Mobile Marketing with QR Codes

Chances are you’ve seen these mysterious little barcodes of arranged squares of various sizes.  Japanese company Denso Wave created Quick Response codes, more commonly known as “QR Codes,” to be decoded at a high speed. This two-dimensional data matrix can hold 100 times more information than a traditional barcode and can be encoded with text, URL links, contact information, and binary information. A variety of free applications exist for smartphones that decode this information and display it for the information-seeker.

While the value of QR codes can be hard to measure, both artists and venues can use the codes to reach fans for almost any purpose. Venues can create QR codes that point directly to ticket-sales webpages. Bands can link a code to promotional contests or new videos posted on the Internet. Promoters can place QR codes on both printed and web-based content, and the codes can be scanned from any direction.

For ThunderTix venues, our branded PDF tickets allow for the placement of advertisements for upcoming events, coupons to local attractions, or even QR codes linking ticket buyers to websites containing interesting information. Venues might invite buyers to enter phone numbers for prizes or create websites that pull in Tweets, photos or other buzz about an event. A quick scan of the QR code by the buyer immediately pulls up the created site.

Promoters and fans can find QR-code reader applications and QR code generators online for free, making the technology a cost-efficient tool that can and should be utilized in delivering content and information to audience members. The QR code pictured above was created at www.QRstuff.com for free, and encodes a link to the ThunderTix blog.