Episode 9: How to Make Full Use of QR Codes for TV Commercials

You are tuning in to this take here's podcast. Presented by Cure Tiger, the most advanced Cure Code Generator. In this episode, Ben and Kristall talked about Cure Codes in TV commercials. They recently made news at big sporting events like the FIFA World Cup and the Super Bowl. Using interactive Cure Codes for marketing has made brands unforgettable. Tune in and learn all about the do's and don'ts of using Cure Codes in TV commercials. Only here on Stay Curious. Your guide to all things Cure Code. Welcome to Stay Curious where we talk about the latest in Cure Code trend. I'm Kristall and we're here with Cure Code expert Benjamin Clyde. For today's episode, we're going to talk about Cure Codes on TV commercials, especially with the latest Super Bowl and last year's FIFA World Cup. In this episode, we're talking about how big events like the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup have helped companies enhance their super short but million dollar ads with these versatile squares. There was also the World Cup last year which made full use of its international ads with Cure Codes serving as the gateway to their promotional pages. So let's ask Ben or Cure Code expert what can marketers and ad agencies actually learn from all this. For the first question, Ben, the Super Bowl has been known for being a home for Cure Code ad. And why do you think these brands keep using Cure Codes and big sports events and like the Super Bowl and World Cup? Well, I think firstly the trend has been set, of course, by Coinbase, we did this really engaging ad with Cure Codes. And in the end of the day, the Cure Codes are an access portal to anything. Right there, like I call them a digital door. So if you do an ad, which is expensive, why not use a way to convert users in sign-ups or in engaged users in different ways? And Cure Codes are perfect for this, right? Let's be honest, there is no better way than to engage a customer or a viewer of the Super Bowl with a Cure Codes on in a digital space as the Super Bowl where they're ads all over big screens and allow them to engage with it. Yeah, and Epps was actually exciting about Cure Codes on TV ads is that before companies would pay really millions of dollars for brand recall only. But right now, with the help of Cure Codes, they're able to close sales right away, just by posting that Cure Codes on their TV commercials. They had people like being busy watching the Super Bowl ad and right in the middle, they would get people to take their phones out and actually go to the landing page, close a sale right then and there and like really register and get all these products right away. That's totally amazing for me because it's not just about brand recall. It really makes all of the whole million dollars and ads totally worth it when you add that Cure Codes in there. Absolutely, yeah. I think that's one of the biggest benefits that it's not just brand awareness, like you say, it is also helping to convert to something more and engage in the same time. So it works, it's been win-win-win in different levels. And like I say, Super Bowl ads are not cheap, right? So in this way, they definitely will get some of that ad-budget back to there and convert users in it. Not just the word of mine that plays, but also the people that actually can engage with real products. Yeah, so for the first time ever, companies are actually able to get their ROI right away just because of that one ad, it's totally worth it this time. And yeah, I'll let head to the next question. And number two, what are your thoughts and Cure Codes being used in TV commercials when? Is it just a fad or will it become more popular? I think TV ads are not dead, right? As we all know, there's a lot of people still watching TV although that there's no different channels and different ways to look at the television. But Cure Codes are again a great way to engage a customer with the Siri that they're watching. They can see maybe which clothes are they wearing, they can maybe buy in e-commerce. Again, it offers a gate to whatever is happening on television. This could be in series, right, where people are actually watching a Siri. Or this could be on the ad itself, right? So where there's an engagement in an ad and people scan and get engaged in that way or convert in that way. So TV ads and Cure Codes are not just only for the ads, but also for the content that has been produced on the television. Again, if you're watching a football game, you can scan and you can actually maybe engage with the players in somehow or by their merchandise or something like that. So it brings different levels. It gives a digital dimension and engagement level within the whole television space. So Cure Codes are big in this, I believe, yeah? Yeah, because back then companies are just like. they're dependent on the TV networks data analysis of their commercials. But right now, by putting these Cure Codes, it's totally a game changer. Not just the closed sales, but also to be able to crack the number of scans, the location of scans and all these other data that's needed for them to create more targeted ads. In the future, be it like, yeah, commercials or social media as well. Yeah. I think, like I said, there's different levels to engage with the television ad or you can bring it to us like we have a social media page where you have different social media. It could bring you to a landing page where you convert to a product. It could bring you to maybe one social media on its own. So there's different ways how this can actually be a way to build up followers or straight away try to convert or give more information. So that's I think what Cure Codes all can offer in different levels in this space of television or gamified the whole thing where like a series become gamified by Cure Codes and it becomes something where you are more bounded to the series ad. It's not just you as a watcher, but you as a part of the series in somehow. Yeah, because a lot of other Cure Codes on PV also make full use of these versatile squares as like opening to their portal to their website for people to do other stuff in there not just actually sales, but for them to explore the website of that product. Like the recent one from Avocado's from Mexico, they have this whole portal there. Right. Yeah. And so let's go to question number three. When you think Cure Codes for TV commercials, what are the things that marketers should look out for and what are some best practices that you can tell us? So when there is a Cure Codes on the television ad, I think the placement is of course important. It's important that Cure Codes is big enough that people can see that it's long enough on the screen. If you have an ad and it's short, make sure that the Cure Codes becomes engaging right so that there is something more happening. Make sure there is a call for action, make sure that people understand that they need to scan. There's still a lot of people when they see a Cure Codes that won't know what to do. But if it says scan and win by now or something or get discount and people actually understand when they scan this Cure Codes what's going to happen next, right. So that's also something that I think is important. Make that Cure Codes also interesting looking, right? Make it a bit more appealing. That doesn't mean that the Cure Codes needs to be too colorful. Make sure on a television ad that the Cure Codes is not in yellow or in gold because the contrast of a Cure Codes is really important. If the background is white and the pattern is yellow, it will not scan as well. So people will be there with their phone much longer on television trying to scan with something that is actually not so scannable. And of course test it, right? Because if you have a television, it can be that on some media that it will be stretched or whatever. So make sure that it's actually really fit. Because if the Cure Codes get stretched, it might not scan anymore. Such kind of things are important to put in mind. Yeah. It's good that you mentioned that the Cures of the Cure Codes because it's really tricky to actually play around with colors, especially with Cure Codes on television because people have different settings on their TVs definitely. So the contrast of these colors might be totally different than the ones that you intended to show. So just stick with the normal black and white also, but make sure it's customized and it's really scannable. So always just test it, especially on the landing page, that you're going to leave the customers in when they scan the Cure Codes. You need to look at your Cure Codes as a door, right? If you have a door over shop, make sure that the door and of many shops looks interesting. Otherwise, people are not willing to enter your store. That's the same for a Cure Codes. Yeah, you want people to enter something, right? Make sure that on that level, well done, right? Well integrated also with the rest. So it's clear, but in the same time, it doesn't destroy the whole advertisement, right? And if you do an ad, integrate it in a way that it becomes. If you think that's important for your ad, make sure that Cure Codes is well placed. Not on the corner somewhere where nobody can see it. That's true. It has to be entertaining and at the same time engaging to get people to actually take other folks in the middle of a TV commercial and scan it for it to be really effective. Yeah. So let's go to question number four. We've been seeing a number of Cure Codes campaigns that lead to augmented reality portals. Some of them include ads like Pepsi's The Weekend Portal and Kia's RoboDog. And as opposed to other ways of accessing an AR portal, are Cure Codes the best tools to use for it? Why or why not? Well, you need to think of it. There is a product like a can of Pepsi. It goes around. It would be distributed to different shops. So a QR code is an easy and affordable way to print on the packaging, right? Where people just can scan it and then have a different AR experience with the product they see. And that product they see can also be part of that they are experienced so yes I think a charcut is the most efficient way to do something like an AR experience with a product So Pepsi did that really good right. I think the executive nice a charcut was also very clear on there again So I do believe again charcuts are a gateway our door also for AR in this case, right? So it's nothing else than An experience that you want to offer in a most easy way and of course people have a smartphone So with a smartphone you can scan and then have your way AR experience that gives you can just a little bit more Engagement and I think that's also important the product here becomes the messenger, right? That's what charcuts can offer with a product the product tells you a story tells you something more that's I think it's really powerful as well because all the products are distributed anyway. Why not making it engaging? Why not Gamerfight the whole product itself Just really inverse the customers there making them feel some type of way that's how they remember you even better And when they're enjoying your product with the use of these QR codes and AR and so I just want to ask as well And do you think QR codes and airport portals will become a staple combination and immersive campaigns from now on? Yeah, I think so I don't see anything as a better technology at the moment that can Can do that right people need to still scan to have first download something an h5 page on their phone They realize that that's how it all works to have some effect of this AR coming I see AR evolving in the next years There's a many companies are busy with AR, right? So it's definitely something where charcuts will blame important role in it is also for people to understand Hey, there is a door. There's something to do right at charcuts also gives that Simul to a customer that they need to take his phone out and do something so that's already in the brain of a user when they see a QR code What's now the next thing I need to do right so people are getting used to the whole habit of scanning QR codes that I think it's right One of the most successful solutions right now. Yeah, that's a totally whole new world again with AR and QR code that combination It's just totally a game changer as well in the AR space. Okay, and the next question The successful QR code marketing campaigns we see on TV commercials are backed by teams or marketers who work really hard in creating out of the box ads These are like big marketing or ad agencies and in order to stand out marketers are constantly looking for new ways to present product and Services one superpower that marketers have as the ability to examine and add and analyze the mechanisms behind a campaign So now this is where your scale comes in. Let's put Ben's QR code marketing expertise to the test and have him analyze some of these commercials So Ben you will need to guess what these commercials are how you can use them and First off will be the coin base floating QR code campaign This is one of the most popular QR code campaigns out there with a floating QR code we're all familiar with that and the address Umbals of the mini screen favors from the early 2000 and are given the scanners were given a sign on bonus when they register for a coin base account What do you think went on behind the scene? How did they come up with a? So I read a bit of the story. Yeah, so the CEO of Coinbase actually Broke it down on his Twitter page and so they were looking with a creative agency to do something the add so also didn't had a huge Bud a budget at like 100,000 US dollar to do something on the super walls which was not a huge budget for the Super Bowl and They were thinking to do some at and in the end show a QR code and they started to realize like okay Look how can we maximize out of it and in the end they just threw away the whole add and just said look Let's just float the QR code over the page as a screensaver and have it to converge for people to sign up, right? With a bonus of course if there's not an incentive people would not sign up and I think that was really powerful because it was like I say The most creative ideas are not about a lot of money the most creative ideas are how can I use my budget? To get the most out of it and that was actually such kind of a campaign and conveys it at really good And I think it also said at the trend for QR codes in different advertising that we saw later on So it was not just an ad that had its effect. It was an ad that influenced the whole industry and that I think was powerful Yeah, and if the inspired marketers to actually think outside the box even more because The CEO himself even said that they were sick of the whole template for Super Bowl ads where you have to hire like a big Celebrity for that appearance for that star factor wall factor and then it has to be like really mind blowing or something like that Like a really crazy idea, but then they all scrapped it and they just went with the DVD It has nostalgia in it. It's super simple It really stood out from all the others that even used bigger so that repeats because it's super simple like that People would want to catch them moving QR codes along their screens. What is this? Yeah, it really thinks that curiosity Yeah, it was great. It was absolutely great Yeah, all right for the next one to challenge you Ben like what would you do with Burger King's QR Whopper TV commercial, which was a welcome engagement to the people at home during the pandemic the ad featured A moving QR code that leads to a landing page where people can actually claim a coupon for free Whopper's again We talked about like instant sales right away within the TV commercial So it's important to understand that in the timeline this game's big for comb base Maybe comb base have seen that advertisement as well So that was of course one of the first time that the TV ad had a QR code Which was floating where you need to try to catch it and get a discount right so it's again How to make an advertising in a simple way engaging and get maximized the effect of it because you know Just want to do awareness But you also want people to go and waste the that new Whopper right so that's also I think was the thing They brought different elements within their ad campaign. It was a nice approach to have a overall Success in different levels of an ad and that I think was The success of this campaign, and I think like I say it's the first time that the circuit was doing this over screen It becomes before comb base. So that's pretty important to understand pretty original campaign as well Yeah, very original hand-top Because they're not an e-commerce company. Of course they're working their fast They really maximize that by giving people the coupons to make sure that these people who scan the cure code will definitely go to Burger King right after getting that coupons So it's totally a game changer, and it really made sure that they get the ROI from that ad. Yeah, absolutely Yeah, and lastly to check your genius again, Ben Expensify this campaign this expensive automating software Expensive by released a music video ad for the Super Bowl the video showed numerous cure code tags on luxury items and Ganners were given the chance to re reimburse it $200,000 in cash for the ice sculpted sports car found in the video as Long as they scanned the cure code through the Expensify app. What are your thoughts on this? What could have happened behind the scene? This I think what is interesting here is to understand of course again Kirkarts are being used in an omni channel way right so they've been printed in the street It was on the Super Bowl. It was in different places right so it was not just an approach of hey We're gonna do an ad. No, it was really an omni channel approach And then the next thing that I think is important to understand is like QR codes need to be scanned so instead of telling users sign up is like you know if you want to win You need to sign up to scan this thing So it actually makes people to the habit of actually scanning as well within the app So did they actually try to cultivate something in the mind of a user that downloaded that app that else can scan QR codes We did right so this is actually probably something where they're gonna use QR codes later on within the product in different levels Because otherwise, why would you push users to scan a QR code with your app right there is a reason for that So that I think is interesting to understand also how they actually brought this kind of logic within their advertising Yeah, and because of that they have people registered to their app Yeah, and then now they have wallies they are the ways of people where they can then Sell them via email or social media as well because they already have These information of the people so it's a total gold gold mine of information or of data when you use a QR code It does not just It guarantees your ROI as well as get get all these Targeted information or targeted data for your new customers. It's really a game changer as well And so then it's clearly evident that QR codes have become a key element in implementing creative campaigns that result in more than favorable Outcomes like spreading brand awareness and streamlining the customer journey towards purchasing So the question now is do you think marketers and digital agencies should add QR codes to their tools in coming up with campaigns for their clients? Well, I do believe that a brand awareness campaign is great But if you do a brand awareness campaign, you have no understanding if people actually are You know understanding the brands or getting more so the QR code again offers a digital time Dimension to your brand awareness campaign and gives you useful data And that I think is something that will stay right now now that people have seen how other marketers are using this I do believe this is going to be something a trend that will stay for the next five 10 years at least Why because you can get more out of your advertising and if you can get more for your money, why wouldn't you do it? Right, I think that's a logic that is also behind it, right? It's just now Understanding like okay. We come to the next level. QR codes are there. They hate to stay. How can we now get the maximum effect out of our advertisements? And now that you think about it, you even wonder why not a lot of companies are using QR codes in their PV commercials When aside from PV commercials Net streaming services and production companies are already using QR codes as well for Easter egg QR codes on their TV series because then more people are just getting more engaged. It gets people talking. You grow your community that way. It's just so many uses. Well, if you add a QR code, you need to think a bit more. If you want to make a poster with a beautiful image, that's one thing. But if you want to put a QR code, you need to think to the next level, right? And I think many marketers are still afraid a little bit to enter that next level, right? Because it brings a certain level of complexity. And you need to execute it well, right? It does happen that people execute it wrong or that things go wrong or that people end up on the wrong landing page or something like that. It needs to be the organization. And I think that's where sometimes marketers are afraid and try to stay in their traditional space where they are safe, right? But I do creative marketers and those people who are trend set just definitely going to keep on pushing on that, right? So we will see this trend more and more happening, definitely. Because for those who didn't break the mold, it really changed the way they sold their product and people remember them really well. So there is actually more good stories or just good results using QR code on TV for that. And so now, if I'm a marketer or an agency, this is actually very important for our listeners out there who will be working for an ad or marketing agency, Ben will be able to explain how it is more important for QR code marketing campaign. And the most ideal thing they can do for enterprise accounts and how can you help them do that? So QR Tiger has different plans. We have plans for people who want to use it for their own business, but we also have it on an enterprise level for people like marketers or other kind of bigger corporates who have different needs. Of course, our software has been developed in the level that it can be used for marketing. And that's also, we know that there's a big group of people that come to us, that are marketers. So we have at the Facebook Pixel tracking, we have a lot of different tools that actually marketers can custom tailor their QR code campaigns. And then I think it's just not on the level of the execution of making a QR code look good, but also on the level of what is the data can do. How can you get more precise? We also have these features like a material feature. A material feature is a QR code. If you scan it in different countries, it will bring you to a different page. Or one that I think is also great is a material. If you scan 10 times, it will bring you to one landing page. If you scan three times, it will bring another landing space. If you scan four times in another landing position, you can loop that. So every time people scan, they will get something different to see. So these are again, engages things, right? Because you don't know what's gonna come next when you scan. This can be used for discounts. So if people can win the first 10, can win 50% discount, the next 10, can win 30% discount, the next two can maybe get it for free. So you can work in different levels with all these kind of things. Also, there's people of different languages and different countries. So with our material feature, if people scan, people that speak Spanish will go to a Spanish page, people that speak English will go to an English page. So this is what I think QR Tiger is one of the most advanced software in QR codes at the moment is because we really listen to really carefully to our customers and their needs and develop the software in within that logic, right? Even our good competitors come to look at us what we do next because I think, you know, we try to do really innovative things. And that I think is also what we stand for as a company. Keep on innovating. Keep understanding what happens in the market. And most important, you know, follow those needs. We also have an API that can be integrated. We also have QR codes in bulk so you can actually create more QR codes if you need them for different products. We have different levels of a software that can fulfill different needs of different people at the same time. And that I think is what a good software should do. And this, of course, in an intuitive way. So you don't need to break your heads. How does that work? No, the feature actually explains it easily so people can quickly understand as well. Yeah, that's the thing about QR Tiger is that we're considering small to medium enterprises and also huge corporations and ad agencies as well. So we're able to fill in their needs. And it's good that you mentioned the multi-URL QR code band because we'll leave our complete guide to multi-URL QR codes for all the listeners out there. You can just see it in the description down below so you can learn more about it. And there's also the bulk QR code again that you can just use. You can generate 100 QR codes in one go. That would be so amazing. And for our marketers out there, even if you're creating a lot of other QR codes for different companies, you can check them easily via Zapier, HubSpot, and Google Analytics. Of course, because we have those integrations available. Right. So it's really important that we highlight that for them and also it's worth mentioning the social media QR code. We have like you can actually put multiple channel links in there so you can promote your channels in just one QR code. So that's perfect for all those other small and medium corporations and even big companies. You can totally do all that. And all right. So thanks Ben for answering all our questions. You're welcome. Yeah, and I hope you guys were able to learn from that. And as we all know, million dollar budgets won't cut it if your QR code TV ad just won't translate to your audio. If they won't be able to relate to it, then it's not really worth it. So most of the time an ad success is really about not the budget, but in your team's tenacity to go be outside the box and really challenge the norm. So by using QR codes, you're actually able to push the boundaries and close in more sales because more people can then just take out their phones and close a deal with your company with what you want them to do whether it's buy your product or just visit your website. And please, for your own good, for companies out there listening to this podcast until the very end. Thank you, by the way, but we just want to remind you always that scan your QR codes before you post them, whether it's for TV or offline or up on your online campaigns as well. And if you have any questions, please don't forget to leave them in the comments down below so we can address them in the next episode. Again, this has been Crystal and Ben. See you guys next time. Thanks for tuning in. Stay curious. Bye. Bye. The stay curious podcast is brought to you by QR Tiger, the most advanced QR code generator. If you find this episode insightful, go ahead and click the follow button to stay updated. If you know a marketer in need of QR code ideas, help them out by sharing the link to this podcast. See you next time!