The global TV ad revenue was $169 billion in 2021. And despite the rise of the internet and streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, this figure is projected to reach $185 billion by 2026.
TV advertising is on the rise, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. So, if you’re thinking of running TV ads, go for it.
But TV advertising, like everything else, is changing. The increasing adoption of smart TVs and the emergence of interactive advertising have encouraged marketers to rethink their TV advertising strategies.
You can capitalize upon these trends by incorporating QR codes into your TV ads.
Not sure where to begin? Hang in there.
Here’s all you need to know about using QR codes for TV ads.
Table of Contents
- How does a QR code on TV ads work?
- Five-step process to create TV ad with QR code
- Best ways to use a QR code on your TV ads
- Some mistakes to avoid when using QR codes for TV ads
- Final thoughts
How does a QR code on TV ads work?
If you’re new to QR codes, you might be wondering how a QR code on a TV ad would work. So, let’s understand it first.
To make things easier, let’s divide a typical TV ad into two parts:
- Advertisement video
- Call to action (CTA)
The advertisement video comprises the main content of the ad. Whatever story you want to tell or the point you want to make will be covered in the video.
The call to action (CTA) concludes the ad by telling the audience what action they need to take.
The CTA can vary from ad to ad. For instance, if you want to bring people to your restaurant, the CTA would be “Visit our restaurant” or something similar. Likewise, if you want people to download your app, the CTA will be “Download our app.”
Problem with online actions
Nowadays, many brands run TV ads to increase app downloads or bring people to their websites. However, asking TV viewers to visit a website or download an app isn’t essentially the best strategy.
Viewers will have to open their phones/PCs and manually visit the website or download the app. It’s tedious and time-consuming. As a result, many people will just not take action.
QR codes to the rescue
You can make your TV ads more actionable with QR codes. Instead of displaying your website URL or app name in the TV ad, you can create a QR code for your website or app and show it in the ad. Users can simply scan the QR code to visit the website or download the app.
Therefore, QR codes make your TV ads actionable.
QR codes are highly versatile. Apart from sending people to your website or app download link, you can bring them to social media profiles, digital business cards, downloadable PDFs, images & videos, and so on.
Five-step process to create TV ad with QR code
Having discussed how QR codes work in TV ads and their benefits, let’s help you make a concrete, actionable TV advertisement with QR codes.
Determine if QR codes will fit in your marketing strategy
First, determine if QR codes are right for you. Even though all brands can use QR codes in some way, every brand is different. Just because one of your competitors used QR codes and saw results, it doesn’t mean you, too, should hop on the bandwagon.
If you want to use QR codes in your TV ads, you need to first brainstorm how QR codes can enhance your ads. So, go for QR codes only if you feel they can make your ads more impactful and engaging,
Discover the scope of QR codes in your TV ad
Now, let’s move to the actual ideation process. Here, you need to figure out how you’d use a QR code in your TV ad. This will depend on your product and the ad’s objective.
Let’s say you’re a sportswear brand like Nike and want to promote your latest basketball shoe collection. The purpose of the ad is to inform the viewers about the new collection and encourage them to go to your website and make purchases.
In this case, you can create a QR code for your website or eCommerce store and show it in your ad. Viewers can scan the QR code to visit the website and make a purchase.
Create a QR code for your TV ad
Now that you know the role of the QR code in your TV ad, it’s time to create a QR code. Here’s how to do that:
- Visit qrcodechimp.com and click on the Solutions tab.
- Choose a Solution depending on the QR code you want to create. For example, if you want to make a URL QR code, select the URL solution.
- Enter the URL of the website that you want the viewers to visit.
- Click on “Decorate, Design, and Customize.” Decorate your QR code using QR shapes, colors, stickers, logos, etc., to give it a fantastic look and align it with your brand.
- Click on Save QR Code, give it a name, select a folder if needed, and save the QR code.
That’s it! Your QR code is now ready to be included in your TV ad.
Create a TV ad and incorporate your QR code into it
The next step is creating the ad and including your QR code. Create an amazing ad that hooks the viewers and compels them to take action. Lastly, place the QR code in the ad and support it with relevant text and voiceover.
Make your campaign live
The last step is to make your TV ad live. Don’t forget to track the performance of your TV ads by keeping a close eye on the QR code scans and corresponding actions.
Note: Always create a dynamic QR code so that you can track its scans and edit its contents in real-time.
Best ways to use a QR code on your TV ads
QR codes are highly versatile, and you can use them in various ways to enhance your TV ads. Here are some effective ways to use QR codes in your TV ads.
Bring viewers to your website
The most prominent application of QR codes is to bring users to your website. If you want your target audience to visit your website and take action, create a QR code for your website and show it on your TV ad.
Share your social media profiles
Social media is no longer optional for brands. But bringing TV viewers to your social media profiles isn’t easy. If you ask people to follow you on social media, they’ll need to manually search your social profile and follow you.
You can expedite this process by creating a QR code for social media profiles and showing it on your TV ad. Viewers can visit your profile instantly by scanning the QR code.
Promote app downloads
Many brands use TV ads to promote app downloads, and rightly so. Mobile apps are one of the best channels to engage consumers and cultivate customer loyalty. You can use an App Download QR code in your TV ad to promote your app and allow users to download it easily.
Bring consumers to product pages and drive sales
You can also use QR codes on TV ads to send viewers directly to a product page and drive sales. If your ad promotes a specific product, you can create a QR code for the product page and enable consumers to purchase it instantly.
Some mistakes to avoid when using QR codes for TV ads
Incorporating QR codes into your TV ads can make your campaigns more impactful, engaging, and actionable. However, you should avoid these mistakes if you want your ad campaigns to be successful:
Not displaying the QR code for long enough
A QR code takes only a second to scan. But not all TV viewers are ready with their phones to scan a QR code. When a QR code pops up on the screen, they’ll need some time to pull out their phones, open the camera, and scan it.
Therefore, show the QR code for at least five seconds so the users have enough time to scan the QR code.
Not showing a high-resolution QR code
Printing a QR code on paper is entirely different from showing it on a screen. When you display a QR code on the screen, its resolution drops, making the QR code blurry.
While the clarity of the QR code will depend on the resolution of the user’s TV, you can create a clear, high-resolution QR code to increase its scannability.
Not using a proper call to action
Though QR codes are fairly common, and everyone knows about them, people may be hesitant to scan them, especially if their purpose isn’t clear. By including a CTA with your QR code, you can tell viewers what they should do and what they’ll get in return.
For instance, if you want your audience to scan a QR code to visit your website, use a CTA like “Scan to visit our website.” This way, users will know what to do, resulting in more scans and higher engagement.
Not decorating your QR code
QR codes look pretty much the same — black and white, square-shaped. If you want your QR codes to stand out and grab your audience’s attention, create unique, compelling QR codes.
QRCodeChimp offers QR shapes, colors, stickers, and other customization options to make your QR codes look fantastic.
Not selecting the right QR code size
Lastly, choose the right size for your QR code. Keep in mind that people view the TV from a distance of at least a few meters. So, the displayed QR code should be large enough to be scanned from a distance.
Your QR code should be as large as possible, preferably covering the entire screen.
Final thoughts
To sum things up, TV advertising is changing rapidly. Smart TVs and OTT platforms have shifted the audience’s behavior, pushing advertisers to rethink their TV advertising strategy.
QR codes are gaining popularity among TV advertisers for their omnichannel capabilities and the ability to make TV ads actionable and trackable.
So, if you want to make your TV ads more impactful, engaging, and actionable, QR codes are the way to go.
Want to enhance your TV ads with QR codes? Sign up for QRCodeChimp to get started.