Microsoft Tag Update - Now You Can Personalize the Image

Microsoft Tag, the colorful barcode that links physical media with your mobile phone, has just received an update that lets you personalize the tags in new ways. Previously, a Microsoft Tag had to look like this:

…a square with differently colored triangles separated by white lines.

Now, you can choose to create your tag with dots instead of triangles. That may not seem like that much, but with the new dot method, you can more easily overlay the dot pattern on top of an image of your choosing. For example:

If you want to get more creative, you could integrate the dots into the background image using graphical editing software:

When done well, you can’t even see the dots in the image:

To encourage people to try out the new dot pattern in their tags, Microsoft launched a contest called the “Tag Slaps Design Contest.” To participate, you just have to create an original customized Tag and creative concept for the accompanying mobile experience. The winner receives a lot of promotion across Microsoft properties including Facebook and Twitter, so it’s clear the contest is aimed towards marketing professionals looking to get exposure for their new mobile campaign.