• Participants in ESET’s SXSW scavenger hunt could either decode the clues using a mobile app, or receive their next clue via text message
• While QR codes are becoming more popular, the majority of people do not know what they are
• QR codes can be very powerful as an option, but are horrible as a requirement

The interactive portion of Austin’s annual South by Southwest (SXSW) has become a paradise for the tech savvy, and where a crowd like that goes, marketers are not far behind. But making an impact in one of the most promotion-saturated events can be difficult.

The challenge
ESET, a leading global antivirus software company, planned a large-scale immersion campaign targeting downtown Austin during the annual conference, with tactics ranging from radio, billboards, and a fleet of wrapped cars, to more unconventional “experiences.” These experiences included installations such as an interactive wall display that reacts to passers-by on the sidewalk, and a plexiglass-enclosed laptop covered in hundreds of live cockroaches. One of the more popular elements of the campaign was sure to be a photo booth which unexpectedly produces fake IDs using a likeness of the visitor. But one key question remained: How could we drive traffic to these experiences during SXSW?

The solution
Red Door Interactive devised a mobile scavenger hunt in which participants could use their mobile devices to locate and decipher simple, but engaging clues designed to drive foot traffic to four of the campaign installations and provide concentrated exposure to the brand. The prize? The first 200 to complete the hunt received a retail version of ESET’s NOD32 antivirus software, and were entered to win a $2,000 Sony VAIO laptop.

The 2D barcodes seen here are called QR codes. We choose these codes we believe they are becoming more viable, and this emerging technology matches our segment. After planning the scavenger hunt, we learned that SXSW organizers were planning to integrate QR technology into the event credentials, further reinforcing our direction.

Each clue card in the scavenger hunt included a QR code, as well as alternate instructions. As outlined in my previous post, participants could either read the barcode using a mobile app, or simply receive their next clue in a text message after sending the clue keyword to an SMS short code.

The best way to experience the scavenger hunt is to watch the following YouTube video documentary of two contestants going through the hunt.

The results

• 501 SMS interactions
• 70 percent of participants completed the hunt
• 67 percent of overall participants at any point were from Austin
• 55 percent of the people who completed the hunt were from Austin
• 78 percent of Austin participants completed
• 62 percent of participants from outside Austin completed
• 53 percent of the people that completed using QR were from Austin
• 55 percent completed using QR

We were pleasantly surprised to see that more than half of the finalists using QR were from Austin, as we expected that segment to be dominated by people in town for the conference. We did not gather any data that suggests that those groups are exclusive, and it stands to reason that many of the Austin finalists were also conference attendees. We were able to attract the attention of tech-savvy Austinites, which was a campaign goal.

During a test run in Austin, prior to SXSW, we discovered that only 7 percent of the finalists were using the QR codes. The SXSW event showed a much better response to QR, with more than half completing the hunt in that fashion.

Tips and learnings
If you are considering doing a similar promotion with QR codes, here are some challenges, solutions, and key learnings we found in executing the scavenger hunt.

Tracking: Without requiring a proprietary reader app, you cannot directly track the number of people who scan a QR code, and you will need to pass the interaction through another layer.

Limited reach: While QR codes are becoming more popular, the majority of people do not know what they are, nor do they know how or if their phone can read them.

QR codes and mobile web pages: Although up to 4k of text can be encoded in a QR code, there are three key advantages to simply encoding a URL, and using the subsequent mobile web page to deliver content. The first reason is flexibility: QR codes are static, and once they are created, the encoded information cannot be changed.

The second reason is measurability: As mentioned, we cannot directly track scans of QR codes, but we can measure resultant page views.

The final reason is simplicity: While the QR format can support a fairly large block of content, the codes become more complex. This results in reduced readability, particularly for print applications and situations where lighting may be less than ideal.

In short, QR codes can be very powerful as an option, but are horrible as a requirement.

CWT Connect Now is being rolled out in Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, where the travel management company began testing with clients in December. The service will be available in Austria and Italy in the coming weeks and in Germany in April, according to global and midmarket marketing director for global sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa Crystèle Erdmann, who added that there are plans to expand the product outside of Europe.

CWT generally is targeting companies that annually spend less than €7 million on total travel, but that figure varies by market. the target market in the Netherlands is corporations that spend less than €700,000 annually, for example, and in the United Kingdom less than £4 million, Erdmann said.

Like other midmarket pricing models announced in recent weeks, CWT is using a simple plan based on transactions. There are no additional costs for such services as implementation, administration and data hosting.

While CWT Connect Now bundles technologies like CWT’s Program Management Center travel manager portal and Policy Messenger communications technology, the online booking tool is a new product that uses the Amadeus booking engine and has access to content on all major global distribution systems. CWT also is integrating online booking with alternative forms of payment, such as the increasingly popular direct bank transfers and online payment accounts through global providers like PayPal and local services like iDeal in the Netherlands.

Several suppliers have turned a sharper eye toward the midmarket of late, as it has showed better growth than larger corporations (BTNonline, March 8 ). Erdmann said CWT Connect Now development began in December 2006. “Some years ago, in regards to moving online and adopting software to handle customer relationship or supply chain management all the large groups were the first to align their processes for software and automation,” said Erdmann. “It’s time for the SMEs to come to that.”

Original

The pull is obvious. The convenience of having all the information you could possibly need at your fingertips from your own living room is pretty hard to beat. And it really is all the information you could need. In fact, the typical surfer now has more information available to them from home than a travel agent in a High Street agency would have had just over five years ago. Not only can a consumer compare prices from hundreds of travel companies within seconds, but they can also find independent consumer reviews on resorts, specific hotels and even holidays reps! Add to that the ability to book and research 24 hours a day, in your pajamas if you wish, and the Internet has proven to be an unbeatable competitor for the High Street agencies, with many companies choosing to shift much of their High Street operation into telephone call centres and online operations.

As the Internet finds its way into even more homes and ever more consumers become Internet savvy, the number of consumers booking luxury holidays online looks set only to increase.

Only Exclusive Travel is a travel company specialising in high end, luxury holidays and honeymoons.

Original

I really think is a great idea, and actually I also think it would make easier live to drivers. And more that we think if it has the possibility to be used without needing the hands because it would be appear the telephone number of the hotel so the driver can make a call in 5 seconds to reserve a room.

For me, that I love to travel by car, it’s a great step. But when are we going to have a TomTom explaining us the different turist attractions of a village, city or the monuments that we are seeing while we are arriving to our destination? Or… why it does not explain us those places, those interesting places  to see once we ar in our destination while the GPS is telling us: “On the right hand side  is the Eiffel Tower  that it could be builded thanks of Édouard Lockroy Minister of Industry and Commerce that opened the 1st May 1886 the official competition of the ‘universal exhibition of 1889′ where the winner was Gustave Eiffel, and inaugurated the 31st March 1889″?.  In the meantime the children are looking and hearing from behind because probably they had not read  the wonderful guide you gave them before leaving home.

From my point of view it would be a great opportunity to download all that touristic  and cultural information depending on the city, village that is going to be our destination.

The idea was given by Ricard Cañada.

Spanish

Great Video where Chris Brogan is questioning  how to use Social Media tools if, for example, what we want is to increase our sales as a company.