A Florida resort uses QR codes to lure vacationers with a virtual escape to their tropical paradise.

Looking for the perfect vacation spot and accommodations is a big deal.   If you’re lucky enough to have the time and money to get away and unwind, then you want to make sure that you choose a place that is comfortable and clean as well as fun and attractive.  That’s why hotel websites and travel reservation sites offer plenty of pictures and videos, of everything from the pool and dining area to the beds and the bathroom sink.  They want to convince you that they can be your home away from home.  And if you’re like me, you want to be convinced, spending time to carefully examine the pictures and make sure that you’ve found the “perfect” spot.

Offering the same persuasive content to potential vacationers through printed materials is challenging, since a printed brochure provides limited space for photos, and obviously can’t include a video.  However, Tropical Beach Resorts is showing us that you can fit every bit of that information onto printed promotions by using a QR code.

A QR code is a square black and white 2D bar code that be scanned by an iPhone, smartphone, or  mobile device using any number of free bar code scanning applications.  Scanning the QR code can link someone to a website, video, or other type of information.

In the creation of a printed brochure, Tropical Beach Resort worked with Kevin Lineberger from Q Factor Advertising, Inc., to use a QR code to promote their Sara Sea Beach Resort in Sarasota, FL.  The QR Code links viewers to a 3-minute YouTube video, which pulls them into the tropical setting of warm lapping waves and waving palm trees, and then takes them on a leisurely tour of the grounds and resort, revealing all of the details and unique features that Sara Sea Beach Resort has to offer.  The link also provides a textual description that the viewer can read for further information.

This is a great example of how a small business should be using QR codes.  Not just throwing a QR code in somewhere for the novelty of using a popular technology—but leveraging the power of the QR code to give your target audience exactly what they want.    The QR code is carefully placed in the brochure, next to the accommodation description, at the point where viewers will naturally be looking for more information.  It is tastefully positioned and includes a call to action: “Snap the tag with your mobile phone to view our feature video.”  Viewers know what they are supposed to do and what they will receive for doing it.  And they are rewarded with an inviting and well-put together video showing them everything they want to see about the location and the resort.

At the end of the video the viewer is provided with an 800 number and a URL for the resort’s website.  If Tropical Beach Resorts wanted to give their target audience even more of an invitation, they could include a clickable link to a mobile optimized website where the visitor could check dates, make a reservation, and complete the transaction right on their phone.  Maybe that is soon to come.  But for a small business, this is a great way to test out the waters for QR code usage and make it a meaningful experience for their audience.

Go ahead, get your phone and scan the QR code from the image above.  Take a 3 minute vacation from your day and see what a well-thought out QR code campaign can achieve.

About Q Factor Advertising, Inc.

Q Factor Advertising, Inc. is a full service design studio based in the West Central Florida area. They specialize in creative and distinctive print and web design projects for top regional and international clients.  Services include Logo Design & Branding, Collateral Design and Web Development.

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