Gone are the days when traditional advertising techniques were used. Facebook and twitter have eaten a fair share of Billboards and print advertisements space, but in today’s scenario, QR codes are the next big thing. QR or Quick Response Codes are a type of two-dimensional barcode that can be read using smartphone and QR compatible devices, which will take the user to a website link that is embedded in the QR code. In this technology driven world, several brands are adapting constructive marketing stratagems to achieve their sales targets. The growing trend of QR usage as a part of marketing strategies has enabled brands to offer a unique experiential experience to their customers.
The first being WECHAT’s 1,000 kg QR code cake, carried by Vibgyor brand services that read ” Scan Me Eat Me” at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon on this year’s Valentine’s day. Activities like paper dance, balloon dance, tongue twister and other love themed games were played to engage the audiences. Three lucky couples also got a chance to cut the QR code cake. Radio jockey Swati and Piyush of Red FM were roped in for better consumer interaction.
On this well thought-out, engaging and creative campaign Ankur Kalra, CEO and Founder of Vibgyor brand services; Delhi said “We had created a gigantic QR code cake weighing more than 1,000 kg. The challenge was to arrange the thousands of cake pieces in the exact same pattern as the code so they could be scanned to download the application. If even a single slice was not placed in its designated place, the entire campaign would have collapsed.” He further added “Brands are yet to tap the full potential of QR codes as a medium. The medium seems to be limited by the hardware that supports it. Smartphones don’t come with a pre-installed QR code reader and the effort expected of a consumer- to download a special application and use it to scan a grid is not proportionate to the results.”
On that thought another innovative and experiential campaign focusing on adding value to customer experience was The Buddy Stamp. Turquoise Cottage, Delhi in Alliance with Webchutney; Delhi, India initiated the campaign to enhance the clientele experience and boost sales. On entry people were stamped with a QR code instead of the traditional hand stamp. When scanned, it revealed discount deals on drinks, a list of taxi numbers for night hours and finally tips on how to recover from a heavy night.
BMW and Liquid Campaign India made BMW3 Series prototypes with newsprint of QR codes on its bodywork across India. This experiential OOH campaign made use of QR codes to directly connect people to the central campaign platform: www.ultimat3.in. On the website the teaser video of historical moments of the 5 generations of the brands was available. Glimpses of the car, on-ground, camouflaged with QR codes was also available, building anticipation.
Focused on building connection with the potential customer, several companies have joined the bar code trend. Shoppers Stop used a QR Code to push discounts to consumers. The bar when scanned, takes you to a mobile website with all their latest items carrying discounts. You could either buy the product or share it on social media platform.
‘Guess whose Flavour’ initiated by PepsiCo inc. for its product Lay’s, during the Indian Premier League, where you scan the QR code on the back of the Lays pack and fill up an entry form and then match and guess the cricketers with the flavours; who co-created them. 10 lucky winners won a trip to the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 and a luxurious hotel stay.
