"The basic concept is to find the Pepsi MAX commercial, tag it and select a store," IntoNow founder and CEO Adam Cahan explains.
IntoNow will generate a unique digital coupon for the first 50,000 IntoNow users who tag the spot. The coupon can be scanned and redeemed, just like a gift card, at Target or CVS stores.
The Pepsi MAX commercial in question will begin airing Wednesday and features past and present Major League Baseball legends. The spot and the IntoNow promotion are all centered around Pepsi MAX's MLB sponsorship. IntoNow will not be featured in the ad, but it will make a print appearance on the promo cards that Pepsi is distributing at MLB stadiums.
"This is the first time where consumers can close the funnel between a brand experience on a TV commercial right down to a real-world drink you can consume," Cahan says.
The campaign, IntoNow's first branded ad initiative, helps bridge the gap between digital and physical worlds via mobile phone. "The idea that these devices are with us at all times really does change the game," says Cahan.
IntoNow "listens to" and identifies television shows in much the same way that Shazam identifies music. The Pepsi partnership represents the startup's first foray into commercial tagging, but it's talking with movie studios, automotive brands and other consumer packaged goods companies for similar commercial tagging campaigns.