11 May 2011
QR code - what on Earth is that?
Drive website traffic from adverts, posters and online media
We have put a new sign up at the front of our studio building – and it is getting a few curious looks from passers-by.
It is a QR code. To the human eye it appears just a random collection of black and white squares. To a computer, it is a mine of information – and it can be used for a variety of marketing communications purposes.
If you scan the sign outside our building with your mobile phone, your phone will take you straight to our website. No need to type in our web address – just scan, click and you’re there.
The applications are endless.
Imagine a poster in a shopping centre promoting a local restaurant. A mobile phone user can scan the QR code included on the poster and immediately link to the restaurant website and get directions on how to get there – specifically tailored to a starting point at that poster.
Or the poster might be promoting a show at a local theatre. A user can scan the code and be taken to the theatre website or, better still, to ticket purchase options or have the phone number ready to dial for more information.
Add a QR code to a magazine advert. The reader can connect immediately to a website or social media page with news and special offers specifically tailored to the readership of that magazine.
Put a QR code on your product packaging and the buyer can connect to a website with assembly instructions, recipes, ideas for accessories – or whatever is relevant to your product.
A QR code on a bus can connect the user to a website with a full route description, timetable and ticketing information.
Or put a QR code on the front of your building, as we have just done. It is amazing how many people are clicking through to our website (because, yes, you can track to see how much traffic the codes are generating).
At t2 Studios we have the technical skills to generate QR codes and include them in all sorts of promotional material from posters to adverts, brochures and packaging. More importantly, perhaps, we have the marketing communications skills to advise you on how this new technology can be used to drive customers to your website and encourage them to buy.
A little background information:
A QR (short for Quick Response) code is a two-dimensional code readable by dedicated QR code readers and by many mobile phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.
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QR code was originally created by Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave in 1994 to keep track of automotive components in factories. It is only recently that we have seen its use extended into the marketing world.