The marketing of London Fashion Week has really impressed me this year. In particular the use of 2D codes, to integrate their offline marketing with mobile.

So, what are 2D codes and what do they have to do with Marketing? Basically 2D codes are Barcodes that Smartphone’s can read. Once the user has scanned the 2D code they can be directed to a URL, contact information and many other options. Much to my delight, these amazing little codes are being used more and more in the UK with resounding success.

Quick Response (QR) codes are currently the most commonly used type of 2D code in marketing. Though I’m sure after this years London Fashion Week, more and more brands will be taking a closer look at Microsoft Tags. In fact this is the first time that Microsoft has used their Tag product in the UK for a consumer audience.

Below is an example of what the two types of 2D codes look like once created. The QR code (on the left) is a black and white matrix code and the Microsoft Tag is coloured version that offers more advanced features than the traditional QR code.

So how did the British Fashion Council incorporate this technology into their marketing mix? They printed the codes on tickets, flyers and posters. Which allowed users to get real-time show and event schedule. The Microsoft Tags were also displayed on big outdoor screens, bringing print and outdoor efforts mobile. Best of all the Tags provided the British Fashion Council with invaluable analytics normally unattainable from offline media.

How could your next campaign benefit from using 2d Codes? Need some ideas? Leave a comment with your question.

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