2D Bar Code Strategy

Duane Reade, the most recognized drugstore chain in metropolitan New York, has teamed with 2D barcode developer JAGTAG to create a new interactive advertising campaign.

When you first look at the billboard you're not really sure who the ad represents or what product the ad is for but then, as you read through the copy underneath the JAGTAG 2D barcode, you realize that this is an ad for Duane Reade and a promotion for store coupons. The way the ad works is that you take a picture of the billboard with a mobile phone and then text or email the picture to the designated number or email address which is listed in the ad. Once the picture is sent, a reply message instantly appears on your mobile phone which includes store coupons.

Recently, Duane Reade underwent a brand makeover, totally revising its logo, color palette, POS materials, signage, store layout and design, rewards club program, etc., to present an image that is upscale, fresh, clean and modern. To create an interactive ad campaign like this supports the notion that the Duane Reade of today is not your grandmother's drugstore. 

Something else worth noting about the ad is the lack of promotional copy or imagery. Most of the ad's real estate is used to hold the JAGTAG 2D barcode image and explain how to make use of it. Duane Reade, and JAGTAG for that matter, is smart to do this, because they know that 2D and QR barcodes are still new to the majority of U.S. consumers.

A little information about JAGTAG. Unlike other mobile 2D or QR barcodes, JAGTAG is the only 2D barcode solution that does not require the consumer to download an application prior to use and the only mobile medium that can successfully deliver optimized multimedia to both standard phones and smart phones. Anywhere a mobile consumer encounters a JAGTAG, they can use their phone to request and receive multimedia content (video, audio, pictures, text) sent immediately to their phone.

Google has identified over 100,000 businesses in 5,000 towns and cities across the U.S. as "Favorite Places on Google" based on Google users' interaction and local business listings. Each business will receive a window decal (see right) with a unique QR barcode that can be scanned with a mobile phone and will bring a viewer to Google's Place Page for the business. On the business's Place Page a viewer can find information such as address, telephone number, website address, hours of operation, local map and driving directions, product/service reviews and more. See how the Favorite Places decal works by watching this video.

Although it is not certain if and how Google will continue with the Favorite Places decal program, it should not stop a local business from creating their own window sign with QR barcode included.

Note: Recently, Google renamed their Local Business Center application as Google Places.

The Detroit Red Wings, one of the National Hockey League's oldest teams, is also one of the League's first teams to make their in-arena distributed programs interactive by adding QR barcodes (see below).

When the QR barcode is scanned with a mobile phone, Red Wing fans will be instantly shown a video, which features the body-checking skills of Niklas Kronwall, one of the team's defensemen. To help fans understand the interactive technology of QR barcodes, the team has produced an instructional video that is played throughout a game on the large viewing screens in the arena.

The Red Wings’ Social Networking Coordinator Nicole Yelland says, "In tracking this effort, the Wings have found mobile devices to be the #1 viewing medium fans are using to see videos accounting for an overwhelming 22% of fans viewing linked videos nearly 2,000 times all the way through. We’re very excited at the possibilities this technology provides our team in giving more access and we’ve only just begun to tap into the capabilities it provides us in both marketing to our fans and giving them exactly what they are asking for in terms of access to their team.

Moving forward, we’re looking to create exclusive video content that is complimentary to stories included in the magazine, create opportunities for our advertisers to include offers in their ads via QR codes and put our fans in the driver’s seat when it comes to giving them information on the Detroit Red Wings.”

What is worthwhile to note in this story is that QR barcodes can easily be tracked and measured, and there is almost no limit as to how QR barcodes can be used to enhance the fan/customer experience. From a different perspective, if you visit the Red Wings website, you'll notice that AT&T is one the team's main sponsors, which makes perfect sense given the team's interactive/mobile marketing and communications strategy.

Hearts of Fire, a Boston-based provider of diamond rings and jewelry, has just released a new print advertisement which includes a QR barcode (see ad below - the QR barcode appears in lower left hand corner ). By scanning the QR barcode with their mobile phone, a reader will be brought to the company's website, where they can learn more about the engagement rings that are displayed in the advertisement and easily share the information with friends and family via email or social media applications. Additionally, readers who scan the code will be shown where the nearest Hearts of Fire retailer is located.

In reading about this campaign on National Jeweler, it is interesting to read through the posts/comments that people had about this campaign. Some people view the use/inclusion of a QR barcode as a promotional gimmick, others believe it makes perfect sense and is very forward thinking. Personally, I see it as the latter, but what really strikes me in reading about this campaign is what the company's VP of Marketing is quoted as saying, "We know our customers (especially our bridal customers) prefer to access information from their phone.”  This to me holds greater relevance than whether or not the company should advertise using a QR barcode. To know your customer to this level of detail is remarkable and what marketers and companies should strive towards. If technology permits a company to communicate with customers and deliver a message the way in which they wish to receive it then why not make use of the technology, enhance the experience and satisfy the customer.

What do bar codes offer that other mobile media don’t?
A simpler and more convenient user experience, and the optimal blend between ubiquity and personalization. You do not have to open your mobile browser, type in a URL or search for content you want. With just a click of your camera you are taken to the content you want almost instantly.
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Marketing to the active shopper by revolutionizing the retail store environment is paramount in the minds of marketers who use a retail setting to sell their products. Now with the simple interaction of the mobile phone and product packaging, marketers can provide information and consumer interaction at the store shelf, often persuading a purchase, increasing brand loyalty and strengthening the link between the retailer’s physical product display and its Web offerings.
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