The barcodes were used at a massive event to enter into a contest where the consoles were up for grabs.
QR codes took a fun and unexpected center role at the recent PAX Prime 2013, where Mountain Dew and Doritos used the smartphone friendly barcodes to give the attendees the opportunity to win one of thousands of free Xbox One console systems that were being given away for free.
The latest in Microsoft’s all-in-one entertainment and gaming systems was a big draw for the brands and their customers.
The event featured dozens of top brands, but Mountain Dew and Doritos wanted to stand out to the attendees, who were there to get the latest in tech experiences. To do this, they had be make sure that they were relevant, and QR codes were the way that they chose to achieve that goal. Though the event’s online auctions don’t start until early November, Doritos and Mountain Dew decided to kick things off early.
On September 1, they held an “Every 2 Minutes” opportunity for scanners of QR codes who were present.
On Sunday, the QR codes were used starting from 9pm until midnight for a live nightly auction experience (which continues until November 5). They attendees were able to participate in the auction for thirty Xbox One systems, in addition to gaming headsets, additional merchandise, Xbox LIVE Gold subscription cards, and many others.
Among the bidders in that auction, six lucky people were able to obtain their Xbox One systems even before they become available for sale to the public. In order to qualify, smartphone and tablet users at the event had to scan the QR codes that were placed throughout the convention center at the event. There were more than 100 of the barcodes to be found at various locations for the “Every 2 Minutes” campaign.
When the QR codes were scanned by the attendees, using the official PAX Guidebook App (which as available for free at the event website) they would receive points. Redemption of those points provided the attendees with tickets for attending the live auction event. The points could also be redeemed for other merchandise at the DEW & Doritos Marketplace, and could be used for bidding for Xbox One consoles. Some of the barcodes provided more points than others, and while some were out in the open, others were much easier to find.