QR (quick response). QR codes appeared in 1994 in Japan, where they quickly gained popularity. In the digital marketing of our country the use of QR-code has started actively in 2011 and has covered different spheres: trade, advertising, logistics, production. But we want to concentrate more on the subject of appliance of QR codes for advertising purposes.
It is well known, that QR codes are often used by almost all successful businessmen and companies. And it isn’t rare that QR codes don’t have any visible use for the enterprise, but they have already occupied their place among the prestigious attributes of business. The misunderstanding of the role of QR code and the blind desire to follow the fashionable trend lead to its senseless use and inefficiency.
What is the principle of QR code functioning?
If you want to get an access to the encoded information, it is necessary to have a smartphone with the program which reads QR codes. This is the whole principle – a person runs a program for scanning a code on the tablet or his smartphone (with camera), then it is necessary to direct the lens of the camera to the code and get the information, which is included into it.
But there are some peculiarities of the use of the code in advertising campaigns, despite its apparent simplicity, about which we will talk now, in order to get the maximum effect from their use.
Is QR codes necessary for your target audience?
It should be remembered that QR codes are designed for people who have smartphones and understand modern technologies. Why is it so important? For example, if your potential clients are country dwellers, people of the advanced age or inveterate conservatives, they won’t be able or even want to use this kind of service and it will not give you any result. This technology is most suitable for people who follow new trends and have information about the use of codes, i.e. for the progressive population of our country.
If your target audience is such, you can easily introduce the QR code. If not, it is better to wait and refrain from wasting time and effort.
How do you reach your target with a QR-code?
A QR-code is not a “pill for all ills”, it is one of the latest tools that can be implemented in the marketing campaign of the firm.
Why do people scan QR codes? What is their motive? First of all it is curiosity, interest and desire to solve the code, moreover it is the desire to be in a trend and to go with the times. Knowing this, you can easily use the internal desires of people to develop your business.
Play with people! Give the QR-code an element of mystery, create the necessary intrigue, and show people what exclusive and valuable they can get if they decode the QR-code. These tricks will many times increase the number of people wishing to learn its mystery.
And now we will tell you about rather successful examples of appliance of QR codes
Various entertainment centers, cafes and restaurants have already applied the technology of QR codes. Especially it is typical for the capital establishments. There are different schemes of appliance, but the most popular are the following: encoded menu in QR codes, interesting information about the dish or institution, various special offers. Placement of QR codes on the bottles of wine has become popular and this gives the clients an opportunity to know more information about wine, grape variety and so on.
Not only private entrepreneurs understand the world of modernity and implementation of modern technologies, but also the public sector. This way in 2013 it is planned to sell tickets for the Ukrainian railroad transport trains via the internet with appliance of QR codes. Also in one of the cities the most important tourist objects were equipped with QR codes, which gives an opportunity to get information about the monuments, memorials, buildings in several languages.
The initiative of appliance of QR codes was also picked up by some food brands: a company dealing with production of sweets encrypts the messages on the boxes of sweets.
In the countries where QR codes have boomed much earlier, nobody can be surprised with a traditional code on the package, building, restaurant, etc. And they had to go further, turning QR codes into real masterpieces of art. For example, in China they have created a huge cake in the shape of a QR code. It took 245 kg of chocolate, about 750 kg of condensed milk, 730 kg of cheese and 390 kg of butter to prepare it and in Portugal they have placed a QR code into the street tiles. It contained the information about the outstanding places of the country. And in Canada the code was cut at the farmer’s field and it can be read only from the air.
There are also very unusual spheres of appliance of QR codes. So, in Austria it is planned to place QR codes to the graves in order it will be possible to know the information about the buried people. And in Japan it has already been implemented.
How to create your own QR code?
Since QR codes have not been licensed, everyone can generate them completely free of charge. To do this it is necessary to have a QR code generator program or at free services where it is possible to do this.
So it is necessary to create a unique content and an exclusive bright design. Think of a good location of the QR-code and the semantic load. All this will make it possible to feel the benefits of using such an element of mobile marketing.