Magazines rely on advertisers to keep them going. This, more or less, is the law of the land as far as publishing goes. There are many factors that go into determining what advertisements best suit a publication readership, all of which can be very technical. Conde-Nast, publisher of some of the most popular magazines in the world, is taking a new approach to this process in their Glamour publication by using the champion of the mobile marketing industry: QR codes.
Glamour magazine has already had plans to incorporate the codes into its pages. They will be used to provide readers with exclusive content and the ability to connect with other readers in a veritable social network. Many of the magazines advertisements will have the code stamped on them as well, giving readers the opportunity to “Like” what they see.
The codes, when scanned, will resolve to an advertisers Facebook page, through which readers will show their favor of their efforts and leave comments.
“The most compelling part of this,” says Bill Wackermann, executive vice president and publishing director for Conde-Nast, “is that we will be helping out advertisers build their social footprints.” Wackermann hopes that advertisers will begin to see a more detailed picture than what statistics are telling them. Market research can only go so far if you’re only listening to a hundred people when you could be listening to thousands.
The codes will begin appearing in the September issue of Glamour magazine and will continue through the rest of the year.
