAR CHANNEL LAUNCHES NFC SMART PANELS
THE SITUATION
Multi-Color and Clear Channel work together to create an NFC platform which will reach
175 million consumers monthly across 23 countries on 5 continents. Under the project
name “Connect” Multi-Color has facilitated Clear Channel to launch the first global out
of home mobile interactive advertising platform. It is the largest network of its kind, and
Multi-Color is proud to have been involved in this project in supplying the NFC enabled
units that the consumer will physically interact with.
THE CHALLENGE
Initially launched in the UK to 10,000 key sites nationwide, the platform progressively
moved into Europe and most recently to global sites across five continents. The extent
of the launch of this platform is huge, with parts already supplied to: Singapore,
New Zealand, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, Brazil, Mexico,
Peru & USA. The NFC Connect tags are permanently attached to digital or static panels
on pedestrian-accessible sites with heavy footfall and long dwell-time, such as street
furniture – including bus shelters and similar street-level advertising structures —
shopping malls, airports and at other points-of-sale. Currently Multi-Color has supplied
Clear Channel with over 110,000 units and a further 250,000 units are expected to be
delivered over the course of the contract. In launching this platform, Multi-Color brought
to the table their extensive expertise and strong technical ability in producing durable
labels using outdoor grade materials, a variety of printing techniques and our highly
stringent ISO 9001 and 13485 approved quality controls.
THE SOLUTION
Equipped with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, QR barcodes, weather
proof and flame retardant materials and an installation ready adhesive to rival nuts
and bolts, over 110,000 fully assembled and encoded units were produced and supplied
by Multi-Color to a large number of sites worldwide. This will allow Clear Channel
to equip the chosen sites with pedestrian-accessible launch pads, enabling them to
access interactive content from advertisers via their smart-phones.
The parts required a high level of accuracy and attention to detail, something
Multi-Color thrives on. With many critical components involved coupled with varying
language designs and unique URL data for each and every part, production of the final
units put production procedures and quality controls to the test— but passed with flying
colors. Calling upon all their expertise in durable labelling, Multi-Color proved to be the
correct partner for Clear Channel to develop a commercially successful product in both
price and quality. Niall O Shea of Multi-Color Ireland said, “We are delighted to be
working with Clear Channel to deliver this pioneering advertising platform and to
strengthen our partnership with this latest project. We were delighted to have helped
Clear Channel overcome the technical challenges involved in bringing an innovative
device like this to market.”
MULTI-COLOR IRELAND
David Nevin
[email protected]
Niall O’shea
[email protected]
Damien Cashin
[email protected]