QR Codes in Action

Now movie goers can get on-the spot access to the trailer for the sci-fi thriller The Fourth Kind as soon as they see the poster.

The movie was released on Nov. 6, 2009 and in Canada enjoys the benefits of a promotional poster featuring a QR Code on the bottom right corner. The distinctive code enables casual onlookers who are smart-phone equipped to view the movie trailer on-the-spot or conveniently save it for later viewing.

Movie fans photograph the code with their smart phone (Typically an IPhone or a Blackberry) which in turn activates the mobile browser in the phone and links to a film-branded landing page with a "continue" link. If "yes" is selected, the browser is directed to the film trailer.

The QR Codes were placed on movie posters 3 days prior to release of the film, since that time they have acquired over 7000 hits and counting. The intention is to create instant engagement when the poster is first viewed by the user. As knowledge of QR Codes spreads virally among movie goers, the application becomes more and more appealing both to fans and movie distributors. So much so that QR Codes will be continued with subsequent Maple Pictures releases in 2010.

This is the second time Maple has integrated QR codes into its advertising - the first was with the Oct. 30 film More Than a Game - and its inclusion gives their film's marketing a unique Canadian spin, according to Joanna Miles, director, marketing, Maple Pictures. "This title was perfect," Miles said of The Fourth Kind. "QR codes are geared towards males 18 to 34 and teens, they are among the biggest users of text, mobile phones, and we thought this was a way we can make it more interesting for them to see the trailer. It's a sci-fi, alien-abduction film, and that's perfect for that age group and it really lends itself to that technology."

Now that the technology is in place, the distributor hopes to increase its brand partnership opportunities through QR code-activated contests, in which users could scan the code to enter, with sponsorship of the code-activated landing page.