The Marketing Possibilities of QR Coding

Keep your eyes on an up-and-coming marketing opportunity: QR Coding (also known as mobile coding or mobile tagging). A QR Code is essentially a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code), created by a Japanese company called Denso Wave, in 1994. The name "QR" represents "Quick Response," since the code’s contents have been designed to be decoded at high speeds. Currently QR Codes are most common in Japan.

Mobile phone users who have the QR coding program downloaded onto their wireless phones can scan the codes and download information about a product, company or person.

Consumers in Japan are being exposed to the use of mobile coding (codes storing Web site addresses and product information), in magazine and newspaper advertisements. QR Codes are also being added at an increasing rate to business cards. The use of the QR Codes on business cards simplifies the contact process, since phone numbers and contact details can be added automatically to mobile phone address books simply by scanning mobile codes.

Some mobile phones currently have the barcode reader preinstalled on the wireless phone devices, while even more mobile phone manufacturers (especially the major handset manufacturers), are expected to add the preinstall mobile code readers within the next year or as soon as the standards for mobile tagging (such as QR Code and Datamatrix), are established internationally.

One clever use of the codes comes from Julia Vallera, from Parsons the New School For Design. Vallera has created an ingenious project called “Dear Diary.” Julia sells T-shirts with her QR code printed on a T-shirt (the QR code on the shirt is embedded with entries from her diary). The general public can purchase and wear Julia’s QR Code T-shirts, or she can custom make shirts for those interested in a personalized QR code featuring their own diary entry (http://juliavallera.com/diary.html.)

Think of the mobile marketing possibilities: Billboards featuring mobile tags for passers by to scan as they drive by the signage; posters highlighting a mobile tag for readers to scan and search event details and back up information; and as in Europe, magazine ads with the QR codes that allow readers to actually go to a company’s Web site and order an item immediately after simply scanning the ad. Now that is call to action!

As mobile marketing expands, so will mobile tagging as a key marketing strategy.

KAYWA QR Code

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A popular barcode reader is Kaywa barcode with can be downloaded to your mobile phone free.

“Marketing” is a broad term that can have a number of implications; from meeting one-on-one with a prospective customer, advertising a service or product, or strategizing client contacts and events. All forms of marketing are undertaken to ultimately inform, influence and sell to a target market. However, one form of marketing that is quite intriguing and peaks the interest of many marketers (wanting to capture the strongest market share and increase profits), is “guerrilla marketing.”

The term guerrilla marketing was first used by Jay Conrad Levinson in his popular book of the same name. In Guerrilla Marketing, Levinson describes these methods of marketing as non-traditional, low- or no-cost techniques of marketing, promotion, advertising, publicizing, and so on. Some may consider guerrilla tactics as unconventional or extreme marketing. At MCS, we often call it alternative marketing, and consider the benefits to be very effective when done well.

Guerrilla marketing is utilized to reach the consumer via strategies other than traditional advertising vehicles. This unique type of marketing was initially adopted by small businesses that had the ability to create agile, distinctive strategies; however, it is now increasingly implemented by large businesses as well.

Increased profits and market awareness are common goals for guerrilla marketing campaigns. In general, guerilla marketing emphasizes creative and targeted planning rather than hefty budgets and overworked marketing ploys.

Guerrilla marketing is a loosely defined term that describes many types of non-traditional media, not all of which are recommended. (For example, the recent Cartoon Network guerrilla marketing stunt, which caused a day of bomb scares and led to arrests.) Some guerilla tactics include (yet are not limited to), the following:

Viral marketing -- via social networks

Ambient marketing - marketing touches on all aspects of the customer experience

Buzz marketing – word-of-mouth marketing

Undercover marketing -- subtle product placement

Astroturfing -- releasing company news to imitate grassroots popularity

Experiential marketing – customer interaction with product

Although there are many unconventional marketing techniques, the following is a small sample of tactics:

Word-of-mouth campaign

Social networking, such as a blog site

Interactions with consumers directly through their daily routine

Personal contacts

“Bluejacking”: sending a message via “bluetooth”

Truck and car signs

Distribution or gifting of an eye-catching, branded custom promotional item

Street team marketing

Ads, coupons and logos printed on store receipts

Alliances

Are you ready to find your inner guerilla? Creativity, customer-oriented thinking and expanded tactics are the first step in creating a non-traditional attack on the market!

Outsourcing 101…

According to Wikipedia, “outsourcing" involves “utilizing an outside supplier for a specific business service.” Marketing and public relations outsourcing offers opportunities for businesses to purchase intellectual capital in addition to many other services. In this way, management and employees can focus on core competencies, which can ultimately result in more success. Overall, outsourcing is viewed by many organizations as a strong business tactic, which is ultimately a superior economical approach to developing and leveraging marketing opportunities.

The following are a few benefits of outsourcing with an agency:

A reduction in overall department costs while allowing experienced professionals to collaborate on marketing, design and public relations strategies.

Flexibility with the amount of services utilized and timing of services.

No costly internal mistakes or misdirected strategies.

Varying ways in which to compensate agencies (from project-to-project estimates, monthly retainers or hiring an agency of record).

Professional assistance in achieving department and company goals without hiring new employees.

Fresh perspectives and originality in your marketing, design and/or public relations efforts.

Completed projects and/or campaigns that achieve company and departmental goals (which may otherwise never get completed due to workload); expanded assistance and creativity, which gives life to projects and/or campaigns.

An effective agency helps make your dollars work harder, and can actually save money over time.

It is important to make the most of outsourcing with a marketing, design, public relations and/or advertising agency. The client/agency relationship must be nurtured and grown over time. An effective collaboration can seem not at all like outsourcing, but like having your own, off-site marketing and public relations department!

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