NeoMedia Technologies Inc., a mobile bar code scanning specialist, has named former Mobile Marketing Association president Laura Marriott as acting chairman/CEO after the sudden departure of incumbent Iain McCready.

Ms. Marriott will have temporary charge of 25 NeoMedia staff, overseeing a technology platform that turns mobile devices with cameras into bar code scanners for purposes such as advertising, mobile ticketing and couponing and business-to-business commercial track-and-trace services. Mr. McCready is said to have departed to ?pursue other interests,? leaving behind a legacy of generating awareness for mobile 2D bar codes.

?We will be aggressively working on building the pipeline and educating the market on the opportunity for mobile 2D bar codes,? Ms. Marriott said from her base in Victoria, British Columbia. ?The time for 2D is now and the board is committed to help grow the organization globally.?

In this Q&A, Ms. Marriott discusses the state of mobile 2D bar codes, which industry sectors show most enthusiasm for the technology and NeoMedia?s future and what it seeks in a new CEO. Please read on:

Quite a sudden development, isn?t it ? being named acting chairman/CEO of NeoMedia? How did it happen?
After two and a half years with NeoMedia, Iain achieved significant success in the company?s growth and brought many positive changes to the organization to enable NeoMedia to set a strong foundation for future success. 

At this point in the company's growth, there is now a new requirement to seek a CEO with a different skill-set and established network of industry relationships in order to be able to position the company for significant growth and long-term success.

I have been involved with NeoMedia, as a board member since leaving the Mobile Marketing Association in early 2009. 

Earlier this year, I became involved as acting CMO as well as assisting on business development initiatives, so I am very familiar with the team and the objectives for the organization. 

I am looking forward to helping position the company for its next phase of growth in close collaboration with the company?s executive and staff team as well as the board of directors.

What?s the board?s mandate to you?
I will be working collaboratively with the board to ensure we continue the success trajectory that we are own.

Specifically, we will be aggressively working on building the pipeline and educating the market on the opportunity for mobile 2D bar codes. The time for 2D is now and the board is committed to help grow the organization globally.

In any early market, there is always debate around how best to price a new service to ensure price and value are optimized. 

We will be working to ensure we maximize our opportunities for 2D value for our customers, while providing the best return for our shareholders as well.

Will you work out of the Pacific Northwest?
Yes, I will continue to work out of my base in the Pacific Northwest, but as in any mobile role, there is a significant amount of travel in order to be able to respond to the global marketplace. 

The organization has its headquarters in Atlanta and its base of European operations in Germany, so we anticipate global travel will be required to support the ongoing operations and growth of the business.

Where do you want to take NeoMedia?
The company?s immediate priorities lie in the further development of the existing and future sales pipeline, as well as education of the market on the opportunity for mobile 2D bar codes.

The 2D market is really beginning to take hold globally in a significant way and NeoMedia is well positioned to take advantage of the opportunity. 

Consumer education remains a key part of every 2D initiative and we continue to work with our brands to ensure that not only do they achieve their 2D campaign objectives, but also that the consumer understands how to interact with the 2D code in a meaningful and effective manner. 

In the long-to-medium term, the recruitment of the best possible candidate for the permanent CEO position will, of course, be of importance whilst NeoMedia will continue to maximize and capitalize on our core intellectual property  and work to sustain our leadership position in the industry.

Is the market ready for widespread adoption and use of 2D mobile bar codes?
The simple answer is yes. 

From a technology standpoint, we are absolutely ready. From a market adoption standpoint, we have a greater proliferation of devices with camera phone functionality in the market. 

However, there is further work required, collectively, in order to increase consumer awareness and education on how what codes are, how to scan them and how to engage with his new functionality. 

The brands and agencies are certainly beginning to implement 2D in their initiatives ? and are doing a great job of showing the potential for using this hot, new mobile media. 

However, there is still some confusion created when proprietary and open standards are deployed in the market and ensuring the industry makes the consumer experience as seamless as possible. This is key for broad scale adoption. 

NeoMedia continues to support the deployment of global, open standards to encourage consumer adoption.

Which sectors have shown much enthusiasm for mobile bar codes?
We are seeing adoption across all market sectors and I would say that enthusiasm is apparent in all of them.

Event marketing, loyalty, couponing/ticketing, transport, logistics and marketing. 

However, marketing is perhaps where we are seeing most traction, allowing brands to energize their traditional and/or digital media initiatives.

2D can help bring a campaign to life and provide the much-needed analytics that are necessary to ensure ongoing, high value consumer engagement as well as optimal results for the brand. 

What about the sectors which have potential for this technology ? what?s stopping them?
In some case, it?s simply a matter of awareness. Even within brands and agencies, mobile bar codes are a relatively new mobile strategy in their toolbox. 

Further evangelization of the power of the mobile bar code as well as publishing of applicable use cases will be key to driving the industry forward.

As mentioned above, consumer education also continues to be an issue and industry initiatives to educate consumers on how to download the barcode readers and then scan the codes to access the information and services are necessary. 

With the large players like Facebook and eBay getting engaged, who are each launching their own mobile bar code initiatives, their campaigns help to educate, catapult the reach and, ultimately, drive an increased level of consumer awareness.

Bar code reader installation, on device, will also be key to mass adoption. 

Today, consumers are required to download a reader in order to be able to scan a code.

However, with deals like the one between NeoMedia and Sony Ericsson, the reader being preloaded at factory before the device arrives in the consumer?s hands will become the ideal scenario to help drive adoption.

How long will you hold this post? Has the board begun a search for a permanent chairman/CEO and what are the qualities that will win them over?

The expectation is that the company will begin to recruit for a new permanent CEO in 2011. 

How do you do it ? consult with so many companies, travel and now becoming acting CEO?
I think people in our industry are somewhat obsessed when it comes to mobile, in a good way, of course. It is hard not to become enthralled with the technology, the pace and the excitement around new deal activity. 

Mobile is changing the way we live our lives and it continues to amaze me how fast the space is moving and growing. 

As you know from the MMA, I have always been about creating community and believe there is a significant opportunity to do this in the 2D space. 

Collaboration is the key to ongoing market development and success and I look forward to continuing to help create this for the 2D industry in my role with NeoMedia.