Mobile Bar Codes Coming to Television
Bar codes are branching out. Retailers are taking them out of the store and placing them in television commercials to give viewers the option of scanning them with a mobile device to receive product information and sales incentives.
Bluefly is the first retailer to use bar codes on television, embedding them in its Closet Confessions TV campaign on the Bravo channel. According to a statement from Bluefly, the Closet Confessions advertisements are a series of 45-second spots that feature celebrities giving tours of their closets and sharing stories about their lives. The ScanLife mobile barcodes, or "Quick Response" codes, will appear in the ads through November. Viewers will get instant access to additional video content or a $30-off coupon on a $150 purchase at bluefly.com when they scan the codes with their camera phones using a barcode scanning application.
"By incorporating ScanLife mobile barcode technology into the ads, we are taking Closet Confessions one step further by providing viewers with a unique call to action that allows them to instantly access exclusive content and special offers from their phones while they are watching TV," said Bradford Matson, Bluefly's chief marketing officer, in a statement.
Taking a different approach, Warbasse Design used a bar code in a commercial to promote the HBO television series, True Blood. Viewers scanning the bar code were able to see an exclusive clip from the upcoming season. Philip Warbasse, its chief executive, explained to The New York Times. "For now, this is a clever way to make the commercial last longer ... within a year or two, this will be mainstream with bar codes becoming the preferred method for television advertisers to deliver extras to interested viewers."
Mobile bar codes have been used in the U.S. for advertising in print publications, on billboards, at movie theaters, and on product packaging, according to Media Buyer Planner. While bar codes have been widely used on television in Europe and Asia, they have been slow to be adopted in the U.S. because of a lack of one standard code and a limited number of smart phone users who have downloaded the technology, according to the Times.
But as smart phones, which now account for 25 percent of the mobile market in the U.S., overtake standard mobile phones, the use of bar code technology in ads is expected to rise.
Michael Becker, managing director for North America of the Mobile Marketing Association, told the Times bar codes will become more common because, "They are simple and quick to use and they trigger a richer, quicker and more interactive experience for the user."
Discussion Question: What future do you see for bar codes in advertising on TV and in other media?