Enjoy Starbucks-Like Success With QR Codes
As with any advertising initiative, an SMS marketing campaign is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. QR codes. Apps. Marketing by SMS. Mobile websites. As the list of mobile opportunities continues to grow, so too does the list of anecdotal evidence that tells us what works, when it works and most importantly, why it works.
Technology makes it possible for advertisers to do a lot of things they couldn’t before, but doing something just because you can is risky business in marketing. There may be no better example than the QR code.
How many companies have you seen simply slap a QR code on a print ad, only to be left wondering why it didn’t work? The stories are many, and to learn why some fail, advertisers would be wise to closely look at those that succeeded. That list too is growing. Starbucks continues to stand out as a retailer that combines technology with purpose. Maybe part of the credit lies in the fact that their demographic matches that of the smartphone crowd. Maybe they struck an effective balance between high-tech marketing and traditional imaging when developing their SMS marketing campaign.
But undoubtedly, they did more than simply include those little black-and-white pixel grids on their in-store posters – they did it with a reason.
What are QR codes?
It wasn’t long ago that even savvy smartphone users were blind to the purpose of QR codes on advertisements. But times have changed quickly.
As consumers have quickly come to understand – and use – QR code scanning technology, advertisers have been equally quick to jump on board. Now, randomly patterned black-and-white boxes are everywhere, as big as subway billboards and as small as cigarette pack inserts. Consumers can aim a cellphone at one, scan the grid, and be redirected virtually anywhere on the phone’s web browser. Some advertisers send consumers to an interactive mobile website. Others steer people to a mobile coupon. And in most cases, the user’s contact information is captured and used in future marketing by SMS campaigns.
So, where’s the payoff?
In the case of Starbucks – as well as JCPenney, Allure Magazine, Coca Cola and the many others who’ve employed QR codes in wildly successful campaigns – technology was just the vehicle. In the end, Starbucks made sure a reward awaited their customers, whether a deal on coffee or an interactive mobile experience.
Where Starbucks has succeeded is in integrating QR code technology and traditional marketing smarts. QR codes may have been – and may still be – the flavor of the month in advertising, and that popularity no doubt has contributed to the strong response Starbucks has enjoyed from its SMS marketing campaigns. But it’s important to understand that Starbucks never marketed itself with QR codes. It marketed itself and found a reason to include QR codes in the campaign.
To learn how QR codes can be integrated into your mobile marketing campaign, contact a TXTin Mobile Marketing staff member at 877-TXTIN-77.
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Since starbucks is widely known for their coffee, it is not much surprise that they have their own unique QR codes. Qr codes continue to grow and so does businesses.
It’s really cool how those codes work. Just a scan and click and there goes the promotions and stuff. Great, isn’t it?
Almost every company now have QR codes, probably they realized its importance. Never wonder why starbucks had theirs too.
QR codes are really interesting. They actually remind me of some similar things that had showed up back when I was in elementary school that required you to have “special” red tinted glasses to see what was going on. Take that idea, add some revolutionary technology, and pair it with some business mindedness and all of the sudden you have what is today know as QR codes. I personally love the idea, though I think this sort of advertising can be very limiting as well. I don’t have a smart phone myself, and I have no intention of getting one in the near future. Instantly, I am cut off from being able to get in on this sort of advertising campaign. Maybe that is my fault for not buying one of these phones, but that is besides the point.
Aside from that little complaint, I do find QR codes to be cool because of how you are able to interact with them as a consumer. My girlfriend has a smart phone, and periodically we will see a code in a store and quickly scan it in just to see what it has to say to us. It isn’t even necessarily about the underlying content, but rather the experience of scanning something into your phone to access content otherwise not viewable. That is a very cool thing and makes advertising kind of hands on and…dare I say…kind of fun?