Five Tips for Advertising with QR Codes

Are you beginning to feel as though you’re seeing QR Codes, or quick response codes, just about everywhere? Even on that girl’s shoulder, standing in front of you in line at the movie theater? It seems as if we have a new trend on our hands. Individuals have begun getting tattoos of their very own, customized QR Code. When the code is read, it can be linked to a website, Facebook page, a phone number, SMS message, etc., just like the QR Codes you find in the magazines on your coffee table.

In a way, these individuals are marketing themselves; offering up information that they want others to know. They are setting themselves apart from the crowd; much like a brand would do by using the same tactic. On the other hand, they may just be making others think they’re crazy. Take your pick.

But, don’t let this outrageous ink smear your opinion on making QR codes part of your marketing strategy. QR codes are an effective way to reach your audience if you use them in the right way. Here are five tips on how your brand can use QR Codes in your next marketing campaign:

1. Make It Special. Experiencing something that isn’t in the mainstream yet gives viewers a sense of excitement and forms a trust with your brand. However, be careful not to let this backfire. The link must lead your audience to something worthwhile. If it doesn’t “deliver,” viewers may shy away from your brand in the future. Just ask Lupe Fiasco...
2. Go Big or Go Home. Don’t be scared of using QR Codes in a big and impactful way. Calvin Klein went really big by using billboards to house their QR Codes. Dick’s Sporting Goods went the JumboTron route. The great thing about these codes is that they make your statement accessible to anyone with a smartphone (which, let’s face it… is just about everyone at this point), anywhere. Instead of needing to remember to go home and look up that one ad, from that one billboard they saw, on that one street, your audience is able to check it out immediately.
3. Add to the Experience of Something Otherwise Mundane. Instead of predictably throwing a free coupon at people or sending them to a generic landing page to “learn more,” add to the brand by telling a story or by giving them something unique that fits with the brand. Go for the shock and awe factor when it is least expected. Take Victor Petit, for example. While he may not be marketing a brand, he is surely marketing himself. He took something as seemingly dull and traditional as a resume and did something digitally creative with it. He gave his audience something to remember and definitely set himself apart from the crowd! Your ad doesn’t have to be just another predictable ad. It can have spunk!
4. Make it Relevant to Your Brand, Values and Audience. When marketing, it is important to reinforce who you are, as a brand, and what you do. It shouldn’t be any different when using QR Codes. For example, a non-profit organization like Charity: water could put up QR-coded posters at drinking fountains and faucets that link to a video that shows the joy that adding a simple well can bring to a community in Africa. This would relay the message that, while this is something we take for granted, millions of people around the globe don’t have access to clean water.
5. Master QR Codes, then go Above and Beyond. There will come a time when just about everyone is using a QR Code in their marketing. It will become necessary to make that extra push ahead of the rest to set yourself apart. Tag Heuer launched a campaign using QR Codes in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Glamour magazine. What they did that stood out was that they are allowing authorized retail stores to customize landing pages tied to the QR Codes. As noted in the linked article by Peter Finocchiaro, “To build a mobile site around an ad is one thing, but to make it available to all their retailers to leverage that content as well is huge.”

Still think this is just some flashy fad? Today, QR codes have mass appeal in Japan after having been around for almost two decades. Here in the states, they’re increasing in effectiveness and adoption. According to a February survey of U.S. smartphone users by MGH, 32% of respondents said they have scanned a QR code and 72% of those respondents said they were more likely to remember an advertisement with a QR code.

In today’s age of instant gratification and advertising clutter, strategically used QR codes can help you reach your audience right then and right there, allowing brands to increase engagement, action, recall and relevancy.

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This story, written by Casey Smith, account coordinator at Off Madison Ave, is part of the Chamber's monthly Business Driver email. To sign up for any or all of the Chamber's monthly email communications, click here.