QR Codes Rule In Kellogg Mobile Campaign

Kellogg Co. recently launched a mobile marketing campaign for its Crunchy Nut cereal that employed both QR codes and SMS requests for its call to action.  In the past, SMS has always offered a stronger call to action, largely because QR capable phones were not as far reaching.  This time, QR codes were much more successful, generating 40,000 scans as opposed to 6000 SMS messages.  Is this a sign of changing times?

The campaign, which is part of a larger overall mobile initiative by Kellogg, was featured on the back of Crunch Nut cereal boxes.  Consumers could scan the QR code on the back or text CRUNCHYNUT to short code 30333 to receive one of 13 mobile optimized videos.  Several factors may have contributed to the popularity of the QR codes.  First, the cereal has an older target audience than the sugary-marshmallow-fruity cereals on the market. Adults are more likely to have QR capable phones than kids or teenagers. Second, while the campaign offered both types of call to action on the back of the box, QR codes tend to be more prominent and easy to recognize. Last, and possible most importantly, QR capable phones are simply becoming the majority. All major carriers have switched to a data centric pricing model, and are promoting smart phones instead of non-data traditional phones.

This is an interesting trend to watch.  SMS still has the largest audience by far, but its time may be limited as more and more people make the smartphone switch.