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.

1. QR Codes 101

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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)

6. 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

7. Where are QR Codes used?

8. Where are QR Codes used?

9. Where are QR Codes used?

10. Where are QR Codes used?

11. Where are QR Codes used?

12. Where are QR Codes used?

13. Where are QR Codes used?

14. Where are QR Codes used?

15. Where are QR Codes used?

16. Are QR Codes dead… we think not.

17. Who uses QR Codes?

18. Where are they using QR Codes?

19. 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%) • Coupon (11%)
• Opt-in/Sweepstakes (30%) • Photo Gallery (11%)
• Social Media (23%) • Downloads (6%)
• E-Commerce (19%) • Recipes (5%)
• Voting (1%)
• Store Locator (13%)
*Totals are higher than 100% because some codes had more than one action
Research from Nellymoser, Inc. Mobile Action Codes in Magazine Advertising 2011

20. 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

21. 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.

22. Do’s and Don’ts of QR Codes
Do:
– 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.

23. 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.

24. Popular QR Code Apps
Blackberry/Nokia Android
Built in QR reader in OS for newer models
BeeTagg QuickMarkI-nigma
Windows Mobile iPhone
ScanLifeI-nigma QR Code Reader and Scanner

25. How to create your own QR Code
There 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 urlshortener 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.

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

27. Happy Scanning