how brands can harness qr codes for success

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Using QR codes for offline online integration Directors Briefing October 2011

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02 / USING QR CODES FOR OFFLINE ONLINE INTEGRATION

Using QR codes for offline online integration

What are QR Codes?

QR is short for Quick Response. A QR code is a Quick Response Code. These barcode like images translate an image into a website url or action. Each QR code is unique and easily created on the web.

Why are they relevant to marketing?

QR codes are an excellent way to connect offline marketing with online response or fulfillment. Any consumer with a QR reader (app) on their mobile phone can take a picture of the QR code. This picture is then translated by the app directing the user to the relevant website or action.

How to Scan a QR Code

To scan a QR code you will need a QR Code reader. These are pre installed on Android phones and available from the App store for the iPhone and iPads.

When you see a QR code, simply use your QR code reader (or scanner) to take a picture of the code. Once the picture is taken, the app will immediately perform the desired action (open a web page, start a video etc.)

How to Create a QR Code

Find a website or service that offers QR code creation. Put in the link you wish to connect to. The website will then produce you a unique QR code to download.

There are many websites that offer free QR codes. However, we recommend finding a premium QR code provider. Do note, the url you enter can include tracking tags like Google Analytics links.

3 Reasons for using Premium QR codes

1. Advance Creation. With a premium QR code you can can change the destination at any time. This is important if you need to create the code for offline use before the online element is fixed.

2. Flexibility - A premium code will allow you to change the destination url are any time. This is helpful if you are creating offline codes that will have a long shelf life.

3. Tracking - Premium tracking will give you a better breakdown of analysis - how many scans, how many unique scans, time of day, day of week etc. The more data you can have the better.

Denso Wave inc created the first QR code in 1994 to track vehicle parts in Japan.



QR Code Take Up & Demographics

QR is short for Quick Response. A QR code is a Quick Response Code. These barcode like images translate an image into a website url or action. Each QR code is unique and easily created on the web.

QR codes are not new, but have seen a rise in use during 2011.

• Worldwide usage on growth path: Q3/2011 growing by 20.0% over Q2/2011, with daily scans coming from 141 different countries around the world• Barcode usage in North America continues to expand in Q3 with 42.1% growth in the USA and 35.1% growth inCanada compared to Q2/2011• QRcode activity in the Spain and Australia showed a significant growth in Q3 of 66.5%, and 50.9% respectively over Q2/2011• In the Czech Republic, the continues activity of our partners Seznam (http://www.seznam.cz ) to promote QR codes resulted a 65.6% growth in Q3 compared to Q2/2011

Source: “Global Growth in Mobile Barcode Usage - Q3 / 2011“ 3G Vision http://www.i-nigma.com/pr29.html

Top 10 users of mobile barcodes during Q3/2011

(1) 1. United States

(2) 2. Germany

(5) 3. Canada

(3) 4. UK

(4) 5. Italy

(6) 6. Netherlands

(7) 7. France

(9) 8. Spain

(10) 9. Australia

(8) 10. Hong Kong

() – Position in Q2/2011

Source: “Global Growth in Mobile Barcode Usage - Q3 / 2011“ 3G Vision http://www.i-nigma.com/pr29.html

scanned a QR code. The 18 - 24 and 25 - 34 year old respondents were above average with older age groups dipping below average.

The full report can be downloaded from their website http://www.russellherder.com/

Comscore Mobile Lens published a report in August 2011 looking at US usage of QR codes. The report identified 14 million Americans had scanned a QR code. This is in contrast to the 90 million users of Smartphones in the USA. (Source: Our Mobile Planet)

You can read the Comscore release here.

http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/8/14_Million_Americans_Scanned_QR_or_Bar_Codes_on_their_Mobile_Phones_in_June_2011

Should I have them as part of my campaigns?

Yes. The deployment cost for creating and tracking QR codes is very low. As another accountable response mechanism for your campaigns, we do suggest you include them in your campaigns.

The survey found 74% of responders recognised ‘this type of image’ (A QR code). Awareness was above average for the age group 18 -24, on average for 25 - 34 year olds and slightly below average for 35 -44 year olds.

On average just over 16% of respondents had



Ten Examples of Using QR Codes in Marketing

‘Connecting Marketing Platforms’

1. Connecting a Press ad to an online campaign. This is becoming an increasingly common connection between offline and online marketing.

2. Connecting a Store Display for more information. This can work for further product promotion or special offers.

3. Personalised QR codes in Mailings. The potential for QR codes, like short codes is to create a personalised URL wrapped up into an easy to share form. Creating a unique QR code for each personalised link will offer greater conversion in the campaign.

4. To generate interaction from a TV commercial (or online video.) Axa in Belgium created a TV commercial that included a QR code. Scanning the QR code opened up a mobile website to ‘continue the journey’ of the television advert. You can watch it at http://dtt.me/Axaqrcode

5. On Brand Packaging. Budweiser has just released new branding for its beer cans. The branding includes a QR code. The link will vary over time as Anheuser Busch use it to communicate with their customers.

6. Billboard Responses. When faced with censorship of racy ads, Calvin Klein replaced the billboards with QR codes which, when scanned would show the original images. Note: this also became a story in its own right = more PR !

Making everything accountable

7. On conference tags. SXSW have been creating QR codes for name badges instead of bespoke codes that are unlocked with rental of an expensive ‘pen’ (As seen at most UK conferences)



8. At the bottom of articles, reports and white papers. You did spot our front cover was a QR code right? Did you scan it?

9. To generate Facebook Likes. Imagine your product or ad has a QR code on it. Scanning the QR code takes your audience to the Facebook page. We wrote about Likify, a company that offers such a service back in October 2010.

http://www.digitaltomorrowtoday.com/2010/10/25/qr-codes-bring-facebook-likes-to-life/

10. Create short code urls and combine them with QR codes. Bit.ly now offers QR codes when it shortens urls.

The Future of QR Codes

One could view QR codes as the latest trend. You only need to google ‘Top 10 QR code examples’ or similar to see some great, and some not so great examples of QR codes in marketing.

However, the take up of QR codes is still low. We believe the lack of pre-installed support on the Apple devices is a barrier to entry, despite the overall larger footprint of Android powered handsets.

In 2012, we expect to see the rise of Google Goggles. In short, Goggles takes a picture and analyses the whole image. not just a barcode.

This technology has been trialled in 2011 with a handful of global brands with small rollout appearing in the US.

Any consumer scanning a ‘Goggles enabled’ advert will be directed to the relevant website or link. At this time, Google has not published exactly how to easily connect the two, however we expect this to be in the pipeline through Google AdWords and Analytics interfaces.

The use of QR codes or Googles are simply connecting an offline ad with a print ad. Blippar is an Augemented Reality app that works to ‘bring the ad to life’ by creating interactive visuals on your phone. A trial with Tesco brought a price drop ad ‘to life’. Other activity has also been trialled with Marmite in the UK.

See http://bit.ly/qeVWdp for the video of how it works and looks.



QR Codes Conclusion

The actual use of QR codes is far lower than the surrounding buzz. However, the ease of deployment and low cost of entry suggests QR codes should be part of your ongoing marketing mix.

Would you like to discuss this?

As a premium subscriber we are happy to discuss this report in more detail, answer questions or help you understand the potential for your own business.

Please contact us on email ([email protected]) to ask questions or organise a Skype call to discuss further.

how brands can harness qr codes for success

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