Scan the Code to Help us Give to City Harvest

Note on how this code works:

The code above uses ScanLife “Smartcode” technology which uses real time data to dynamically update the content you see.  In this case, our system calculates the number of Total Scans on this code which is then formulated into the giving amount.  We only count hits to the page that come through the scan of a barcode whether it comes from our app or any other.

We have already made a $500 donation, and now you can help us give more!

We’ve posted our recent campaign examples from the past few months. As always, the campaigns ranged from various industries including Retail, Wireless and Quick Serve Restaurant (QSR). This set included our single biggest campaign ever, one that saw hundreds of thousands of scans in a six week period!

Three of these campaigns, Starbucks, Taco Bell and Sonic, all came out of the QSR category. We’re seeing an increased interest in this category as the technology continues to become more mainstream.

ScanLife’s Key Campaigns 10/11:

-          Taco Bell – Unlock the Box MTV VMA promotion

-          Starbucks – Fall campaign

-          Staples – PC-a-Day Giveaway promotion

-          FedEx – Ship Smart campaign

Taco Bell and MTV have teamed up to help promote this year’s MTV Video Music Awards with the help of ScanLife. The fast food chain has placed QR Codes on all of their “Big Box Remixed” packages and large cups. The codes deliver all kinds of VMA content to users including teasers, sneak peeks, artist interviews and performance footage.

Even better, the content changes on a weekly basis, so users can expect to receive a different experience for scanning throughout the six week campaign. The scan rates are already into the six-figure digits, and you can find out more about it from their website.  Don’t have an app?  You can even use our Scan and Send service by just snapping a photo of the QR Code and texting it to 43588.

They did a great job with explaining how it all works, so check it out, and head out to your nearest Taco Bell and join in on the fun!

We’ve just released our latest campaign examples from July. Like always, campaigns ranged from a variety of industries including Tourism, CPG and Retail. The summer has also become a popular time for sweepstakes, as we had codes linking users to contests from Hanes, JanSport, Tilly’s and more. And in perhaps the most bizarre code use we’ve ever seen, a man from Paris had an EZ code tattooed to his chest, becoming the first ever animated tattoo.

July’s Key Campaigns:

-          Frito Lay – Our Promise campaign

-          HP – Packaging promotion

-          SeaWorld – App Download promotion

-          Sharpie – Start Something Now campaign

-          Crystal Light – Flavor Over Fizz campaign

Due to the enormous growth of mobile barcode technology, thousands of marketers are turning to QR codes to engage with their audience. While great news, we’ve found that many codes are providing a poor user experience simply because the codes were published incorrectly. Some codes are not scanning at all, making them useless and discouraging to potential customers. 

As a perfect example of “when QR codes go wrong”, we were sent a recent issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Inside just one section alone, we spotted three different cases where each of the marketers published a QR code that didn’t even work!

To help you avoid this issue, let’s take a quick look at what these particular codes did wrong;

- Lack of Quiet Space: Every QR Code should be surrounded by at least 2 module sizes of ”quiet” or “white” space (modules are the tiny black squares within the code).  The code below lacked this requirement, and was unable to scan as a result.  

- Too Much Density: It’s critical to ensure that your code isn’t too dense. Density becomes a concern when your code includes lots of data and is shrunk down to a smaller size. The code gets too cluttered in a small amount of space, which makes it more difficult or in this case, impossible to read.   

- Poor Dimensions: A QR code has to be square. It cannot be circular, triangular, or anything in between. Square or bust, period.

All of these issues are common risks when using free generators because you lack consistency and quality control over your codes.

Just remember, whatever code generator you choose, please, please (please) test it first across several apps and devices. Merely one bad user experience can turn a customer off QR codes forever!

So consider these tips as step 1-A of “QR Codes 101”, as the single most important thing to remember is “does the code work?”

For the past few weeks, we have been Beta testing our latest code action, the OS Detection code.  This is our latest example of our Premium Codes, that use the analytics from mobile user traffic in real time to deliver dynamic and relevant content.  In this case, the code detects the OS (operating system) of the mobile device scanning the code, and redirects to content the code publishers choose to show. 

This works with both the ScanLife app, and any other standard QR Code reader.

Of course, the best application for this code, is to get a mobile application!  Many brands and publishers have apps for iPhone, Android, and maybe BlackBerry.  A single OS Detection code can be created for all of the leading operating systems, and there is even a default landing page in case you have an app for two of these, but not the others.

Here’s a video showing how the same code goes to different app stores based on the device – Android and iPhone:

Here’s a video that shows how easy it is to do this with a ScanLife Business account:

This takes minutes to set up, and you don’t have to bother with building any landing pages or investing in extra mobile detection systems. You just plug in the URLs, and you’re done!

Here’s a code to try it yourself:

Here are some of the newest 2D barcode campaign examples from March.

This Month’s Key Campaigns:

• The Home Depot – Martha Stewart Collection
• Bloomingdale’s – Scan to Win integrated promotion
• Banana Republic – Spring Collection video
• Bravo TV – “Late Night” video
• Miller Lite – SXSW Sweepstakes
• Georgio Armani – Unicef TAP Project

ScanLife gave a webinar entitled “Understanding Mobile Barcodes” hosted by Verizon on March 3, 2011.  It covered a variety of topics including:

• Barcode 101:  What, Why, and Where
• Activating a Barcode Campaign
• Barcode Strategies & Tactics
• Campaign Examples & Best Practices
• Developer Tools & Customization

Last month’s key examples include campaigns/projects from:

• Target (magazine ads linking to home design videos)
• Banana Republic (direct mail linking to exclusive video)
• Geico (direct mail linking to an insurance request)
• Panasonic (hangtags on products)
• Maxim Magazine (editorial and advertising)
• Metro Newspaper UK (linking to editorial content and promotions)

You can download the PDF here.

Thousands of small, local businesses have accessed ScanLife over the past year to mobilize their traditional media. In fact, nearly half of our accounts are businesses like restaurants, retail stores, or real estate agents that use codes to link to websites, special discounts and other forms of content.  While this technology is also used by big brands with huge budgets, its been built to work easily for virtually any marketer of any size.

Getting started on ScanLife is simple.  Just log in, choose from a wide variety of code actions from Web to Email to Twitter, and then link to your content – much of it you probably already have!  Let’s take a look at a few ways ScanLife can be used in a matter of minutes.

Strategy Options

Strategy: Loyalty

Recommended Code Action(s): Note Code

Example: Users can scan a Note Code and automatically get a note message with a discount offer. Your business can switch the type of offer on the Note Code at any time so that it changes on a daily basis.  Put the code on a store front window or menu to deliver offers that are always being updated.

Note Code Screenshot

Strategy: Social Networking

Recommended Code Action(s): Menu, Twitter

Example: When users scan a Menu Code, they are taken to a page that displays up to five different options which could all link to various social networking sites. This is great way to increase Facebook “Likes”, Twitter followers or Foursquare check-ins for your business. Or you can also direct people to your YouTube channel to show product demos and new features. One of our new features is the Twitter Code, which allows users to send out a pre-filled tweet about the product they just scanned. If you’re looking to generate a buzz on Twitter, then this is the right code for you!  You can even create a code that links to your Groupon Deal.  Just get the link and send the code out as another way for people to access your deal of the day.

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