Communication (Course identification)
The telecommunication technologies has developed to a major filed and entered all fields from manufacturing, marketing (Tellis,2004) to daily life The typing and writing down the information is not favorable with the modern technically competent end users, so simple scanning seems to be the best solution especially taking into account the frontiers in interdisciplinary fields. Here the technology can drift or expand from one field to another as it happened with the Quick response code (QR codes), which were first created by a Toyota subsidiary named Denso Wave (QR codes, n.d.). In 1994 it was directed to optimize and ease the manufacturing process via fast decoding and greater information capacity. The 2-D (two-dimensional) QR-codes have been developed to push it even further and to eliminate negative factor associated with standard bare codes, enabling to use this technology not only for identification and tracking, but also better information presentation.
QR codes now is a recognized matrix barcode trademark for “a machine-readable optical label that contains information about the item to which it is attached” (QR codes, n.d.) So it is obvious, why easiness and simplicity were the features, which draw attention to QR codes as a potential method for advertising. They provide accurate, fast and informative content to anyone having the technical equipment ready too read it. A lot of free software and different applications have been developed to provide smartphone and other users with the possibility to read these pictograms.
However, the predictions telling that this technology would become popular with the consumers and give the small businesses cheap and efficient way for advertising and promotion were not accurate. According to Kolowich (2014) in 2013 “only 21% of American smartphone owners say they've ever scanned a QR code, and just 2% say they scan a QR code at least once per day”. This number seems to be stable from 2012 (Kolowich, 2014), though the number of young smartphone users has only been increasing. In 2011 58% of the scans were done at home, what is not bad, but still while the laptops and other technical devices are in the reach the superiority of this technology is not that much pronounced. (Quring, 2011) However, the marketing strategies in this field should be much more creative and cooperate with other innovative technologies. For now, the technological solutions were not able to demonstrate their best still this technology should not be put aside and can be considered for the advertising. Here hidden potential can be discovered in the well-known features, where creative approaches can become the key success drivers. This could be realized using this technology to promote consumers while on their way to work, home etc.
The effective strategies have been developed in South Korea, which is as well as Argentina has expanded e-commerce and offered interesting solutions adopted by giants like Procter & Gamble and Walmart. According to the surveys performed in June 2011, the main QR user segment refers to the active young men aged from 18 to 34. Here the new innovative technologies synergy can be more effective and work as a wow-effect. The women are also predisposed to use something new and outstanding.
The common household shopping is highly competitive business, so here gaining new consumers or rapid increase in sales the can be thought or nearly impossible using standard approaches. Still marketing specialists in just this very field has organized one of the most effective creative advertising campaigns and the best recent example of an effective innovative QR code campaigns. This is “The Sunny Sale” (Figure 1) introduced by Emart. (Ermat, 2012; 10 Creative marketing ad, n.d.)
Figure 1 The Sunny Sale”
In 2012 one of the largest South Korean retailers has used basic physical knowledge and innovative materials to increase the number of shoppers during lunch hour, 12pm to 1pm. The idea was to use shadows produced by the models while the Sun reaches at its highest peak. They have developed 3D QR Code which could be activated in such a way an seen only at noon due to the lights and used to advertise the 25% discounts to drive sales. It is funny, eye-catching and can be interesting for all users due to the wow-effect. The technology synergy has increased Emart membership by nearly 60%. (10 Creative marketing ad, n.d.) and greatly increased sales during the lunchtime period. The first driving forces were interest and eagerness to see innovative novelty, which later transformed into a good habit and a possibility to have fun. The overall campaign was a great success recognized by multiple awards including the London International Awards and presentation on Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
The presented advertising case shows that even in our time of mobile technology expansion the new potentially effective advertising methodologies are not that easy to introduce. To ensure effective resource utilization and pronounce positive feedback some superior technical applications should be applied with a creative hint. “The Sunny Sale” success was based on the outstanding wow-effect of an elegant technical solution, which is noticeable and appealing for the majority of potential end user. This campaign has address all consumers regardless of their status that is why it was interesting for the current and potential customers. The elegant and tremendous technical solution and thought-out marketing presentation managed even to overcome on of the main QR codes disadvantages, obscurity. The places pictograms have been not only easy to find, but hunted out by the customers, so the Emart have had to double their number. This campaign can be listed as a textbook example for all marketing specialists presenting a perfect strategic solution for complex marketing problems using creative approaches to the standard methodologies and addressable for all customers. Similar marketing strategy can be considered the most promising way to explore, however they should be exclusive to maintain the wow-effect superiority.
Works cited
10 Creative Marketing Ad Campaigns You Have To Watch. Hongkiat Technology Design Inspiration. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. <http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/creative-marketing-ad-campaigns/>
Emart Sunny Sale: 3D Shadow QR Code. 3 May 2012. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. <<http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/emart-sunny-sale-3d-shadow-qr-code/>
Kolowich, L. Are QR Codes Dead? HubSpot Blog. 14 August2014. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. <http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/qr-codes-dead>
QR code. Pdf. 29 Feb. 2016. <http://cooins.com/images/docs/QR-code.pdf>
Quiring Monuments adds smartphone codes to gravestones. Puget Sound Business Journal. 26 April 2011. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. < http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2011/04/seattle-company-quiring-monuments-adds.html>
Tellis, G. J. (2004). Effective advertising: Understanding when, how, and why advertising works. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
