Like most bar codes the Quick Response Code (QR Code) was initially developed to help track manufacturing parts and products. From those humble beginnings it is rapidly growing to become the key bridge between offline and online communications. With 66%* of people still preferring to receive catalogs in print rather than online there’s lots of opportunity. (*Pitney Bowes)
The Japanese designers intended for these codes to allow information to be decoded at high speeds. By using a smartphone (you can download a reader for your phone here) you can scan the code and be taken to a website giving you more information.
Direct Marketers love the application for two main reasons. One, it’s novel and creates curiosity which makes it a great teaser to move customers to the next step of the buying cycle. Two, it allows marketers to share much more information and get realtime feedback and reporting at a lower price point.
We’re always looking for more efficient ways to track the success of our campaigns. Like we say around here ‘once you know, you can grow’. QR codes are a great way to get segmented feedback from campaigns through integrating them with PURLs. We’ve also seen other companies use them on their signage and large format advertising to get feedback on the number of people engaging with their ads.
However you decide to use your QR code be sure to consider two factors before implementation. Firstly ensure that the population you are advertising to will be predominantly smart phone users. Admob estimates that there are nearly 50 million smartphone users in the USA. Secondly be sure to deliver an informative and interactive experience when they arrive at your QR code landing page.
