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RFID enters the advertising industry
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By now, RFID has become the talk of the town and alleviate problems in highly different sectors. The abbreviation stands for radio-frequency identification, a technology for the contactless identification and localisation of objects and living beings. Last year, cyber-Wear and Lenz Café&Deli in Wipperfürth already presented a cup featuring an integrated RFID chip. This solution was so unique that even a TV magazine took notice.
The company's current YouTube video presents various RFID products under the title "selected items." The technology requires a responder containing the code, as well as a reader for reading said code. Typically, responders tend to be labels or a microchip no larger than a grain of rice. The technology boasts low costs, inconspicuous attachment options, and great flexibility regarding data definition.
The technology first garnered attention in the world of payment transactions, where credit cards incorporate RFID chips, for example. However, even current ID cards can be imprinted with data using the same process. In many workplaces, employees keep track of their working hours via a simple chip-equipped keychain; as is the case at Cybergroup.
Further areas of the boundless application options include the car industry, where RFID labels help to precisely document the production, and tagged vehicle parts can be localised quickly for assembly. The trade sector also uses the technology to simplify work processes in enterprise resource planning applications, as well as safeguard the commodities thereby.
This revolutionary and at once omnipresent technology is sure to also take the advertising industry by storm. The coffee-2go cup mentioned at the beginning carries an RFID chip the customer can charge with credit, allowing them to pay cashless and contactless -- a clever and innovative advertising medium for long-term customer retention.
At the same time, data stored on credit cards, IDs, etc. must be protected from unwanted access, also known as skimming. Here, the advertising industry is faced with a breadth of possibilities. The area of anti-skimming solutions includes cards, sleeves or entire cases and wallets to protect the holder's data from being illegally accessed. This kind of protection also makes sense for working bags and backpacks. Such products offer great potential for branding and individual designs.
Bracelets and chips that can be deployed for events represent another innovative application of RFID technology in the advertising sector. These special admission aides could hold data such as a website, details about the event or the company, as well as credit for buying drinks and more. Products featuring RFID-equipped hang tags fulfill a similar purpose during exhibitions: Product information or a corresponding website can be provided in an inconspicuous and uncomplicated manner. Other than hang tags, these labels can also be directly incorporated into the product -- a solution that could aid theft prevention and locating stolen goods.
A sector as directly as the advertising industry is bound to push exciting solutions building on the limitless possibilities afforded by this technology. In any case, Cybergroup and their partners continue to work on new ideas.