Mobile marketing has made its way to Green Bay, Wisconsin. QR codes are starting to spring up everywhere in the city as more local businesses take advantage of them. The codes have a unique advertising appeal that is unmatched by any other marketing method. As smart phone use becomes more widespread, QR codes are being recognized for their ability to dynamically engage consumers, drawing them in where traditional advertising fails.
Larry Obermann, owner of Fastsigns, a company specializing in visual communications solutions, has become a fan of the little black and white barcodes. Obermann believes that QR codes have changed the face of advertising. Because production of the codes is so inexpensive, small businesses now have the ability to stand toe-to-toe with competitors that have exhaustive advertising budgets.
Given the striking appearance of the codes, they are more likely to catch the eye of consumers, especially when they are too busy to stop and stare at traditional advertisements.
“We’re all on the go, that makes it a really relevant application,” says Obermann. “QR is a novel way of marketing. You can do so many things with it beyond a website.”
Obermann has been attributing the codes to signs for clients. He has also been using them for his own business as a way to distribute digital coupons for discounts on his services. He estimates that a full-fledged mobile marketing campaign, complete with mobile website hosting, to be no more than $1,800 a year. With that value, he will likely continue using the codes until something better comes along.
