Wilton Takes the Cake for Smart QR Code Marketing
QR codes give decorating enthusiasts mobile access to interactive, informative, and inspiring content
Here at The BarCode News, we have witnessed the proliferation of the QR code as a marketing tool. We’ve given you our advice for what makes a QR campaign successful. We’ve provided articles demonstrating effective QR code marketing, as well as few examples of really lame QR code campaigns.
Wilton Enterprises, the leading cake decorating company for the last 80 years, has decided to use QR codes to enhance their point-of-sale marketing for their new Punch. Cut. Decorate!™ program, starting mid-May. For several reasons, this is a timely, well-thought out QR code campaign.
First of all, Wilton has already established a mobile-optimized version of their website--offering decorating tips, instructions, and much more. Wilton has seen their customers show increasing interest in accessing Wilton’s resources via mobile devices. Eric Erwin, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Product Development for Wilton, says, “More and more of our target consumers are accessing Wilton content through mobile devices, so it was a simple decision for us to leverage the latest technology to start making our decorating content and resources available directly to them, from wherever they choose to access it. “ Knowing that your target audience has already expressed interest in mobile access to your company’s information is a golden ticket for for correctly timing a successful QR code marketing push.
Secondly, Wilton knows what their customers want, and they consider the QR code just one more tool for delivering those goods. The QR
code offers immediate access to product information, so that customers can see and understand just how the product works. Beyond that is a wealth of other resources--product ratings, reviews, how-to guides, creative decorating ideas, step-by-step videos, and even interactivity with Facebook or Twitter if you want to pose a question or comment to the decorating community. Wilton is effectively getting a customer’s creative juices flowing, and inspiring a vision of the final creation, before they’ve even dropped the product in their cart. This stream of inspiration is not only accessible while standing in the grocery aisle, but later on in the kitchen, or while conspiring with other decorating enthusiasts, at the mere click of a smartphone.
“Using the latest technology in this way is merely an extension of how we’ve always educated, instructed and inspired decorating enthusiasts for the past 80 years. The difference is that now we are making all of this information easily available directly to them, from wherever they choose to access it” says Erwin. “If we can inspire a shopper in the decorating aisle with an idea for their next project while they are still in the store, they are more likely to be interested and motivated to try Punch. Cut. Decorate! and more likely to want to continue to engage with the Wilton brand,” adds Erwin.
If Wilton has an 80 year track record for inspiring impressive party desserts and elaborate cake decorations to help people celebrate life’s significant moments, then perhaps they will inspire the world of marketing to implement the QR code with elegance and good taste.
Images from (c)2011 Wilton Industries, Inc. Used with permission. www.wilton.com
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