QR Code campaigns in the German market

While in China more than 9 million QR Codes are scanned every month, in Germany already 99% of all people know QR Codes, QR Codes are also becoming more and more popular in the 9 federal states of Austria. We have analyzed some campaigns from the German market below.

QR Codes are used by the News publishing group in the TV MEDIA and GUSTO magazines to direct interested readers to further information such as a movie trailer or a cooking recipe.

A QR Code tracking technology is used here with which it can be measured precisely from where, by which smartphones and how many unique visitors the QR Codes are scanned. You can read the evaluations of how often these QR Codes are called up in the article How many unique visitors scan a QR Code.

But we also like Hofer's QR Code campaign for the products in its organic line "Zurück zum Ursprung" (Back to the source), which was launched back in 2011. It was first advertised in TV commercials in which the consumer was informed about QR Codes (What's the use? How does it work? What do you need?). In the stores themselves, it was possible to trace the origin of the organic products directly in front of the shelf by scanning the QR Code, but also to read information about the region, the product, and about sustainability in general.

Iglo also uses QR Codes on product packaging to make eating more palatable for the customer. The spinach packaging features a QR Code that links to a landing page perfectly optimized for smartphones, providing the customer with all the important information about this food.

In a cooperation with Nummer Sicher, UNIQA gave away to its new customers a 1-year membership in NUMMER SICHER, a service for the prevention of theft. If a customer wanted to use this service, he could scan the QR Code printed in the form letter and was taken directly to a registration page that already "knew" which visitor he was. Each QR Code had a unique number stored in it that could be assigned to a customer profile. When the QR Code is scanned, the registration form is already filled out with the most important customer data and the customer only has to add a few fields manually. Personalized QR Codes are also used for name badges at trade fair events. The contact data of a trade fair participant is stored on a QR Code and a potential business partner can immediately save the contact data on his smartphone by scanning it.

Coca Cola's "Share your Coke" campaign clearly shows the results of the learning process that is currently taking place in QR Code campaigns and the opportunities that arise from new web technologies. By scanning the QR Code on a Coke bottle or can, users are taken to a page designed in responsive web design that is easy to use both on a PC and on any smartphone. The invitation to design and share your own Coke can appeals to the customer's play instinct and cleverly integrates social media into the campaign. In addition, the option of a free drink provides a scanning incentive and, as a result, added value for the buyer.

The examples given show that a change in thinking is taking place in the use of QR Codes and that the user must be enticed with entertaining, informative and thoughtful content. If such positive examples continue to set a precedent - which we are of course working on - the customer's curiosity will increasingly tempt him to scan QR Codes. Their distribution will thus continue to increase and QR Codes will establish themselves as a powerful marketing tool.

Are you planning to use QR Codes in your marketing activities? We can help you with our expert know-how and have the technological infrastructure for professional campaign management. Learn more about our QR Code Manager for agencies.