430 CHAPTER 13 DIRECT MARKETINGDirect response print advertising is not addressable and not individually targeted at one single
consumer. The ad is placed in a mass medium (newspaper or magazine). The primary goal of
direct response ads is to select interested consumers or companies from a large audience.
Direct response advertising is also a good way to provide interested consumers and prospects
with more information than can be ‘packed’ in a traditional ad. By responding, the interested
potential customer can obtain more detailed information, for instance by mail (receiving a
catalogue) or online when the reader is directed to the company’s or brand’s website. Ads with
a coupon seem to be quite effective in that they are able to produce up to 20% better attention
scores than other ads.
Nowadays a lot of print campaigns contain a black and white square, called a Quick
Response Code (QR-code). Formerly designed for the automotive industry to track parts, the
QR-code became common in consumer advertising and packaging, because of the popularity
of smart phones functioning as a barcode reader. As a result, the QR-code has become the
focus in advertising strategies and tactics since it provides a quick and effortless access to the
brand’s website. It also increases the conversion rate by coaxing qualified prospects further
down the conversion funnel without any delay or effort, bringing the viewer immediately to
the advertiser’s site, where a longer and more targeted sales pitch may continue.^24 According
to the Multichannel Merchant survey released in June 2012, 47% of the respondents said
they are using QR-codes, an increase from just 8% the year before; 63.2% are using them in
their print catalogues, while 47.4% are using them in postcards and/or other non-catalogue
mail pieces.^25
A recent report from ScanLife found that consumers scanned 13 million QR-codes, an
increase of 157% year on year in the first quarter of 2012. The most popular QR-code marketing
campaigns are delivering video, app downloads and product details.^26 An online study by
SKOPOS revealed that 24% of Germans had used a QR-code, citing the ability to retrieve
information quickly without the need to input a web address. However, only 4% of Germans
are regular users of QR-codes. In the UK the QR-code usage is 12%. But no less than 74% of
QR-code users in the UK said they had had a bad experience with it.^27
QR-codes can also be used to build an e-mail subscriber list. If a company uses a QR-code
to send people to an e-mail signup, the company should make sure to give them a good reason
to subscribe to the list. A QR-code can even be integrated automatically to make a phone call
or generate a short text message.^28In the summer of 2011, Speedo launched ‘ The Speedo Pace Club’, a new website and mobile application that
uses video, informative editorial, social activation and training modules to empower swimmers. To support this
launch, an integrated consumer and new media campaign was designed to enhance traffic to the site, using
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Also, mobile was incorporated into the new Speedo 2012 Racing Catalogue, which
features Speedo’s first ever QR-codes, providing new and relevant content to Speedo customers. Catalogue
readers who scan a QR-code can view video interviews with competitive swimmers talking about how they use a
particular item.^29
Speedo largely used the codes in its 2012 Spring Performance catalogue. The company is not using the spon-
sored athletes in mass media to state that these athletes are using a certain Speedo product and praise its benefits.
Instead the company did this with the QR-code videos in order to convince the consumer to buy this product in the
last phase of the buying cycle.^30business insight
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