Jcdecaux Launches U snap… and Transforms Posters into Content-Rich Media!

Regulatory News:

JCDecaux (Paris:DEC) announces the launch of U snap, an exclusive application based on tried-and-tested image recognition technology that members of the public can download onto their iPhones. Thanks to this highly innovative app, brands and local authorities can now provide digital content simply from the photo of a poster taken with an iPhone.

As the populations becomes increasingly urbanised and travelling times and commuting distances grow longer, Outdoor is ideally placed to reach audiences on the move. Cities are at the heart of this social change.

For several years JCDecaux has been working alongside researchers and social scientists to identify the expectations of consumers, to keep them updated, to provide innovative services and to enhance the role media can play. The result of this research can now be seen in the launch, on the basis of an exclusive partnership with the Telequid company, of a particularly innovative application: U snap by JCDecaux.

U snap by JCDecaux: how does it work?

The procedure is easy for users to follow and has been designed to be highly intuitive and unobtrusive. Users simply take a photo of the poster with their iPhones and are immediately re-directed to the content offered by the advertiser.
1) Users download the application free of charge from the Apple Store
2) They click on the icon to launch the application
3) They take a photo of the poster, which is immediately recognised by the application
4) They are immediately re-directed to the content provided by the advertiser partnering the service (trailers, information about a new product or new exhibition, discount vouchers, etc.)
Users will also receive updated news about all current interactive advertising campaigns on the home page as soon as the app is launched.

Clear advantages for brands and local authorities…
U snap by JCDecaux is an unparalleled opportunity to build and develop:

• A powerful brand experience with interactive outdoor advertising campaigns offering the bonus of original content
• A close relationship with customers, prospective customers or members of the public as they go about their day-to day lives
• An original and innovative presentation of the brands and local authorities partnering the service consistent with their overall communication strategy

… and for the general public
Thanks to U snap by JCDecaux, users can immediately:

• View video content (trailers, videos, interviews, etc.)
• Obtain information about a new product
• Enjoy access to cultural or historical content
• Benefit from discount vouchers
• Take part in quizzes
• Be directed to the nearest sales outlet

An official launch on October 13, backed up by a communications plan.

• An advertising campaign based on the Internet and mobile web
• An email marketing campaign targeted at iPhone owners
• A Facebook page
• A web page: www.u-snap.net where users can discover how the system works and the ongoing advertising campaigns
• A competition with an array of prizes (a 1 week holiday in New York for 2 people, 3 return tickets to New York for 2 people, 3 iPads and 25 MP3 players)

Available on October 13 but, initially, for the iPhone only, U snap by JCDecaux will subsequently be compatible with other mobile operating systems such as Android or Windows Mobile both in France and in the international market to ensure that this service is gradually available to the largest possible number of users.

Jean-Charles Decaux, Chairman of the Executive Board of JCDecaux, said: "U snap is an innovation that makes a major contribution to the world of Outdoor Advertising, pushing the boundaries of the medium and opening up infinite possible applications of this new technology for the benefit of retail brands, local authorities, consumers and the general public.”

Frédéric Bruel, Chairman of Telequid, said: "JCDecaux and Telequid share a joint vision for the mobile image recognition market. We believe the ability to use a smart phone to take a photo of an object or image to access relevant content on the web has a bright future. By combining the strength of JCDecaux’s network with our technological expertise, we are entering this market under ideal conditions.”

JCDecaux Group, key figures:
- 2009 revenues: €1,918.8m; revenues for the first half of 2010: €1,110.6m
- JCDecaux is listed on the Eurolist of Euronext Paris and is part of the Euronext 100, Dow Jones Sustainability and FTSE4Good indexes
- No.1 worldwide in street furniture (428,000 advertising panels)
- No.1 worldwide in transport advertising with 163 airports and more than 300 transport contracts in metros, buses, trains and tramways (380,200 advertising panels)
- No.1 in Europe for billboards (230,500 advertising panels)
- No.1 in outdoor advertising in the Asia-Pacific region (239,600 advertising panels)
- No.1 worldwide for self-service bicycle hire
- 1,040,600 advertising panels in 55 countries
- Present in 3,500 cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants
- 9,940 employees

About Telequid: Telequid is a French company based in Paris, founded in 2008. It has developed know-how and a patented technological platform unique in the world of interactive media. U snap, a mobile image recognition application launched with the JCDecaux Group, is one of the first products to emerge from this technology. Telequid has been awarded the "Young Innovative Company” label and is supported by the Oseo agency for innovation, the CFI innovation centre and the Scientipôle Initiative.