25 Creative QR Code Ideas for Marketing
It's tough to make an impression. It’s even harder to make a connection. Modern marketing is oversaturated, overcomplicated, and very often beside the point. You need to get to your audience directly connected to your message or product — preferably on their terms, and as quickly as possible so as to not miss the moment.
QR codes have had a renaissance in the recent past, and adoption by marketers and smartphone users has exploded. These “quick response” codes are a type of barcode that resemble square-shaped grids, readable with digital devices like smartphones, and capable of holding much more information than a traditional barcode. Read on and dive into the creative possibilities for all kinds of communication efforts, get inspired with 25 innovative QR code ideas for marketing, and generate your own to use in our free, remixable templates from Adobe Express.
Summary/Overview
Unpacking the potential of QR codes as marketing tools
A well-placed QR code helps close the gap and quickly unpack information. According to a 2021 Pew Research study, 85 percent of Americans own a smartphone, meaning that virtually every kind of person already has QR code scanning capabilities in the palm of their hand. Integrating QR codes into marketing strategies presents an array of benefits.
QR codes that take people to web pages they weren’t expecting, or forms they don’t want to fill out, won’t help your business. When implemented well, QR codes are an excellent source of touchpoint browsing, simplifying the action you want the customer to take. QR codes can lead to coupons and special promotions, make buying items a breeze, and even eliminate the need for users to download apps. These codes can also facilitate connecting on social media, leaving reviews, and consolidating long URLs, making what could be a convoluted process quick and easy.
Benefits and advantages of incorporating QR codes in campaigns
There are certain concrete benefits to using QR codes, regardless of how you utilize them toward your communications and marketing objectives:
Data-driven insights: QR codes provide valuable analytics data that can help refine your campaigns. By tracking QR code scans, you can gather information on when and where their marketing materials are being accessed. This data enables informed decisions about when and how to use these codes.
Audience engagement metrics: QR codes measure audience engagement in real-time, tallying critical information like the number of interactions with your content driven by a QR code, audience persona data, location, and more.
Conversion tracking: QR codes enable precise conversion tracking, which is essential for assessing the success of a marketing campaign. They can be linked to specific landing pages or promotions, making it easy to monitor the number of conversions or sales generated through QR code interactions. This data helps in optimizing marketing strategies to maximize ROI.
Cost Benefits: Utilizing QR codes in a marketing campaign can significantly reduce costs associated with traditional marketing methods. Printing QR codes on marketing materials is often more cost-effective than producing elaborate multipage print materials, and the ability to track user engagement and campaign performance lets you be sure of your marketing ROI.
QR codes are a convenient way to share information without the need for typing long URLs and can foster a more physical or human kind of curiosity and engagement, driving users to interact with brands on a deeper level than when looking at an online or print ad alone. And they are cost-effective and versatile — suiting various industries and campaign goals by more seamlessly merging their offline and online initiatives, crafting immersive brand experiences.
Consider a coffee shop trying to up its social media game. The shop owners could ask you to follow them on social media via a sign with the business’ social handle written down, hoping the customer will take the information down and use it at some point. Or the coffee shop could use a QR code to advertise their social media channels, which requires only one customer action: a simple scan of the code, which opens to the shop’s social media account where the customer simply clicks to follow.
Standing out with scans: noteworthy QR code uses
Streamlining the dining experience in restaurants, revolutionizing how fans find their way across the music industry, immersive tours melding the physical and digital worlds — there are countless examples that showcase the adaptability of QR codes and their role in enabling interactive and connected experiences. These examples not only illustrate the versatility of QR codes, but also demonstrate how they have become an integral part of modern media and marketing interactions.
McDonald's creative QR code-based ordering system
McDonald’s, that “Billions served” purveyor of burger of fries, used QR codes to connect prospective employees with job openings in France. “Using the iconicity and simplicity of McDonald’s to make QR codes that facilitate young people to apply, no matter where they are and who they are, in the most inclusive way possible, with the very thing they handle most confidently: their phones.” Using icon-ified illustrations of their iconic offerings that incorporated an apparent but subtle QR code, McDonald’s successfully kicked off connections to their desired audience by making that process of first contact unintimidating and intuitive.
Spotify's music discovery journey through QR codes
For any song, album, artist, or playlist, Spotify employs a kind of QR code to amplify music discovery wherever someone can point a smartphone. Artists and creators can generate QR codes for playlists or songs, which listeners can scan to instantly access the tracks, helping listeners hear that new sound immediately — whether from print ads, billboards, museums, and beyond.
5 creative QR code ideas for marketing
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Interactive business cards: Transform traditional business cards into portals to your digital presence.
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Scavenger hunts: Create engaging treasure hunts by placing QR codes at various locations, revealing clues for participants.
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Event registrations: Simplify event sign-ups by linking QR codes to registration forms, saving attendees time and effort.
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Instant feedback: Gather customer opinions by directing QR scans to surveys and feedback forms.
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Product information: Attach QR codes to products, offering users quick access to detailed specifications and reviews.
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Discounts and coupons: Generate excitement with exclusive discounts accessible through QR code scans.
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Virtual property tours: Real estate agents can provide virtual property tours by linking QR codes to immersive 3D walkthroughs.
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Menu decoders: Restaurants can offer dietary information and ingredient details via QR codes on menus.
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Augmented reality experiences: Combine QR codes with AR for captivating and interactive brand experiences.
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Dating apps: Simplify connections by enabling users to share profiles through QR code scans.
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Bookmarks for e-books: Readers can bookmark pages and return to them later by scanning QR codes.
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Digital storefronts: Link QR codes on physical store displays to corresponding online product pages.
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Language translation: Museums and tourist spots can offer multilingual information via QR codes.
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Educational resources: Teachers can share reading materials and resources with students using QR codes.
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Charity campaigns: Drive donations by linking QR codes to heartfelt campaign videos.
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Fitness workouts: Fitness centers can offer exercise routines and instructional videos through QR codes.
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Behind-the-scenes content: Provide exclusive glimpses into your brand's inner-workings through QR code-accessed videos.
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Customer testimonials: Place QR codes on packaging for users to scan and view authentic customer reviews.
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Instant app downloads: Link QR codes directly to app stores for frictionless downloads.
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Travel guides: Enhance travel experiences by offering QR-guided tours and local recommendations.
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Fashion lookbooks: Fashion brands can showcase their collections through QR-linked digital lookbooks.
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Art gallery guides: Museums can provide visitors with audio guides and artist insights via QR codes.
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J ob applications: Streamline hiring processes by directing applicants to online application forms.
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Support and FAQs: Assist customers by connecting them to comprehensive support resources.
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Interactive billboards: Turn passive outdoor ads into interactive experiences with QR codes revealing more information.
How to make a QR code
Connect with your audience, share your profile, improve customer experience and increase engagement by adding QR codes to your collateral and campaigns in a few simple steps. For a quick and easy way to get people to your website, social media accounts, and other online resources, use the Adobe Express QR code creator. All you need is your mobile device or computer — you don't have to download special software or apps to use the Adobe Express QR creator.
Adobe Express has thousands of expertly designed templates where you can add a QR code and drive viewers to content like your websites, social accounts, videos, campaigns, landing pages, brochures, examples of your work, and review pages. Get started using the following steps.
Generate: Open the QR code generator, enter a URL, and tap Create QR Code. The image instantly changes to show your new QR code. Pro tip: paste in the URL rather than typing it in the field. That way, it's sure to be correct.
Personalize: Customize the style and color of your free generated QR code to match your branding. Consider making a few versions in different formats if you want to track scans or usage statistics.
Continue editing in Adobe Express: Choose your preferred file type and download the QR code image. Resize your QR code without losing resolution when you save as an SVG file or upload it to any Adobe Express project or template to keep editing.
