Here is a great story on how Luxury brands, including the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Bloomingdales are using QR codes to attract customers on their direct mail. Printz.com can help you set up a campaign.
New York Philharmonic plays out direct mail strategy with QR codesBy Rachel Lamb
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May 13, 2011
Symphony orchestra New York Philharmonic is engaging consumers and driving them to the venue via direct mail and mobile by embedding QR codes into its mailers.
Consumers can scan the bar code found on the mailer that will direct them to the orchestra’s mobile site. The mailer is focused on this season’s attractions by the NY Philharmonic.
“Consumers generally only opt in to receive communications from brands when they perceive that it will be of value to them – whether that be in financial terms by means of giveaways, discounts or in less tangible services based on entertainment and utility,” said Laura Marriott, CEO and acting board chairperson of NeoMedia, an Atlanta-based 2D bar code solutions company.
“Access to relevant content, discount coupons, or exclusive information can all work well to grab consumer attention and encourage interaction,” she said. “This tried-and-tested marketing strategy is a great way to increase your user base and will promote user participation in your campaign.”
Ms. Marriott is not affiliated with the New York Philharmonic, but commented generally on 2D bar codes.
New York Philharmonic declined comment due to unavailability.
The orchestra plays at Avery Fisher Hall on the north side of Lincoln Center in New York.
Play on
The Philharmonic mailer is a glossy two-sided, folded piece.
On the front, Philharmonic conductor and music director, Alan Gilbert, is mid-pose.
Performances for the summer season, featuring one of Mr. Gilbert’s performances on May 30, are listed.
The back of the mailer shows the QR code with a description on how to use it.
When consumers scan the bar code, it brings them to the Philharmonic mobile-optimized site.
Philharmonic’s mobile site home
On the site, users can browse featured events, news, blogs and Q&A’s.
The Philharmonic mobile site is also filled with rich media such as videos of performances and music featured at events.
Philharmonic music site
Consumers that receive Philharmonic mailers may not be up-to-date with the orchestra’s events, and this could serve as a reminder.
The addition of the QR codes even further engages consumers.
Users can buy tickets, watch videos and look at pictures and read about past and future events.
Even still, the mobile site could serve to hype consumers for an upcoming event that they may be attending, as users can listen to music and preview performances.
Best practice
Bar codes placed in direct mail pieces is a hot trend in luxury marketing.
Upscale brands, most notably department stores, are using QR codes as a way to introduce customers to new content, exclusive videos and images and drive customers to in-store events (see story).
Bloomingdale’s even takes it a step further and incorporates QR codes in out-of-home ads as well as direct mail (see story).
This retailer adds SMS calls-to-action to provide additional options for customers to access mobile content.
Since QR codes are relatively new to the mass market, consumers may want to either include instructions on how to scan a QR code or at least give the mobile site or include an SMS call-to-action so that consumers are not alienated (see story).
To ensure a strong response from consumers, the design of the advertisement or marketing collateral containing the QR code is of paramount importance, per Ms. Marriott. In order to grab consumer attention, the placement of the 2D mobile bar code in a position which makes it easy to identify and scan is key.
“The bar code should be placed in an area of prominence, on a flat surface and not placed between folds in a magazine for example as this will hamper scanning,” Ms. Marriott said. “If at all possible, the bar code should also be printed in black and white to ensure ease of scanning with the majority of mobile devices and bar code readers.
“To ensure the user experience is as good as it can be, it is important that brands and agencies work with global, open standards in their bar code deployments,” she said. “The deployment of proprietary solutions may limit consumer access or market penetration.”
Rachel Lamb is an editorial assistant on Luxury Daily. Reach her at rachel@napean.com.
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