AciG Technology has been selected as the exclusive supplier of near field communication (NFC) RFID stickers for the roll out of Google's (News - Alert) marketing campaign for Google Places in Austin, Texas. The stickers are manufactured by ACiG's sister company, Smartag.

Google is currently distributing the 80x50mm stickers to local business owners to help them promote their products and services and encourage people to rate and review the businesses on Google's new local recommendation engine. The smart stickers are utilized to convert conventional advertising posters to connected smart posters.

Consumers with NFC-enabled mobile phones who have downloaded the Google Places app can simply touch their devices to the stickers to access relevant information about a local business from the Web, e.g. address, phone number, hours of operation, payment types, helpful reviews and more. Consumers can rate or review the business from the webpage on the mobile device, and then receive more personalized local recommendations in their search results based on their opinions and those of their friends.

Bernardo Hernandez, senior director of consumer marketing for Google: "NFC-enabled stickers are an integral part of our outreach efforts to local Austin businesses as they demonstrate the effectiveness of Internet spot marketing and help consumers quickly discover more information about a business. About 20 percent of all searches on Google are for local information, and NFC technology delivered by Smartag smart stickers enables really interesting ways to connect Austin locals and visitors with the businesses in the area."

Roger Hornstra, President U.S., ACiG Technology: "As a manufacturer and distributor of core RFID technology, we see many market trends develop from their earliest stages. Smart posters are expected to be a tremendous growth area in B2C marketing.”