QR codes for posters

Driving interaction and response with Out of Home advertising

Cars driving on a street, there's a London bus. Ad advert is prominent for Elton John featuring a bespoke QR code to donate.

A 2022 report from Sightline, The DOOH Difference, showed that 94% of people found QR codes on DOOH to be useful, with 1 in 4 having scanned one.

QR codes exploded into mainstream popularity in 2020 when avoiding touch was essential. Brands have seized the moment. Everywhere from retail displays, floor stickers and even TV ads, QR codes can be seen lurking in the corner, in the hope of engagement to provide much loved metrics for marketers.

To get the most from their addition to outdoor advertising, there are 3 things to remember: environment, ease and exchange.

Environment

The OOH landscape is made up of different formats, which people engage with in different ways. When considering when and where to use QR codes, this makes life very simple.

Largely pedestrian, high-dwell-time, heavy-footfall environments within retail locations are perfect for using QR codes.

High-speed, largely roadside formats on busy arterial roads are not suitable, and QR codes are usually best avoided.

Outdoor digital billboard advertising BBC's Happy Valley with three characters and countryside background, with two cars driving past on a wet road.
Street scene with pedestrian digital ad for White Stuff showing a woman walking a dog, surrounded by buses and people.
Digital billboard outside a store showing a Knorr ad with two men and the text 'Beef or Beans, give it more with Knorr' with people walking by.
Digital display in a shopping mall showing an ad with a couple hugging and the text 'Together ≠ again' and 'Let's get back on track'.
Blurred crowd walking past an ASDA store entrance with a digital ad showing a hand pouring Nando's PERinaise sauce on a burger and text 'Flavour up your BBQ'.

Ease

To sensibly incorporate QR codes, and maximise their chance of engagement, think about where it features on the poster… literally and physically.

QR codes should be easy to scan for the best media experience.

Thinking about the Powerful Posters design for legibility advice, keep it simple, striking, succinct and sensible: place it up from the ground, make it high contrast and large enough to be scanned from a slight distance, with a clear call to action to explain what’s in it for those who scan.

Put the customer at the heart of the design, ensuring a sensible user experience, and above all, test the code in the real-world to make sure it works!

Advertisement featuring a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky and a glass of Johnnie & Lemon Highball with lemon garnish and a QR code for the recipe.

Exchange

Most crucially, give your customer a solid value exchange.

A simple link to a homepage is nothing a simple google search couldn’t do. Advertisers now have the opportunity for deeper engagement by providing specific links or curating specific product sets.

For example, fashion brands can link to what’s shown on the ad, or entertainment brands to exclusive content or local cinema times.

Other great examples include added value such as vouchers, product trials, competitions, discounts and other incentives, often in exchange for data capture.

Advertisement featuring two cartons of Mighty Mlk Ology plant-based milk in blue and green packaging next to a glass of milk with a QR code above it, promoting the product at Sainsbury's Selly Oak with the message: 'Hey Brummies! Try Mighty at Sainsbury's Selly Oak. It's not milk! Classic taste, 100% plant-based.'

Driving Action with OOH Advertising

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Blurred crowd walking past an ASDA store entrance with a digital ad showing a hand pouring Nando's PERinaise sauce on a burger and text 'Flavour up your BBQ'.

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Digital display in a shopping mall showing an ad with a couple hugging and the text 'Together ≠ again' and 'Let's get back on track'.