Post from: 2d code

Post from: 2d code

During 2011, QR Codes came onto the scene as a way to bridge mobile and traditional media across various mediums including print publications, product packaging, outdoor kiosks and more. A QR (”Quick Response”) code is a specific matrix bar code (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by smartphones. In December 2011, 1 in every 5 smartphone owners in the U.S. scanned a QR Code with their phone, leading Canada and European markets as the top scanning market. Canada and Germany both saw near 16 percent of smartphone owners scanning QR Codes during the month, while the UK and Spain (home to the most penetrated smartphone markets) saw just 12 percent of their audiences scanning QR Codes.

Of those U.S. smartphone owners that scanned a QR Code in December 2011, the most popular source of scanning was product packaging (done by 42 percent of the scanning population), while the most popular location for scanning was at home (done by 57 percent of scanners). Product information was the most popular result of scanning a QR Code with nearly 3 in 4 of the scanning audience directed to product info. Nearly one-third of those that scanned a QR Code resulted in a coupon or offer, while 1 in 4 received event information. QR Codes demonstrate just one of the ways in which mobile marketing can be integrated into existing campaigns to help reach desired consumer segments and further bridge the gap between mobile and traditional marketing strategies at relatively low risk and investment for brands. But in order for it to become a truly effective marketing tool, marketers must understand how consumers are engaging with these codes and how these codes can complement marketing strategies to create another connection point with consumers.

Post from: 2d code

Post from: 2d code

Two things occur to me about this campaign, why not use geolocation to localize the experience and are bus passengers the right target group?

Post from: 2d code

Post from: 2d code

Post from: 2d code

Young people in Stockholm, Sweden are among the worst in Europe at practicing safe sex but Stockholm County Aids Prevention Program and advertising agency Esther came up with a brilliant and fun campaign to promote the use of condoms (video below). At the start of the campaign free condoms were handed out with a QR Code on the packet resolving to a smartphone app download. The app measures and records the rhythm, sound and duration of sexual activity when the smartphone is placed on a bed or somewhere else, like tucked in your sock for example.

The data is uploaded to the campaign site anonymously with additional information selected by the user such as hair color, favorite music, pets etc. Users could then compare their data in the form of a graph with the average for their group. At the same time Esther were placing posters around Stockholm with amusing statistics obtained from the accumulated data, such as ‘dog owners are louder than cat owners’ and ‘glamorous blondes have an average duration of six minutes’.

Results exceeded expectations with 39% of young Stockholmers saying they were more likely to use a condom than before the campaign.

Post from: 2d code

At the preview yesterday I saw two kinds of QR Code encoding, long urls that resolve to the specific item and bitly urls that resolve to generic search pages. I suspect that this is because someone discovered that generic search page urls with 140+ characters are just too dense to put on sales tickets. It is a pity that this wasn’t thought through and all eBay’s QR Codes encoded with bitly or even better an eBay branded url shortner. It’s a technical point and in no way detracts from what is a pioneering experiment in Internet shopping in a physical store in the heart of London. If you are in range take a look!

Post from: 2d code

Post from: 2d code