Warner Bros. is promoting its film ?Inception? by having consumers snap a photo of the tag that gives them new content each week leading up to the DVD/Blu-ray launch.

The tag is featured on the Inception Facebook page, TV commercials, posters and on the DVD cover. Users can participate by taking a photo and sending it to a short code.

?Image recognition is a broad bucket of capability,? said Laura Marriott, board member at NeoMedia and former president of the Mobile Marketing Association.

?Mobile 2D codes can help engage the consumer and create a dialogue of interaction between consumer and brand by activating traditional and/or digital media,? she said.  ?It also enables direct and easy connection to greater content which enables the campaign to communicate more than what they have in their initiative while using a very small part of overall campaign real estate."

Ms. Marriott did not work on the Inception campaign. She is simply a third-party analyst for the article.
Warner Bros. did not respond by press time.

Warner Home Video is the video, DVD and Blu-ray unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., itself part of Time Warner.

How it works
After users take a photo of the snaptag, they can text it to the short code 95871 or email it to .

Users will then get a message back saying, ?Inception ? Welcome to the dream! Check out the video and visit http://www.facebook.com/inception.

Here is the message:

In addition, the message lets users know to snap the tag again on Nov. 15 to unlock the first dream level and receive the first of five exclusive editions of Inception content, leading up to the final content on Dec. 7 when the DVD launches.

Along with the message users can watch a short video that lets them know how they can participate in the campaign.

Users can reply the keyword DREAM to be notified of future dream levels or reply the keyword STOP WB to quit.

Here is the message:

Mobile bar codes [and image recognition] create awareness,? Ms. Marriott said. ?Even within the 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,? she said.