Schaefer's QR Code 101

QR Codes 101

The research proves it, Quick Response Codes – common name QR Codes – are not going away and you can expect to see more of them. Here at our agency, we FAIL (Foster the Agency’s Intellectual Learning) a lot. We are constantly soaking up industry hot-topics, and information we can apply to our clients. Knowledge is power, and we want to share it. We’ve done our research and implemented a code or two, here’s a download on all things QR Codes: history, trends and stats, how to create a code, how to create a campaign and dos and don’ts of QR Codes.

In the beginning this is all we had

Barcodes - can only contain a maximum of 20 digits and must be scanned in a horizontal orientation.

This is a QR Code

QR Codes can hold up to 7,089 digits and are capable of containing the same information in one-tenth of the size as a barcode.

What is a QR Code and where did it come from?

• Created by Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process

• QR Codes are two dimensional (store information both horizontally and vertically) therefore exponentially maximizing the amount of data stored in a QR Code versus a barcode

• QR Codes are capable of being scanned in 360 degrees (omni-directional)

What can QR Codes do?

• Open a URL in a web browser• Connect to social media sites• Download apps• Text message• Make phone calls• Link to videos • Offer promotions and coupons• Gather consumer data

Where are QR Codes used?

Where are QR Codes used?

Where are QR Codes used?

Where are QR Codes used?

Where are QR Codes used?

Where are QR Codes used?

Where are QR Codes used?

Where are QR Codes used?

Where are QR Codes used?

Are QR Codes dead… we think not.

Who uses QR Codes?

Where are they using QR Codes?

QR Code Magazine Trends

• In a survey of the top 100 U.S. magazines by circulation in 2011 there were: – 4,468 total action codes used. The year started with 352

codes in Q1. It grew to 1,899 in Q4, which is 439% growth. – In December, 1 out of every 12 magazine ad pages

contained an action code– Action codes were used for:

• Videos (54%)• Opt-in/Sweepstakes (30%)• Social Media (23%) • E-Commerce (19%)• Store Locator (13%)

Research from Nellymoser, Inc. Mobile Action Codes in Magazine Advertising 2011

• Coupon (11%)• Photo Gallery (11%)• Downloads (6%)• Recipes (5%)• Voting (1%)

*Totals are higher than 100% because some codes had more than one action

QR Code Magazine Trends• Nearly 40% of the action codes used in magazine advertising last year

came from companies in three industries : – Beauty– Home– Fashion

• Ninety-six percent of the Top 100 magazine titles contained at least one action code in 2011. Therefore a broad range or readers have been exposed to action codes.

• By Q4, more than two-thirds of all action codes were accompanied by information that described what would happen after scanning the code.

• Clear trend moving away from embellishments. Few codes were customized.

• Location – more than 90% of action codes are placed in the bottom half of the page.

Research from Nellymoser, Inc. Mobile Action Codes in Magazine Advertising 2011

Five Tips for Successful QR Campaign

1. Define your objectives and purpose – what do you want to achieve? – Generate sales, build social media network, gain consumer

data, brand awareness, etc.

2. Create your call to action – why would someone want to scan this QR Code? Think of the user experience.

3. Think through what media you will run and specifically where consumers will see it.

4. Track analytics to measure success. Be realistic.5. Optimize and follow up. Now that you have engaged the

consumer, make sure you have a plan to stay engaged.

Do’s and Don’ts of QR CodesDo:

– Have a mobile optimized site (very important) – it is also best to link to a page other than the home page to make tracking easier.

– Think about the user experience. Are there too many clicks? Does the video load quickly? Do you provide the viewer an opportunity to forward this info to friends via social media?

– Utilize a special offer or exclusive promotion or content – the payoff for the consumer has to be worth their time/effort.

– Test, test, test – on every phone and app possible to make sure consumers can get to your content.

Don’t:– Make the QR Code so small (or big) that it is not easy to scan.– Have too much copy – people are primarily viewing on their smart phones.– Put QR Codes where there is no signal or it doesn’t make sense. This includes

outdoor boards on the highway, airline magazines, subways or emails.

How to view a QR Code

You will need a smart phone with an adjustable focusing camera and an app to read a QR Code.

Popular QR Code AppsBlackberry/NokiaBuilt in QR reader in OS for newer models

BeeTagg

Windows Mobile

ScanLife I-nigma

Android

QuickMark I-nigma

iPhone

QR Code Reader and Scanner

How to create your own QR CodeThere are many websites that you can use to generate QR Codes, some are free, while others will offer reporting and analytics for a subscription fee.

One of the best trusted sites to use to produce a free QR Code is Google. They also offer very basic reporting. • Copy the url of the website you want to use for the QR Code • Go to the url: http://goo.gl• Paste the url into the url shortener bar (the shorter the url the

fewer characters in the code and the faster it scans.) • Once your shortened url appears, copy and paste that into the

navigation bar and type “.qr” at the end of the address and hit enter

• Your QR code will appear, right click (or drag it to your desktop if you are on a mac) and save that file to your computer and be sure to name the file for which website it is.

To keep up with our antics, work and research or to ask us a question visit schaeferadvertising.com

Happy Scanning