The way that marketers are using QR codes in advertising has changed with the evolving media landscape, so there is a need to refresh QR code strategies.
QR codes have been around for years, but they are proving even more effective in engaging consumers across channels. That's because audiences watching TV in groups for big events like the recent Super Bowl are sitting there with their phones in hand, ready for action. They google an actor or athlete they see, or they're checking trends on social media while keeping their eyes on the larger screen.
For marketers, this means having a more refined strategy with clear goals and calls to action.
Call to action and track performance
“The two most important things when using QR codes in television marketing or other channels – placement must be Action-oriented and trackable.
It's not enough to just post one of those box codes on an ad or TV screen and hope consumers get the message. They need a good reason to scan QR codes and track them on their phones.
“You need to have a clear call to action so someone wants to use the QR code when they see the ad,” says Glazer. “You also want the QR code to be tied to a tracking link so you can measure how many conversions were actually driven by the code. This opens the door to future commission-based partnerships. ”
Did Coinbase use an effective strategy or did they lose the Super Bowl?
In a one-minute spot that ran during Super Bowl LVI, the Coinbase cryptocurrency app included a QR code with a call to action and special offer. The number of football viewers who scanned the code crashed the company's website within seconds.
While this may sound like a major failure, Glazer points out that Coinbase followed a sound strategy in executing the campaign. Ultimately, they quickly recovered from the influx of traffic and gained a lot of attention for their ads, as well as a spike in visitors to their landing pages.
“Coinbase's recent Super Bowl ad is a perfect example of this strategy,” Glazer said. “Their ads have a clear action the viewer must take, and they can accurately measure how many people used the code.”
Test and learn with QR codes on CTV using scanning speed
Another important tool for marketers when using QR codes is the ability to measure scanning speed, as well as change calls to action.
“QR codes are still fairly new but there is a 'scan rate' report that provides a directional indicator of engagement and attention in a similar way to CTR for digital advertising,” Curt Larson, CPO at shared multi-channel SSP. A sign of the growing attention to QR codes is that the company recently launched its new CTV Dynamic QR Codes product.
Additionally, QR codes are not necessarily used on a large scale across all channels.
“As with CTR, scan rate is a sign of success, but consider running other types of campaign research alongside your QR campaigns,” explains Larson.
It's important that marketers are learning as much as they can when running campaigns that use QR codes.
Change creative and messaging in QR code campaigns
According to Larson, scan rates can improve QR code campaigns by varying the message and value offered. For example, marketers could try offering discounts as an incentive to get their audience to scan codes (after all, that's what Coinbase did with their ads).
Coupons and free trials are also incentives that will add value and attract viewers.
Larson added, “Testing different calls to action, colors, and creatives can paint an overall picture of what is working best.”
Using QR codes communicates to viewers that there is something more to learn about the brand, and using this technology in campaigns adds layers of interaction that draw attention to the ad, even before when the consumer actually scans the code.
“TV ads with QR codes help increase attention compared to ads without QR codes,” said Larson. “So even getting viewers to pay attention to their phones can increase the effectiveness of your brand message.”
QR codes can also incorporate brand colors, or even logos, to reinforce the brand message.
Use QR codes on CTV compared to other channels
Marketers should note that QR codes appearing on CTV ads provide a different experience than in ads on different channels.
“The main difference with CTV QR CTV versus out-of-home or print is that you have limited time to scan the QR code on the TV,” said Larson. “So attracting attention and having a clear call to action is even more important.”
QR codes should only be used on television commercials that are at least 15 seconds long because otherwise, consumers will not have enough time to identify the QR code and point their phone at the screen to interact. .
The advantage of using QR codes in CTV advertising is that it provides more attribution for TV campaigns, when marketers are evaluating the success of their ads and fine-tuning campaigns in future.
“Scanning QR codes provides a clearer path to attribution than TV ads ever could,” said Larson. “Even CTV ads with low scan rates will still provide brands with some level of attribution metrics to track how users interact with their site.”
Original post: https://martech.org/how-to-use-qr-codes-to-leverage-ctv-and-cross-channel-campaigns/
Translated by: Phan Cong Duy
