Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The impact of the QR Code on the promotional products industry

Tampa Bay--Businesses small and large are starting to cash in on the wildly popular QR (Quick Reach or Quick Response) Code. The first and most obvious reaction by business owners is to add the code to existing print material, such as business cards, flyers and brochures, signage and display print advertising. And although the QR Code provides a terrific connection between the offline advertising and a mobile online presence, many businesses are asking the question "What more can I do to be effective with my advertising message?" 


The best answer so far has been an increased use of promotional products to further disseminate the brand and message of the advertiser. A useful and profitable tool for years, promo products have carried the branding message for thousands of businesses especially in their local markets. Here again, the QR Code bridges the gap between these promotional products and the online mobile presence of the business advertiser. Everything from key chains to stress balls, letter openers and a host of unique and inexpensive products are now back in play! The QR Code provides a far more 'sticky' message and a much-increased response rate to the business advertiser's branding attempts. Many promotional products available today can create a very tailored campaign for many businesses looking for the response rate that will justify their investment. 

For example, a packet of sun tan lotion or sunblock with a QR Code printed on it becomes an interactive experience for related businesses (say, along a beach front stretch) to entice customers to come to their restaurant or souvenir shop. A tasty square of foil-wrapped chocolate with a QR Code printed on it is a definite winner in a trade show or festival environment. The strategies are as numerous as the products that are currently available from some the the country's top promotional products companies. Businesses that choose to point their QR Code at a Quick Reach Media Mobile Web solution site WITH VIDEO are already using a variety of promotional products to drive substantial traffic to their mobile site and increasing their brand awareness, customers and revenues while much of the business community is still sitting on the sidelines.