Nowadays, with the emergence of social media, every business is looking for what the next big thing will be for their marketing plan. Many organizations are focusing on packaging to engage consumers more directly and working on connecting online and physical brand experiences. QR codes are becoming one of the hottest applications to make all of this happen, and they are very easy to create, print and track.
What exactly are QR codes? Great question! QR codes, for Quick Response Barcodes, are two-dimensional barcodes (datamatrix) designed to be decoded at high speeds. You’ve probably seen them before in either a print or outdoor advertisement. The black and white squares look a lot like a puzzle board you would find in your local newspaper (refer to the image at the top of the page). The QR codes can quickly catch the consumer’s eye in almost every moment of everyday life. The consumer may walk, ride a bus, shop, or enjoy a nice afternoon outside. The QR codes allow your organization to be seen by consumers in almost every instance of everyday life.
How exactly do QR codes work? The QR code is placed in any form of media, be it a newspaper, magazine, postcard, outdoor advertising, etc., and all the person needs to do is take a picture of the code with their mobile phone. Once the consumer does this, software on their mobile phone will send them to the landing page of the directed website, or the Q4 code may tell the person they need to download the appropriate software to their phone. The code may also send the consumer to a special coupon offer, or they may receive a special text message.
QR codes have been successful in many ways. Let’s look at how QR codes can succeed on various mediums.
- Websites: Instead of trying to cram tons of information onto your product’s label or advertisement, you can add a QR code to give the consumer access to more information on your products and services.
- Coupon Codes and Promotional Offers: QR codes allow you to distribute promotional items or coupons instantly. These codes may direct an individual to a Web site where they can redeem the offer or coupon or a set of instructions for the individual regarding how to redeem the offer at the store.
- Promotional and Calendar Events: When a person is interested in a specific event, they can scan the code and receive a much more detailed description of the event.
One of the best things about QR codes is the ability of an organization to view how successful their QR codes have been working through real-time reporting dashboards. Evidence of the success of QR codes can be seen in the Pepsi Max campaign “Get New Kicks Every Day,” which was run in the U.K. People would use the QR codes to receive tips from life Coach Rusty Champion and a vast amount of product information and free games.
Whitlam Group is proud to offer QR codes. Contact us with any questions and see what we can do for you!