Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing is a hot topic today, and for good reason. Hotels are already reaping major results by reaching consumers through their mobile devices. More on that subject in future posts.  Today let’s talk about the future. With so much focus on the problems of today, it’s fun sometimes to think about what life will be like not so far down the road.

QR Code. Chances are if you are over 26 years old you haven’t heard of QR code, but you will. It stands for “Quick Response” and is basically an interactive barcode. Below is an example:

QR codes are easy to generate, and they can contain lots of different messages. You can program the barcode to contain a website URL, text, and address or even a meeting request from Outlook.  In the code above, I programmed a brief prediction for 2010. Consumers with a camera-enabled cell phone can download a free QR code reader. Simply take a picture of the code and the QR reader converts the message and displays it instantly. On the surface the technology seems novel but not groundbreaking. But when you dig deeper, things get interesting.

Take for example the story of Editoras, an online bookstore targeting the Brazilian market. To create awareness for their product, they posted QR codes throughout a large Brazilian city. When a user scanned the code they received a pre-screened message of love or hate. The messages were actually feeds from real-life users on Twitter. Several weeks later they published a book that contained just QR codes pointing to additional sentences of love and hate. The best part: the book is a living, breathing entity. Every few weeks Editoras updates the sentences. Users are able to scan the book over time and see different content. There is a great four-minute video about the project located here.

QR codes are everywhere overseas, particularly in Asia. Adoption rates in the U.S. are gaining momentum, and some companies have begun to adopt the technology as a piece of their marketing campaigns. Take for example some of the images below:

The applications for hotels are too numerous to list in this blog, but here are a couple fun thoughts.  My favorite idea is how QR Code could be applied to direct mail. You could easily send a direct mail piece containing a QR code to loyal guests and ask them to simply hang it on their refrigerator and scan it once a week to see a new offer. The result–one marketing piece with offers that remain relevant for months or even years. Along those same lines, using this code would allow marketers to measure “open rates” and ongoing activity for direct mail pieces. This would result in far better ROI measurement and campaign optimization.

Another interesting thought involves how QR can be used at a property. Imagine a guest who could simply scan a QR code in their room and a message would immediately be sent to the valet to bring around their car. The possibilities are quite exciting to consider.

I predict QR Code becomes mainstream over the next two to three years. Those who jump in first and work to understand how the code can be applied will gain another marketing advantage over their competition.

To play with a QR code generator click here. If anyone has dabbled with QR or has ideas about how it could be adapted for the hospitality industry, please post a comment below.