QR Codes in Marketing: 5 Great Examples
Companies need to find unique, innovative ways to make the most of the increasing popularity of QR (Quick Response) codes among smartphone users. Of course, being bombarded with texts and notifications from previously scanned codes is appealing to pretty much no one, which leaves wide-eyed marketers with a cautious opportunity on their hands.
The QR Market
Before we delve into the ‘how’, let’s delve into the ‘who’.
· 40% of smartphone users compare the competition’s prices on their device while in a physical store.
· Though mixed, the statistics indicate that those scanning QR codes are most likely to be 25-34 year old iPhone users.
· Japan and USA are way out in front of other countries in terms of QR scans, at approximately 60%.
· 2011 proved to be a turning point with QR code creation jumping an incredible 1,253% with two million being created in under three months.
· Of these, the majority were used to navigate users to a web address, though options to save vCard details, provide Google Maps info and YouTube video links were also significant.
Let’s now take a look at some of the more memorable ways in which companies have succeeded in getting you to scan their code, while boosting brand awareness along with it.
1. Creative App Ads
One example of a company making the most of QR codes becoming more mainstream in marketing is the popular smartphone game Angry Birds. As you can see, it has been designed to take you straight to download the app, while highlighting both ad creativity and self-explanatory promotion.
2. Greeting Cards and Mixtapes
For those of us are (un)lucky enough to remember making mixtapes in the 80s and 90s, why not dust off those skills and give them a modern-day twist? So long as the receiver has Spotify Premium installed on their phone, they’re just a barcode scan away from starting the playlist.
3. There’s No Such Thing as Boring
If bumbling around museums pretending to be cultured sounds like some sort of personal hell, check this innovate idea from a museum in Poland. By scanning the QR code for a painting at The Sukiennice Museum, visitors can hear stories of war, insanity, deception and more directly from the “painter” themselves.
4. Personalised Festive Gift Messages
If there’s one thing that’s for certain when it comes to QR codes, it’s that Christmas will be getting in on the action. One such example is the “Santa Tags” released by JC Penney, letting the gift giver record a personalised message ready to be played once the recipient scans the QR code.
5. QR Codes: A Matter of Life and Death?
Ever felt the need to formally check-in at a funeral? Well, now you can. Although to the untrained eye it might seem slightly macabre flashing your phone around just a handful of meters away from an unemptied coffin, QR codes (or Remembrance Codes as they are known within the industry) allow the grieving family to be notified of who was in attendance.
Fancy Your Own QR Code?
Custom QR Codes are just a Google search away, with many designs being made in much the same way as a logo. In fact, up to 30% of a code can be distorted or deliberately omitted and still readable, ensuring the style box for your own code can be well and truly ticked.
What are the Potential Drawbacks?
When it comes to any new technological trend, there should be reason for caution and QR codes are no different. Of course, spammers flooding your smartphone is annoying enough, but things can get more serious with the likes of scammers and hackers using them to disguise malware downloads and forcing your phone to constantly send premium text messages at $1 each. With some QR code scanners letting you use shortened URLs, there’s currently no way of knowing where those URLs could point to. Just as you would with your computer, it’s vital you remain aware how your QR scanner works, what’s been downloaded and whether or not you trust the source.
Any Ideas?
So how can you take advantage of this growing trend for your business? Keep in mind that much more than web addresses can be scanned. Let’s take a look at three examples available to you:
· Letting potential customers enroll in a webinar
· Giving them an inside look at your new Facebook promotion
· Taking them to a page with more detailed information that would struggle to fit in a print ad
What are some of the most creative uses of QR codes that you’ve come across? Can you think of any of your own? Let us know in the comments section below.
We’d love to hear your thoughts, and, as always from the Byter Team, good luck!
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