QR codes are currently used to store a wealth of information such as product descriptions, user manuals, advertisements, business card information, boarding pass information etc.

With the usage of QR codes, you can give your potential customers access to right information easily on their mobile device by easily scanning the QR Code from print media or computer screen. With the competition in e-business, making the product information available to the consumers in these tiny codes will be very, consumers are going to go after products that give them more detailed information in an easily accessible manner.

In the last century we saw an online revolution with many businesses being clinched online. An online presence is now imperative even if you are thinking only of a local coffee shop. However this century is going to see a whole new revolution – the mobile revolution as more and more business transactions go mobile.

The question you need to ask yourself is, ‘Does your business website lacking mobile accessibility?’.

An interesting tool to make your website “Mobile Aware” quickly and easily is QRSpider. You will be able to generate a matching button for your website and start using it instantly. With less than 2 minutes your existing website can have a QR code integrated with it. QRSpider is smart enough to identify the current web page URL and generate the QR code for the URL. So your users can easily scan the code to their mobile or tablet device.

There are many QR code scanner apps available for Apple iPhone® and Android phones.

According to reports, The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Authority announced a deal to rename the home stadium of the Raiders and A’s as Overstock.com Coliseum. The agreement with the Internet retailer will run for six years at a cost of $7.2 million. But did you know that this deal also will include text links, which will ultimately help Overstock.com’s organic search engine rankings in Google?

Based on my previous extensive link building and link research, it is inevitable: whenever a company buys the naming rights to a public stadium where events are held and tickets are sold, the site’s search engine rankings always go up. Why? Because the name of the public venue is changed to include the company’s name. And the name of the stadium will start showing up whenever the venue is mentioned–like on Ticketmaster.com, LiveNation.com, and on news web sites that cover events at the stadium. Those sites are influential, and they will link out to Overstock.com. Which, in turn, will help their organic, or natural search engine rankings.

So, not only did Overstock.com purchase the naming rights to a stadium–they also have just purchased a bunch of text link ads to their web site. Sure, I am being a little overly dramatic here in stating that. But really, honestly, spending $7.2 million on the naming rights also comes with privileges–the mention of your company name, but also links from other web sites to your web site.

As you might recall, Overstock.com was recently under fire and technically penalized by Google for artificially boosting their search engine rankings. They bought links to their web site that helped them rank better in Google.

And we have recently learned that Overstock.com is no longer penalized in Google. But now, after all of this, Overstock.com has purchased the naming rights to the Oakland Raiders and the Oakland A’s stadium, now to be called Overstock.com Stadium. I don’t have a problem with that–that is a great move by Overstock.com. Just keep in mind that the deal also includes text links.

What exactly is a QR Code? In short, it’s a barcode that you can scan (usually using an iPhone or Smart Phone) and when you scan it you are taken to a web site. Wikipedia’s definition of QR Code is as follows:

A QR code (short for Quick Response) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.

QR really means “Quick Response”. The bar code that you are seeing is really a bar code just like the ones that are typically used on UPS packages or even FEDEX packages. It can be scanned from just about any direction. Anyhow, you probably have already seen them in ads, especially in some ads for higher-end products. I have seen a lot of them included in the Wall Street Journal ads lately, like in ads for luxury automobiles.

How to Make Up a QR Code
The process of making or getting a QR code is pretty simple, really. There are several web sites that will allow you to make a QR code within seconds. The one I used for the QR code above is Kaywa, a site that has both a QR Code Generator and a QR code reader. You’ll need a QR code reader app installed on your iPhone or Blackberry or Android Smart Phone in order to actually scan the bar code.

1. First, go here: http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
2. Enter the URL, Text that you want displayed, a Phone Number, or even an SMS (a message).
3. Select L (for large) or even XL (for extra large).
4. Generate it.

Once it’s generated, you can save it and display it wherever you want. I prefer to screen capture it and save it as a .JPG file so I can then share it around with others, just like I have done above.

If you do not have a QR code reader app installed, then you need to go ahead and do that. That way you can scan any other QR codes that you come across, not only in printed ads but also at certain locations, some merchants display their QR codes that will then take you to their web site.

QR Stuff
One of my favorite QR code Generator websites is QR Stuff, a site that has a lot more than just a QR Code generator. At QR Stuff, you can have short URLs, and even get access to high resolution artwork files. You’ll need a high resolution file if you’re going to use your QR Code anywhere else other than on the web. Click on the graphic below to go on over to QR Stuff and create a QR Code there.

Chitika has reached a settlement with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) over online advertising. The complaint by the FTC was about behavioral ad targeting. Individuals could opt out of Chitika’s behavioral ad targeting. Apparently Chitika had mistakenly set the opt out to 10 days rather than 10 years.

Chitika offers a search-targeted advertising solution to web publishers. They deliver interactive text ads relevant to what your users are searching for. Many web publishers (web site owners) consider Chitika an alternative to the Google AdSense program.

According to ClickZ, “The FTC alleges that the company’s opt-out cookies were set to expire after 10 days, rendering them useless at that point. As a result of the settlement, the company within 30 days is required to provide a tool enabling opt-out from collecting data that could be tied to a user or includes a unique identifier. The tool must enable opt-out through no more than one click, and it must maintain opt-outs for a minimum of five years.”

Prior to March 1, 2010, an error in Chitika’s opt-out process mistakenly set opt outs to expire in 10 days rather than the intended 10 years. Since March 1, 2010, Chitika’s option to opt out of any behavioral targeting is a 10-year opt-out.

The following is Chitika’s prepared statement about the settlement:

This morning Chitika, Inc. reached a settlement with the FTC regarding online ad targeting. Chitika places the utmost importance on the privacy of online users. The company believes the agreement will help it continue to place a premium on privacy as its advertising network continues to expand.

– Chitika does not collect and has never collected any personally identifiable information (PII) for ad targeting purposes.
– Since March 1, 2010, Chitika’s option to opt out of any behavioral targeting is a 10-year opt-out.
– Prior to March 1, 2010, an error in Chitika’s opt-out process mistakenly set opt outs to expire in 10 days rather than the intended 10 years.
– The FTC brought this bug to Chitika’s attention in February, 2010; on March 1, the company had fixed it to opt out users for ten years.
– May 2008 through February 2010, the period during which our opt-out process was affected by this bug, Chitika received an average of 30 opt-out requests per month across our international network compared to over 450 million monthly unique users.

Chitika believes very strongly in Internet users’ privacy. Its advertising network is built on the idea that you can protect privacy by never collecting PII and actually have a better, more efficient ad product.

“Personally identifiable information is of no interest to me whatsoever,” says Chitika CEO and founder Venkat Kolluri. “Our advertisements only worry about what you want, not who you are.”

Chitika’s targeting consists of data such as browser, search engine, and search keywords, all of which allow the company to provide the most appropriate possible advertisements without collecting any data which could be used to identify an individual user. The company continues to believe that non-PII data is a targeting method that is best for not only users, but also advertisers and publishers.

Andrew Benett, Global CEO of Arnold Worldwide and Global Chief Strategy Officer of Havas Worldwide, describes the downfall of hyperconsumption and the rise of “the new consumer” in his forthcoming book, Consumed: Rethinking Business in an Era of Mindful Spending (Palgrave Macmillan, July 2010), co-authored by Ann O’Reilly, Content Director of the Euro RSCG Worldwide Knowledge Exchange.

Despite the fact that glitz and abundance are alive and well in mainstream media (think: Bravo’s The Real Housewives and E!’s Keeping Up with the Kardashians), there is a fast-growing set of Americans who reject excess and artificiality in favor of authenticity, substance and interconnectedness. In fact, according to a groundbreaking survey of 5,700 adults in seven countries conducted for Consumed, nearly 80 percent of Americans feel society is becoming too shallow and believe most of us would be better off if we lived more simply.

“For the last two decades, Americans believed bigger was better—from the size of our houses to our cars to the amount of food on our dinner plates. But the economic recession, coupled with other factors like the green movement, is fundamentally changing American attitudes,” said Benett. “Instead of super-sizing, we’re ‘right-sizing’ and re-evaluating what’s important in life. We’re saving more, wasting less, and giving back.”

Benett further states: “Mindful consumers are taking a closer look at what we truly need and adjusting our shopping behaviors accordingly. As part of that, we are embracing brands that uphold these new ideals, brands that provide quality and value in their services and products, but are also environmentally friendly and socially responsible.”

In recognition of the new book Consumed, here is a list of ten public figures who embrace qualities of the mindful consumer, such as a commitment to sustainability efforts, a focus on giving, and a more thoughtful approach to consumption:

Ludacris
Rappers are not always known for their humility, generosity and environmentally conscious attitudes; Ludacris isn’t your average rapper. Through The Ludacris Foundation, he has donated $1.5 million to support youth-oriented, grassroots organizations and devoted more than 5,000 hours of service, all while paying special attention to his hometown of Atlanta. Did we mention that Ludacris owns a hybrid and is installing solar panels on his home?

Suze Orman
While the financial market collapsed, Orman’s stock rose as she convinced people what NOT to buy during the economic recession. She is viewed as a trusted financial expert, helping Americans become fiscally responsible through her television show, eight consecutive New York Times bestsellers, and frequent guest spots on a range of programs from Oprah to The Biggest Loser.

Indra K. Nooyi
As the CEO of PepsiCo, Nooyi wants those of us who indulge in sugary beverages to feel a little better about it. She’s championing “performance with a purpose” within the organization, which is focused on creating more wholesome products and increasing sustainability practices. As part of this effort, the company has launched The Pepsi Refresh Project. The socially driven campaign allows individuals and organizations to post their philanthropic ideas on refresheverything.com, where the general public votes for their favorite initiatives to be funded. To help support the project, which will give away more than $20 million this year, the company passed on airing a Super Bowl ad.

Ellen DeGeneres
Comedienne, actress, author, CoverGirl spokesmodel, American Idol judge, talk-show host, and wife. . . Ellen DeGeneres does it all. Using her large media presence, she exposes audience members to different charities including Feeding America and the American Red Cross. DeGeneres conceals her wealth with ordinary clothes and a gracious attitude, influencing a legion of supporters through her television shows and brand sponsorships.

Taylor Swift
Unlike her flashy counterparts, such as Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga, there’s something genuine and down-to-earth about Swift that makes her stand out among the tween, teenage and young adult set. With her poised demeanor, saccharine pop-country crossover songs, humanitarian efforts for numerous charities, and penchant for affordable clothing—including her line of Walmart-sold sundresses that start at $14—this young superstar personifies the mindset of a new generation who want to feel good, look good and do good with (age-appropriate) style.

Warren Buffett
The world’s third-wealthiest person, Buffet is famously known for both his mindful spending and philanthropy. America’s foremost investor still owns the modest home bought in 1958, receives a salary of approximately $100,000 and rarely makes extravagant purchases. Most recently, Buffet auctioned off a lunch with himself that sold for $2.63 million, which will support Glide Foundation, a homeless organization based in San Francisco.

Oprah Winfrey
As proven time and again, the mere mention of a product by Oprah will make it a bestseller. Her personal integrity, philanthropic efforts and ability to connect with the masses will help her stay one of America’s favorite trendsetters long after her talk show ends in 2011. Up next: Oprah will start the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), further exploring issues surrounding empowerment, spirit, human relationships and giving back.

Stephen F. Quinn
More than three-quarters of Americans shop at Walmart every year, so whether you’re a fan or not, the retailer has influence. As Walmart’s CMO, Quinn’s leadership on sustainability efforts has a huge impact. He helped initiate strict environmental standards including high efficiency store designs, reusable bags, recycling programs and the installation of solar panels. In addition, Walmart is helping shoppers go green by introducing more energy-efficient products; locally grown produce; and the Sustainability Index, an initiative that, in the company’s own words, is “helping to create a more transparent supply chain, driving product innovation and ultimately providing our customers with information they need to assess products’ sustainability.”

Mark Zuckerberg
Zuckerberg makes the list not because he is particularly mindful, but because the platform he created is making savvier shoppers out of all of us. With more than 400 million active users worldwide, Facebook has become an interactive consumer haven. With the simple update of a status feed, users can get product recommendations from the most trusted source: friends and family. Plus, the platform provides a voice to grassroots organizations that want to galvanize people around the world quickly and efficiently. Brands like Coca-Cola, Starbucks and Disney are realizing the platform’s potential by generating huge fan followings, making it a marketer’s paradise. And with Zuckerberg’s influence over Internet privacy policies, he is literally changing the way we shop.

Michelle Obama
With the grace of Jackie and the aspirations of Eleanor, Michelle has captivated Americans. When the First Lady donned J.Crew fashions at public appearances such as The Jay Leno Show, it spiked the retailer’s clothing sales, website traffic and brand awareness. However, it is Obama’s efforts to end childhood obesity with initiatives like “Let’s Move” and the White House vegetable garden that are inspiring a nation. She is influencing (and, in some cases, incentivizing) politicians, business leaders, nonprofits, parents and the rest of us to think about what we consume.

From the business owner whose daughter is helping her learn to use “Happy Face” (aka, Facebook), to the one who doesn’t believe people go online to look for a barber, it’s clear – there’s still a Great Divide. View the series premiere here: http://www.webvisible.com/the-great-divide/ and here: http://www.youtube.com/greatdividemovie.

WebVisible will unveil a new episode of this landmark documentary series every few weeks. Later installments will follow small business owners, telling their stories and offering a day-in-the-life glimpse into what it means to run a small business in today’s Internet economy. A dentist, florist, lawyer, restaurant owner, barber, eyelash salon owner, garbage hauler and others invited WebVisible and its camera crew behind the scenes to discuss the challenges of “being found” by consumers today. Each episode will showcase a different component of online advertising – mobile, social, search and more.

The Great Divide Watch & Win Contest gives U.S.-based small businesses two chances to win three months of free advertising services through WebVisible, valued at $1,500 for each winner (new customers only).

To win, watch The Great Divide and answer this question in 140 characters or less: “What is the biggest challenge in growing your business?” Answers can be submitted online at http://www.webvisible.com/the-great-divide/contest.php or via WebVisible’s Twitter page at http://twitter.com/webvisible. Submit answers by 11:59 p.m. EDT, June 30.

“Some local business owners still don’t believe that consumers want to find them online – but today, even so-called ‘walk-in’ traffic is often driven by searches conducted on a mobile phone while walking down the street,” said Kirsten Mangers, WebVisible CEO. “Advertising has to follow audience, but when the audience moves at lightning speed from one search engine or iPhone app to the next, it’s hard to keep up. Small businesses are losing potential customers if they don’t make themselves visible in all the different places consumers are searching today. Our contest winners will gain much more than $1,500 in advertising – they’ll gain the new business that results from being visible to potential customers online.”

Two winners will be selected by WebVisible to receive a full-service package, including search engine advertising on Google, Yahoo!, and Bing, a call tracking number, and a multi-function landing page that includes video, form fill and SMS text lead delivery. WebVisible will provide the winning merchants with three months of search engine advertising with a $500/month budget. Existing WebVisible customers and employees or employee family members are not eligible.

Landmark Documentary Series Explores Small Business America
To kick off the contest, WebVisible is unveiling its new original Web series, The Great Divide, featuring real business owners and their real stories. In this documentary series, WebVisible explores The Great Divide – where small businesses and consumers fail to connect.

Last year, WebVisible partnered with Nielsen Online to reveal compelling data showing that consumers and business owners were using the Web to find local products and services, yet business owners were not fully embracing the Web as a marketing tool for their own businesses. Now, WebVisible has taken its cameras over the counters and into the factories, warehouses, shops and offices of small business America, to get total access into their lives, their struggles, their ideas and their insights into marketing their businesses and finding those elusive new customers.

The first episode, released today, poses the question: Where do consumers turn to find a business in today’s “local is wherever I am” environment? The Web? Yellow Pages? Mobile apps? Social networks? WebVisible’s cameras hit the streets of America, asking consumers how they are finding local businesses, and giving small business owners a chance to sound off about their own marketing efforts and examine how they’re evolving in this inter-connected, global marketplace.

“Our goal with The Great Divide Web series and contest is to shine a light on these issues in an entertaining way, and to take the mystique out of online advertising and simply help local businesses get found by their customers,” said Mangers.

WebVisible makes it easy for small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) to be found online, where and how customers are looking. The leading provider of local online marketing products and services since 2001, WebVisible was among the first to pioneer the use of search as a reliable, measurable avenue to connect directly with a buyer’s needs. The company has helped more than 100,000 SMB customers from more than 4,000 industries in 14 countries to create innovative and accountable Internet advertising campaigns. SMBs partner with WebVisible directly and through its many partner companies, including Intuit, AT&T, British Telecom and The New York Times Company. WebVisible is based in Irvine, California.

From the survey, 74.1% of the survey participants are planning on increasing their use of email marketing while 68.3% plan on increasing their use of social media in 2010. These numbers are not that surprising since social media is a hot topic at the moment, and many companies are investigating ways to make use of social media like Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter among others. Email marketing continues to be a strong way to market products even for small businesses. Only 3.8% of the survey respondents stated that they did not plan to use email marketing at all in 2010, thus showing how valuable email marketing continues to be for the small business sector. The survey results for future usage of search engine marketing (SEM), and online banner advertising reflected an opposing future trend.

Future usage of online banner advertising for small businesses was not as promising with 54.2% of all survey respondents stating that they will not be doing online banner advertising in 2010. Of course, the survey results that showed only 23.8% stated that they did not wish to use search engine marketing (SEM) in 2010 are better numbers than those regarding banner advertising, but each set of of marketing data both reflect the idea that small businesses do not strongly view banner advertising, and SEM as prominant ways to promote their business. VerticleResponse stated that it is important for marketers to show how banner advertising, and SEM can be useful for small businesses.

From the look of things, one of the best ways to show small businesses the usefulness of banner advertising, and SEM is to point out that these advertising mediums can help drive traffic to their websites, and also help generate strong brand recognition within their prospective markets.

On a side note, 79.6% of the small businesses stated that they will not be using television marketing in 2010, while 72.7% do not plan on using radio advertising.

DoubleClick and IAC Advertising Solutions have launched DART Search’s bid management and conversion tracking features for Ask Sponsored Listings(R) (ASL).

There is now deeper integration via the ASL API. If you’re a DART advertiser, then you can now manage your ad business on the ASL Network more productively. In other words, you can now manage your bids for your ASL keywords directly through the DART Search tool–without needing to interface with the ASL Client Console. Additionally, by using the “Create and Email” feature in DART, you can now track conversion performance of your ASL ads.

IAC Advertising Solutions offers marketers integrated advertising opportunities including sponsored search result listings, interactive media, direct marketing and feature rich sponsorships across a network of some of the world’s leading lifestyle and media brands including 23/6, Citysearch, Evite, Excite, IWON, Match.com, RealEstate.com, Ticketmaster, Very Short List and Ask Sponsored Listings. IAC Advertising Solutions is a division of IAC Search & Media, a wholly-owned business of IAC (NASDAQ:IACI) . IAC Advertising Solutions can be contacted at http://www.iacadvertising.com/ or 212-404-1000.

Ask Sponsored Listings is an automated open-auction system that allows marketers to purchase, manage and optimize campaigns on the ASL publisher network. Learn more at http://sponsoredlistings.ask.com/.

DoubleClick is a provider of digital marketing technology and services. The world’s top marketers, publishers and agencies utilize DoubleClick’s expertise in ad serving, rich media, video, mobile, search and affiliate marketing to help them make the most of the digital medium. From its position at the nerve center of digital marketing, DoubleClick provides superior insights and insider knowledge to its customers. Headquartered in New York, and with 17 offices and development hubs and 14 data centers worldwide, the company employs more than 1400 people and delivers billions of digital communications every day.

DART Search is a powerful integrated worldwide search marketing solution that lets search engine marketers manage and optimize all of their pay-per-click advertisements and keywords across all major search engines.

According to the results of a new survey conducted online within the USA by Harris Interactive on behalf of Ingenio, more than four out of five of those surveyed currently own a mobile phone compared to only about 7 in 10 that own “land lines” or home phones. Research conducted by Harris Interactive suggests that a “dominant advertising model” that caters to this growing demographic of cell phone users is emerging.

The survey results revealed that of the overwhelming majority of USA consumers that own a mobile phone, only a minority of cell phone owners (30 percent) can recall seeing or hearing an advertisement on their mobile phone in the past year.

This mobile phone survey was conducted on the internet; 4,123 adults over the age of 18 responded. The research was commissioned by Ingenio, Inc., a provider of Pay Per Call(R) advertising, to gather a better understanding of peoples’ attitudes towards, and usage of, their mobile phones.

According to the results of this mobile advertising survey, about two-thirds of cell phone owners agreed that their cell phone is very personal to them; they also noted preferences regarding the type of mobile ads they found acceptable.

They survey’s results show that “the most favorable response was to sponsored text links that appear as a result of Internet searches (26 percent), confirming the value of returning ads relevant to the consumer’s search query. This was closely followed by audio ads that play instead of ringing when waiting for someone to answer a call (21 percent), or a text message from a company (20 percent) as the type of mobile ads rated at least somewhat acceptable by at least one in five mobile phone owners.”

According to Ingenio, the future for mobile advertising is growing. When asked about their current and anticipated mobile phone use, 49 percent of the respondents indicated that they are already using their cell phones for more than just phone calls. The respondents indicated that they also send and receive text messages, and 24 percent said that they frequently send and receive photos using their cell phone.

The survey also indicated that:

Younger adults are more likely than their older counterparts to own a mobile phone than a landline: among adults ages 18-34, 89 percent own a cell phone or smart phone, but only 57 percent have a landline. Additionally, younger mobile phone owners are considerably more likely to use their phones for more than just phone calls (74 percent of adults ages 18-34 versus 20 percent of those ages 55 and up) and men are more likely than women to use their phones to check email, access the Internet for something other than search and download, and find information using a search engine.

The survey also found that over the next three years, more than half of mobile phone owners (57 percent) anticipate using their phones for more than just making and receiving phone calls with younger mobile phone owners more likely than their older counterparts (75 percent of those ages 18-34 versus 33 percent of those ages 55 and up).

Among the people who have used 411 using their cell phone, 74 percent of them indicated that commercial listings were what they needed the most; 72 percent indicated that restaurant listings were what they needed.

The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Ingenio, Inc. between March 29 and April 2, 2007 among 4,123 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for region, age within gender, education, household income and race/ethnicity were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

With a pure probability sample of 4,123, one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/- 2 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples may be higher and would vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

Ingenio, Inc. empowers businesses and individuals to create new revenue opportunities through voice-based e-commerce services. The Ingenio(R) suite of voice-commerce applications, including Pay Per Call(R), Live Advice, and Ether(R), are all designed to help the services economy flourish online, and have connected millions of buyers and sellers around the world. Pay Per Call advertising is the industry’s first pay-for-performance advertising system that delivers phone leads to businesses via its multi-channel ad network that includes Web and mobile search, online directories, free directory assistance, and more.

Live Advice and Ether(R) applications allow users to earn per call by selling their knowledge and expertise via the Internet. Founded in 1999, Ingenio, Inc. works with top-tier customers and partners including AOL, InfoSpace, Microsoft and many other leading companies. For more information, please visit http://www.ingenio.com/.

Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods.

Harris Interactive has built what it believes to be the world’s largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiaries Novatris in France and MediaTransfer AG in Germany, and through a global network of independent market research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/.

For a while now, many car radios are equipped with the ability to tell you the name of the artist and the name of the song that’s playing. If you are in a major radio market, most likely your local radio station broadcasts a signal that your car radio receives—it tells you the name of the artist, the name of the song, and most likely which radio station you’re listening to.

Some radio stations only show the name of the radio station and/or their call letters. And some radio stations even tell you the name of their web site: 103.7 KVIL in Dallas, Texas from time to time shows their url: www.1037litefm.com actually shows up on my car radio from time to time. But, it looks like some radio stations are using this text technology to their advantage: I spotted 100.3 Jack FM in Dallas, Texas “pitching” an upcoming concert on August 4th right there on my car radio: They’re calling this upcoming concert “the big show” or “Jack’s Big Show”.

I’ve captured a video of this text ad as it appears on my car radio–the ad text is “Get Tickets for Jack’s Big Show NOW!!”

With a little ingenuity, I could see these types of ads appearing on local radio stations’ text displays right in your car. For example, what if you’re driving down the road on your local commute in the morning and saw a text ad on your car radio that said this:

Need More Coffee? Stop By 7-11 for Gourmet Coffee!

Radio stations could sell these text ads to local advertisers—or they could be sold specifically to a national market, depending on the reach of the radio station’s owner. Companies like Clear Channel own lots of radio stations, and selling a text ad on everyone’s car radio could be an option—if you’re a potential advertiser, would you buy this type of advertising? It actually could be a gold mine for certain companies wanting to reach thousands of people. The text ad on our car radios would be subtle, but would get the eyes of drivers everywhere.

What if you own a pizza place? What about running a text ad in your local market via the radio? Would a text ad like this make sense for an advertiser during the afternoon drive time?

What’s for Dinner? Try Domino’s Pizza tonight!!

Right now I haven’t investigated the numbers of vehicles on the road right now that have this technology. Many new cars, especially the cars that have a satellite radio installed in the dash, have the text ad capability—the individual radio stations would need to price the text ad and do some testing—I would be that 100.3 Jack FM has some numbers about the type of response they’re getting from the text ads that they’re running. The opportunity to push a text ad out to text-enabled car radios is huge, and from what I can tell, 100.3 Jack FM in Dallas, Texas is one of the first to start doing it.

Google has recently started to offer the option for advertisers to create a radio ad and run it on radio stations. But these are audio ads—the must be produced, and edited, which takes time and costs money. Why doesn’t Google, Yahoo! or even MSN talk to some major radio networks, do a deal for ads, and start running local text ads in major markets? Seems like a no brainer to me.