QR Codes Promote Coke's Campaign Despite Challenges

ScanBuy will support QR codes appearing on "tens of billions of Coca-Cola cups" available at 7-Eleven, Subway and other locations. The codes will promote the beverage maker's commitment to the "Save the Polar Bears" campaign, Mike Wehrs, ScanBuy CEO and president, told MediaPost.

Wehrs expects the "Polar Bears" effort to experience heavy traffic to landing pages tied to the campaign. "We're expecting at least 500,000 scans, but that could easily double," he said, noting the campaign will only support scans on Apple devices.

Aside from the cups, the QR codes will appear on posters. The code leads to a landing page on Facebook that allows users to throw snowballs at friends. A recent Taco Bell campaign generated 460,000 scans in three months, of which 7% of the traffic came from people without smartphones, he said. 

The back-end data that Coca-Cola gains from mobile QR code scans range from handset type by model and carrier to the frequency of scans by user.

Wehr said the challenge of putting the QR code on a cold drink cup stresses the scanners. It's not only a curved surface, but has condensation running down the side. Anything with an irregular surface, something wrapped in cellophane or bad lighting will affect the scan.

While the code will only appear on cups, the promotion will appear on a variety of things related to Coca-Cola. The campaign promoting Coca-Cola's $2 million pledge to the World Wildlife Fund's polar bear habitat conservation efforts in the Arctic will appear on 1.4 billion Coke cans in the U.S. and Canada. The cans will be white with a polar bear graphic, rather than the classic red, to raise awareness and funds for the campaign, which runs from November 2011 to February 2012.