• by Mark Penn , February 17, 2022

Any U.S. marketer who doubted the power of the QR code is eating their lunch after the Super Bowl. In just one night, with the help of a 60-second spot that featured nothing more than a bouncing QR code, Coinbase shot up from #186 in the App Store to #2. That explosive growth highlights the deep value these tools can bring brands looking to connect their entire marketing ecosystem to drive better business impact.

QR codes are the fundamental connective tissue to seamless digital marketing, the "missing link" in common-sense digital transformation. Alongside other mobile-central digital trends, like social commerce and AR filters, QR codes are powering an engagement renaissance today's marketers should eagerly channel. Cheap to erect, they can immediately bridge discovery into conversion.

As a guerilla digital or OOH tactic, floating QR codes drive engagement via intrigue. Consumers who pass them on the street or eye them on the subway want to know: what's resting behind those pixelated squares? And as brands experiment more with new layers of mixed-reality, I foresee QR codes to be the launchpads into mobile-enabled Metaverse experiences, as mass adoption of AR/VR hardware continues to lag.

Marketers in the U.S. looking for easy adoption strategies after this past weekend's Coinbase stunt are lucky: while relatively new domestically, QR codes have proliferated globally – and their use cases chart common-sense strategies for today's digital brands.

What's a Wallet? 

Want a model for a cashless society? Look to China, whose QR codes have driven digital wallet adoption. Per the 2021 Statista Global Consumer Survey, 82% of Chinese internet users used online payments at least once in 2020. Alipay, the leading payment platform in China, boasted over 658 million monthly active users in 2021. 

Domestically, the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital and mobile-enabled payments as a bulwark against pandemic safety fears, with 42 percent of millennials and Gen Z consumers reporting using the option more. The market will only grow. If you haven't invested in the infrastructure to enable mobile payments, now is the time to integrate QR codes to help meet the needs of a rising cohort of cashless consumers. 

Smarter Packages That Do More Brand Work  

Streamlining product information through a digital layer is easy with the help of QR codes, which can offer consumers an accessible window into basic product details like use, warnings, and ingredients while decluttering the aesthetic of brand packaging.

In line with modern trends towards minimalist design, this can allow product features and aesthetics to do extra work for attracting and captivating consumers. Further, with more brands committing to scrutinizing sustainability and ethical practices across the entire supply chain, QR codes can help brands chart the lifecycle of their products from farm to table, or raw materials to hardware, aligning marketing content with ESG messaging. 

Arming Influencers With Agile Tools  

Hybrid consumer appetites mean social commerce and the value of influencer marketing is on the rise, expanding the realm of brand ambassadors shaping brand narratives in the public eye. A pinned QR code at the bottom of a screen can link out to curated product selections by relevant influencers during a live stream, adding a layer of authenticity and brand storytelling while enabling marketers to more easily track the ROI on specific influencer partnerships. In experiential, brand ambassadors working live events can carry QR codes to enhance on-site customer service, making the process for leaving reviews and other feedback as easy as directing a phone camera at the QR code. By arming ambassadors and influencers with this simple digital tool, brands can drive added value for consumers while more accurately attributing conversion. 

Empowering Simple Experiential AR

QR codes can effectively enable simple mixed-reality layers to brand experiences. Customers can walk up to giant QR codes and see a brand story bloom on their mobile devices in the air above a mascot statue or product display. For B2B brands at trade shows, QR codes can simplify the hardware necessary to enhance product demonstrations, turning attendees' mobile devices into windows into mixed reality. As brands wise up to the value of AR for live events and experiences, QR codes are a simple mechanism for bringing the new medium to life. -

Whatever the path your brand takes, American brands should continue to scale QR codes widely, looking to some of the common-sense and innovative uses on display in global markets as models for how the technology can drive value in today's digital marketing landscape.