How many of you are familiar with this image? First time I saw one, two things came to mind:

(1) This was a maze and I had to somehow find the correct path from start to finish. (2) It was a new version of the Rorschach Test.

I was wrong on both counts. What you see in front of you is a new technology that is being used to enhance customer relationship marketing (CRM) and it is called a quick response, or QR, code.

Conventional marketing campaigns have been negatively affected by two common human behaviors: procrastination and poor memory. We have all seen an interesting advertisement or URL that we promised ourselves that we would investigate later on (due to the fact that we don’t have our laptop in hand) and then summarily forgot because we did not write it down (poor memory).

The QR code eliminates these two barriers and allows its contents to be decoded at high speed via mobile phone or PDA. However, QR codes have much more to offer than immediate access to a website; for the pharmaceutical marketer, they are an invaluable tool for us to learn more about our customer base.

A QR code allows an immediate customer relationship to be established and then facilitates a prolonged engagement that has the capacity to be followed and understood. And, in the case of a non-profit, the relationship can be in support of a good cause. Recently, The Core Nation has partnered with the American Cancer Society to promote the 2010 Great American Smokeout on November 18. (See the press release to learn more.) Central to this campaign is a series of billboards and posters that contain a QR code that people can use to be directed, immediately, to a microsite. We took a simple poster and created an extended personal engagement by inviting the audience to respond immediately to the motivating call to action through this smartphone technology.

One of the key drivers of QR codes is their ease of use for patients; almost everyone knows how to capture images with their cell phone. This level of patient engagement will further close the loop and allow marketers to readily understand the habits of their target audience. QR codes are just beginning to gain traction with pharmaceutical marketers. One of the restraining barriers is a lack of FDA guidance on the use of the Internet and social media for pharma marketing; however, FDA is reporting it is still on track to issue such guidance sometime in 2010. Once that is published, we can expect a veritable avalanche of QR codes to be found anywhere a person can point their mobile phone. The real success of these will not be in driving traffic, but in knowing how to preserve and enhance the relationship once they get to where you want them to go.

What are your thoughts on QR codes? Are you integrating them into your marketing mix?

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