Square Enix, a Japan based game designer, has decided to implement QR codes as part of their promotional activity for their latest ventures. Claiming to be the first company to conduct marketing on this scale involving the code, Square Enix’s campaign will focus on print and online media and will begin at the end of this month.
The ads will feature QR codes, allowing consumers to access exclusive content when scanned. Then the users will be able to download movies, demos and even full games straight to their phones. Days of being stuck at home to a computer or a T.V. are definately fading.
The campaign is tailored around Square Enix’s upcoming titles for its mobile gaming system, the PSP.
Square Enix has long been at the cutting edge of its industry and has gained the respect if its customers and competitors. This step into QR, while considered inevitable amongst their peers, may catch their fans off guard — particularly in the West.
QR codes originated in Japan and are used quite extensively in all manner of marketing. They are still somewhat exotic in western society and many people are not used to seeing the small black and white box.
Companies implementing the code stand to lose very little even if consumers do not respond favorably, as the codes themselves are low cost. QR codes have many innovative uses and it is up to businesses to find a balance in engaging their audience and making the contents of the code itself appealing.
The offer of exclusive content may be enough to draw in a younger or diehard audience, but others may ignore the codes…only time will tell for Square Enix.
