Until recently, QR code campaigns had not been seen as a popular form of interactive marketing, even though mobile barcodes have been around for almost two decades. Mediapost reported that mobile barcode scanning was up 157% during the first quarter of 2012. Since the smartphone market has seen enormous growth, it is safe to assume that more consumers will engage with campaigns that use QR codes. Here are some creative ways companies have increased audience engagement using QR code campaigns:
Emart’s “Sunny Sale” Campaign
South Korea’s largest retailer, Emart, created a shadow QR code that was only visible when the sun was at the correct angle in the sky between midday and 1pm. The campaign promoted a ‘sunny sale’ mobile website that gave access to special offers, coupons and a download for Emart’s mobile app.
This campaign resulted in: 12,000 coupons sold, increased membership of 58% from the prior month and increased lunchtime sales by 25%.
L’Oreal and NYC Taxi Shops
Earlier this year during NY Fashion Week, L’Oreal and Glamour partnered together to place QR codes within special Lancôme “Taxi-Shops”. This campaign allowed customers to view how to videos, learn about trends and shop Lancôme beauty products – all while getting a complimentary ride in Manhattan! You can see a demonstration of the concept on YouTube.
The five day campaign resulted in a seven percent overall purchase conversion rate and downloads of the apps increased by nearly 80%. While taxis may not be the ideal place to ask customers to shop, the brand reached out to a niche audience that was engaged with the campaign.
JcPenney and “Who’s Your Santa?”
Last Holiday season JcPenney developed a brilliant QR code campaign that encouraged shoppers to engage with the receivers of Christmas gifts. The idea behind the campaign was to include a recorded personalized message for each gift, giving friends and family a way to interact. The video below captures how it works:
While there hasn’t been much talk about any success metrics, the campaign was well executed. It gives customers a chance to add a little more emotion to a gift.
Timberland and Microsoft Tag
One of the benefits of utilizing QR codes is providing customers with exclusive content. Timberland followed this route when they created the mobile barcode campaign for their Lucky magazine ad using Microsoft Tag (considered a QR code competitor but I still think this is a good example!). The retailer showcased a Microsoft Tag that linked to a special page with options to play an exclusive style video, “like” the brand’s Facebook page or shop on the mobile website:
QR code Landing Page:
Timberland has reported that they’re seeing four to five percent of consumers scanning various featured mobile bar codes.
Heinz and “Guess What We Just Planted”
Earlier last year, Heinz placed QR codes on ketchup bottles in various US restaurants to promote their environmentally friendly packaging. The campaign allowed customers to win prizes by answering trivia questions, which was made available by a mobile optimized site.
It was later reported that more than one million customers scanned the QR codes on the bottles. This QR code campaign encouraged engagement on a mass consumer product, and with success!
The key lesson from the examples provided is to make sure that all parts of the campaign are optimized for mobile. It’s important because if a customer can’t easily view the content from their smartphone, they won’t be engaged and will drop off instantly – creating a poor customer experience. Have you seen any creative QR code campaigns? I’d love to hear about them!
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