The 2022 edition of Advertising Week New York has come and gone, but not before we left our mark on the occasion.
Bitly CEO Toby Gabriner took to the stage at The Creative Showcase on October 18th to talk QR Codes. While the pixelated squares have surged in popularity throughout the pandemic, Toby pointed to Bitly’s latest QR Code Report to show that, even before 2020, QR Codes have been trending upward as people continue to discover new and unique ways to connect customers and companies.
“Why are QR Codes becoming such a core part of the way in which we live now?” Toby asked rhetorically.
He answered, “A lot of it has to do with the fact that we’re inundated with information and data across all channels and apps. It’s pervasive and it’s always on. We are constantly being flooded by requests for our attention from companies, brands, influencers, and creators. It has created a bit of a paradigm shift. The control or power is moving more and more to users to have the ability to initiate the connections with the brands they want to interact with.”
“As you can guess, the primary way that is all happening is custom links, branded links, and QR Codes,” he concluded.
And QR Code use wasn’t just the result of the pandemic or a “flash in the pan” during it. Our report shows massive growth in overall usage in the U.S. and continued adoption globally.
While you might be most familiar with the QR Code as a digital menu at your local restaurant, its existence is so much more ubiquitous than you might realize. We’ve seen creative use cases and massive growth from pandemic-impacted industries like real estate, entertainment and events, tourism, and retail as restrictions began to lift. And now, QR Code use is exploding in major sectors like finance, healthcare, government services, and education. Simply put, QR Codes are here to stay, and they will continue to evolve in diverse and innovative ways.
How Marvel’s Use of QR Codes Brings Fans a Bit Closer to Their Superheroes
Marvel’s use of our QR Codes is one of the shining examples of how they were able to engage their fans like never before, bringing them a bit closer to their favorite superheroes.
“We realized the story would come to life if we had one of our customers bring the trends we’re seeing to life. And there’s no better company to do that than Marvel,” Toby said.
Toby was then joined on stage by Marvel Entertainment’s VP of Marketing Jessica Malloy to highlight the creative uses of QR Codes in their Disney+ shows Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
“For Moon Knight, it was about bringing him into the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) for fans, but also to activate comic diehards who may be aware of the 40 years of comic history of this character,” Mallory explained. “We arrived at putting QR Codes into the shows to drive people to a free download of a digital comic book. It was a fun way to make it interactive for fans and extend the storytelling.”
The results were massive. The selectively placed “easter eggs” were delightfully found by fans and shared across social media, sites like Reddit, and in the press, leading to over 2.5 million hits to the Moon Knight landing page and over 750,000 downloads of the bonus comic book.
And given the success of this digital-to-digital campaign, Marvel was eager to test QR Codes in other areas, particularly the return of live, in-person events.
The two went on to discuss other ways Marvel Entertainment had incorporated the pixelated square into their marketing efforts, like physical activations at Comic-Con and digital activations to prompt app downloads at online streaming events. “We like QR Codes when we can take brand awareness campaigns and turn them into direct action,” Jessica stated.
Bitly QR Codes found at Comic-Con took attendees waiting in line for actor appearances and other events to Marvel’s new mobile comic book experience, providing them with the opportunity to purchase merchandise in real-time.
Marvel was also able to connect to their avid fans by offering second-screen content via QR Codes, escorting viewers of live-streaming events directly to landing pages and apps on their mobile devices, all while not taking them away from the main screen experience.
Key Takeaway from Marvel’s Success With Bitly QR Codes
Want to be as successful as Marvel Entertainment in incorporating QR Codes in your experiences and marketing endeavors? Jessica Mallory has some advice: “To use QR Codes in our activations, it has to drive to something that’s interesting or entertaining or drive utility. And to have a clear call to action.”
One thing is clear—we are just starting to see the potential of these scannable squares. By integrating QR Codes in fun and exciting ways, you can form more meaningful connections with your audience, unlocking the opportunity for more engagement, brand loyalty, and conversions.
A Single Unified Platform
QR Codes are not, of course, Bitly’s sole offering. Our mission is to be a catalyst for connections: Customers can shorten and customize links, create QR Codes, curate their Bitly Link-in-bio, and track performance from one place—the Bitly Connections Platform.
Bitly is a one-stop-shop for link management and analytics; a marketer’s, creator’s, business owner’s, and comic book maker’s dream. Get started today and start growing your connections.