OOH QR Codes Are Mostly INEFFECTIVE

Thinking QR Code for street-side large format billboard?  Think again.

By Amber Larkins, OOH Today Writer 

Remember when QR Codes were brand new and everyone thought they were the next big thing? So simple, so trendy. Users will just open up their phone’s camera app and be taken to a brand’s landing page where they can take action. It seemed like the perfect way to bridge the gap between digital and static to increase measurable engagement for out-of-home. 

However, audience behavior was not considered in this quest for the holy grail of tracking OOH performance. QR codes quickly lost popularity. Though they saw a resurgence in use during the pandemic, especially in places like restaurants, audiences are not rushing to pull out their phones every time they see a QR code on an advertisement. 

What’s more, there are a number of situations where QR codes just don’t make sense for out-of-home. Can you scan a QR code on a Billboard from 50 feet away as you are driving 60mph down a highway? No!

QR codes also don’t work well for programmatic advertising. Just think, a person has 10-15 seconds to register your message, pull out their phone, open their camera app and scan. With regular DOOH, maybe that person is so excited by your message that they hang around until the ad replays, but with programmatic there is no guarantee that it will play again on that screen. 

So are QR codes ever effective? Think about how you behave when you are out and about and see a QR code. What makes you want to scan it? It usually works best when you are offering exclusive sales and discounts in your messaging that can only be obtained through scanning the QR code. 

OK, now what about the format? Mobile Billboards, truckside, rideshare, and transit are out. It is difficult to scan a QR code on a moving vehicle. Billboards are out as mentioned before. However, street-level media, such as posters, street furniture, and eye-level static posters within retail centers can be an effective way to drive traffic to a site, increase app downloads, and increase sales for brands. 

However, you’ll also want to consider the size of the QR code in relation to the optimal viewing area. If you have a gigantic QR code on a large poster or wall near a sidewalk, then those who are walking by your ad will be unable to scan it. Likewise, if your QR code is too small, audiences likely won’t even notice it. 

Final verdict: Be thoughtful when implementing a QR code campaign. Think about the media and how the audience will be interacting and engaging with it.  Also, consider the creative and messaging for the campaign. Does the viewer have adequate incentive to pull out their phone, open the camera app, and navigate to the app or site? Many locations, mediums, formats, and creatives simply will not work well for QR code engagement and most audiences are not scanning QR codes to begin with.

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