They are small, clever, cute, and will conquer the world. No, not aliens. But almost. QR codes.
In an era where capturing consumer attention is about as difficult as playing accordion with your feet, it has become essential to surprise and stand out from the crowd.
No doubt that advertisers and communication aces have found their new golden goose. Yes, the QR code is a godsend for innovation, and for offering us new virtual experiences that are increasingly original, even completely crazy!
Get ready to discover the most memorable exploits of these little black and white squares in the ruthless world of advertising and communication. Yes, some superheroes don't have capes!
The Funny Drones in Shanghai
To celebrate the first anniversary of their game "PrincessConnect! Re:Dive", Bilibili, the Chinese streaming company, organized a light show on the Shanghai waterfront: 1500 drones equipped with LED lights formed images representing the main characters of the game, before transforming into a giant QR code that linked to the game's download page.
Quite a sight to behold!
The Super Ad at the Super Bowl
The simplest things are often the best.
Cryptocurrency company Coinbase knows something about this. They paid $14 million for a minute of advertising during the Super Bowl final. A black screen, a QR code bouncing around for 1 minute, like a DVD screensaver. That's it. No, they didn't go overboard, you might say, but they were shrewd.
The QR code scans (which offered $15 in bitcoins in exchange for signing up to Coinbase) were so numerous that they crashed the site. A stroke of genius.
E-Mart, in the Shadow of QR Code
Korean retail giant E-Mart decided to launch an innovative campaign in 2019, to say the least.
Indeed, after noticing a drop in their sales during lunch hour, the company decided to double down to attract consumers during off-peak hours:
E-Mart installed several 3D sculptures in Seoul which, with the orientation of the sun, revealed a QR code through shadows, visible and therefore scannable only between 12 and 1 PM.
The QR allowed customers to benefit from discounts during this time slot, which became the "Sunny Sale". A truly brilliant idea!
Yuengling and the Grandeur Madness
American brewery Yuengling partnered with a family farm business based in Indiana, Chaflant Family Farms, to create a huge QR code from crops, visible only from the sky. And when we say huge, we weigh our words: it measured the equivalent of 20 football fields, just that!
But what was hiding in this XXXXXL version QR code?
Scanning the QR, also present on their limited edition beer cans, allowed consumers to make donations to team RWB (team Red, White and Blue), an American organization supporting veterans. Yuengling is indeed a long-standing charitable partner of team RWB, and wanted to highlight this through this super altruistic campaign.
We have only one thing to say: "hats off to the artist!"
Tesco and its Virtual Supermarket
In 2010, Tesco, a major British supermarket chain, made a buzz by displaying virtual shelves identical to those in their physical stores in high-traffic Korean subway stations.
Each item was identifiable thanks to a QR code, which you just had to scan to automatically add it to the cart of the Homeplus online sales site (the group's brand in Korea). All the shopping was then delivered directly to your home.
A winning bet for Tesco, which, thanks to this campaign, saw its online sales take off, and was able to gain ground against market leader E-mart.
Sunday, the Cream of App Crops
As a bonus, and because we couldn't end this article without a touch of red, white and blue, focus on Sunday, the QR code payment app. And French.
The country of gastronomy had to find its own antidote to the invisibility spell that strikes any human being wishing to receive their bill after a meal at a restaurant.
The 2 founders of the Big Mamma restaurant chain, accompanied by Christine de Wendel, put their hands to work to concoct a perfectly crafted payment app.
Indeed, the Sunday app allows you not only to pay your restaurant bill, but also to leave tips and reviews in no time, by scanning a QR code. A considerable time saver for customers but also for restaurateurs.
We have only one thing to say: let's eat!
