Implementing QR Codes in Advertising

As we live in an increasingly digital age, business strategies must evolve to maintain relevance and the art of advertising is no exception. Technology is becoming a driving force in the way that advertisers get their message across to consumers, however, it has been proven that physically branded advertising materials drive brand recognition and play an instrumental role in achieving campaign goals. So where does physical meet digital? The answer lies within the use of QR codes.

Obviously placing a QR code on certain items such as clothing or other wearables won’t be an effective mode of capturing the desired attention of consumers. However, by carefully placing QR codes on physically branded advertising materials such as print material, workplace items, dealer loader items and so on, physical advertising is the perfect bridge to connecting a useful and recognizable product to your digitally detailed advertising campaign.

Consider the following example. You are an insurance company looking to not only grow brand recognition but also looking to explain to your customers how you are going above and beyond to take care of them. In your campaign, you are handing away branded notebooks. The notebook alone is a nice gesture as it is an item that really anybody will find useful and it will remind the end-user that your company provided it for them. However, at the same time you want your consumers to see a 30 second video that your company has created to highlight your services. How will you actually get your consumers to see the video that you worked so hard to create? Print a QR code on the notebook! With a simple scan of the code by a mobile device, your consumers will be exposed to your digital content while still retaining the physically branded product to drive brand recognition and keep your firm top-of-mind. Additionally, the likelihood of the QR code being scanned on multiple occasions multiplies as the number of impressions grows. Consumers will be much more open to scanning the QR code of an item that was gifted to them. This is a great way to market across multiple platforms. 

Top QR Code Items:

1. Drinkware
2. Stickers
3. Custom Packaging
4. Print Materials
5. Notebooks

A good example that illustrates the effectiveness of QR codes in advertising would be through a campaign that Snapchat implemented a few years ago. Snapchat placed their logo and a QR code on countless stickers which we placed seemingly everywhere from city to city, from bus stops to door handles. When users would open their Snapchat App and take a picture of the QR code, a unique filter would appear on the screen for users to take Snapchats with. These images were then shared far beyond Snapchat as users found the campaign to be cleverly personalized. I still find Snapchat stickers around to this day as a result of this largely successful effort. Snapchat was able to both expose their brand the the public through the use of a physical item (the stickers) and reward users (with unique filters) in the process. They were able to successfully incorporate the physical and digital.

By utilizing this simple but trendy strategy, you will be bridging the gap between physical and virtual and making your campaigns increasingly dynamic. The capabilities are endless when you include a QR code on your recognizable and easily identifiable products.