Recently, I attended CTIA Wireless in Las Vegas and sat in on a number of the mobile marketing and advertising sessions. It was clear that more and more brand owners, marketers and advertisers are looking at running test campaigns with interactive digital images where mobile phones can be used to link printed photos to video, the web, special promos, and more.

The 2D barcode companies were out in force. I’m told there are 128 companies out there, each with different solutions. The number of new companies sprouting up, combined with the complexity of working with the U.S. carriers and the confusion in the market on how to make this all work, is bringing about some serious discussions around standards and interoperability. Most agree, industry standards is what it will take to really make these new capabilities mainstream – well, that and more people with smartphones and data plans.

iPhone continues to “own” the market when it comes to anything beyond talking and texting on the phone, but there are many handset manufacturers on their heels. The industry is cranking out new and improved smartphones to meet the growing demands of consumers who want to take advantage of the expanding mobile capabilities. Photographer and digital image owners are now contemplating many ways they can add value to their photos by making them interactive. Interactivity is a great tool for brand owners seeking to engage their target audience and build brand loyalty – the gold ring for many companies looking for greater ROI on their advertising dollars.

I, for one, believe we will continue to see many trials and pilots with interactive images as the industry tries to figure out how to work together as well as what the consumer truly wants.  We don’t know, but we are getting closer and I’m very optimistic that interactive images will be something that enhance our experiences in many different environments.