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Most Innovative Use of QR Codes Yet

Posted by Roger Marquis on January 18th, 2012 at 4:43 am

Recently, Scandinavian Airlines launched one of the most innovative QR Code-based promotional campaigns that I have yet to see.
As part of the company's "Couple Up to Buckle Up"  2 for 1 travel campaign, Scandinavian Airlines displayed two QR Codes, side by side, on a variety of mediums (e.g., email, banners, print advertisements, etc.). The copy accompanying the QR Codes instructed consumers to scan the left and right codes simultaneously with two different mobile phones and to then bring the two phones together. When the scan resolve video played, the separate left and right mobile phone screens essentially made one split screen, which then enabled the two participating consumers to view the video properly and discover the special 2 for 1 promotional code (see video above). If played individually, the left or right scan resolve video content would be close to meaningless.
Creative? Yes. Original? You bet. Will this campaign generate a great deal of media attention for the company, as well as QR Code (2D) technology? Most certainly. But there's another reason why I love this campaign so much. Research. From what I understand, the company conducted market research and discovered that when couples book their travel plans, they often... Read more

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Best Mobile Barcode Campaign 2011

Posted by Roger Marquis on January 4th, 2012 at 10:02 pm

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been busy reviewing, in depth and across a number of attributes, the campaigns that passed my 2D Barcode Litmus Test, as well as a number of individually submitted nominees, about 40 in total, all with the goal to select the best mobile barcode campaign of 2011. While the running was close and the final decision difficult to make, it gives me great pleasure to announce that the winner of 2D Barcode Strategy's 2nd Annual Best Mobile Barcode Campaign Award is Tervis, the Florida-based manufacturer of high-end tumblers. Congratulations! Here are my reasons why.
First, the QR Code is placed prominently in the print advertisement and is accompanied by a strong a call-to-action message ("Bring the holidays to life. Use your smartphone for holiday party tips, special holiday offers, and more."). In addition to the call-to-action, Tervis also listed a URL address for consumers who may not wish to scan and/or don't have a smartphone.

Second, the QR Code is easy to scan and the scan resolve content is original, fun, cleverly worded and unique in design. When the QR Code is scanned, the reader of the advertisement is brought to a mobile web page... Read more

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Open Letter to CMOs – Subject: 2D Barcodes

Posted by Roger Marquis on November 4th, 2011 at 11:25 am

Dear Chief Marketing Officer:
Over the past year and a half, I have been actively researching, reporting and consulting on the strategic and tactical use of 2D barcodes (e.g., QR Code, Microsoft Tag, etc.) for advertising, promotion and general business purposes. In conducting this work, I have scanned and analyzed hundreds of 2D barcode-based campaigns, whether they be print, out-of-home, in-store, package, event, direct mail or television and, in analyzing these campaigns, I have found an inordinate amount that deliver a less-than-ideal or a less than favorable 2D barcode and/or mobile experience for the intended consumer audience. In fact, of the campaigns that I have reviewed, the ratio of good campaigns to bad campaigns is approximately 1:3.
If your company makes use of 2D barcodes, do you find this ratio as alarming and upsetting as I and many others in the industry do? If your company doesn't make use of 2D barcodes, and you look at the situation from a pure strategic marketing perspective, doesn't the degree of less-than-ideal or less than favorable campaigns strike you as odd? Odd to the point that red flags should be going up... Read more

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Why the QR Code is Failing – A Reply

Posted by Roger Marquis on October 17th, 2011 at 11:02 am

Last week, Sean X Cummings, founder of SXC Marketing, published an article titled, "Why the QR code is failing." When I read the title, I thought, here we go again, another article bashing QR Codes and the interactive experience they offer but, as I read through the article, this was not the case. Actually, in the article, Mr. Cummings stands up for QR Codes, but takes to task and finds fault with the marketers and creatives, the brands and the agencies, who use QR Codes in a less than ideal and/or creative way in their advertising. To that, I am in full agreement with Mr Cummings, and would like to reiterate a few things that he mentions.
QR Code technology works. Period. What does not work, as Mr. Cummings points out, and I do as well on this blog, are advertising and/or promotional campaigns that use QR Codes in a very uncreative way (e.g., scans to a desktop website, offers no value, scans to non relevant information, etc.) or in a way that does not allow for the technology to function as it could or should (e.g., placing... Read more

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Posted in Opinions | 8 Comments »

2D Barcodes and the Brand

Posted by Roger Marquis on September 27th, 2011 at 7:35 am

Recently, I read the website of a company that consults on brand management and marketing strategy and, in doing so, it dawned on me that with all that has been written or spoken about 2D barcodes, and how they are used for advertising and promotional purposes, no one has touched upon the fact that a 2D code, and the interactive experience that goes along with it, is really an extension of a company's brand.

As marketers, we know that a brand is an encapsulation of just about anything, tangible and intangible, that a company projects into the marketplace, whether it be a logo, corporate colors, a promotional tag line, a print advertisement, a product or service, a phone representative's voice, a mission statement, a URL address, an in-store display, a customer service policy, a technological application, a shipping box, a website, a public relations statement, a direct mail package or a live event, etc. so, why should a 2D barcode, and the interactive experience that goes along with it, be any different? Additionally, when a brand related component or element is used in an advertisement, the company's... Read more

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