NEC GAZIRU image recognition technologies adopted by Hakuhodo for its Kokoku + advertising service

NEC’s GAZIRU image recognition technologies have been adopted by Hakuhodo Inc., one of Japan’s leading advertising companies, for its Kokoku + advertising service, scheduled to launch on February 18. The GAZIRU service displays detailed information on photos taken with the built-in cameras of smartphones by using NEC’s independently developed, highly accurate image recognition engine to match new pictures with image data that was previously registered on the cloud or within a device. Kokoku + is a new advertising service from Hakuhodo that drives customers to its clients’ Web sites and stores by leveraging GAZIRU technologies to enable smartphones to recognize television commercials, product packaging and print-based media.


Users simply download the Kokoku + application to their smartphone, then gain access to product information, sales campaign information and coupons by taking photos of television commercials, newspaper/magazine advertisements, signs and posters that support the service. NEC will showcase the GAZIRU image recognition service and Hakuhodo’s Kokoku + in Hall 3, Stand 3B4 at Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona, Spain, from February 25 – 28, 2013.