Yesterday I was intrigued to read an article promising to tell me how Sucre Bleu was "transcending beyond point of sale with QR codes."
The article started by explaining that Scure Bleu had
"sidestepped traditional marketing channels and uncorked an ambitious social media outreach effort"
and it went on to state...
"add barcodes to the stylish and sophisticated Sacre Bleu label, moving beyond graphic design to deliver vital consumer information when and where it matters most: at the point of sale."
It was the "deliver vital consumer information...at the point of sale" part that caught my eye.
I've long remarked that we live in a dual existance. While we live in a physical word, there is a coresponding digital layer hoving just overhead... a layer that can be bridged.
QR Codes are the bridge between the digital and physical worlds that coexist today.
So I was looking forward to seeing a good example of QR Code usage in the real world.
How Not To Use QR Codes in Your Marketing
Sadly, I was let down because like most other brands Sacre Bleu forgot the that QR Code marketing is all about context. Instead of putting themselves in the consumer's shoes and trying to answer the questions said consumer would have at that exact moment, their QR code simply dumps you to a prefab Paperlinks mobile landing site. Once there you're givin the opportunity to:
- read about "A Sublime Cabernet"
- Cabernet Food pairings - which takes you to their mobile friendly blog. But just don't try and come back to their mobile site you started at -- can't do it.
- Fav Sacre Bleu Pics
- Sacre Bleu Facebook
- Sacrew Bleu Twitter
- Sacre Bleu Video
No Wine Spectator scores, wine reviews (either professional or consumer), no deals or coupons to create an impulse purchase. In short, there was nothing "vital" delivered and from a "point of sale" perspective, so I'm not sure this QR code is "transending" anything.
How to Use QR Codes in Your Marketing
All of this to say, if you're going to use QR Codes in your marketing, and I truly encourage you to do so, you absolutely must consider context before anything else. You have to understand where your customer or prospect is, physically in the world, as well as where they are in the buying cycle at the very moment when they see the QR code. Then after they've scaned the QR code you should deliver the single piece of information they need to move them to the next level of YOUR purchase funnel. Sure you can have other information a thumb-click away.... but first and foremost, you have to deliver that one thing that will push them from consideration to purchase.
But hey, that could just be me... what do you think?
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