Lionsgate is using 2D bar codes to promote its new movie ?For Colored Girls? via an integrated mobile marketing campaign that helps connect consumers with the characters in the film.

The company teamed up with Augme Technologies for the mobile campaign. Lionsgate is using Augme?s mobile marketing platform, which lets consumers interact with movie posters and other marketing collateral.

?The strategy was to augment the existing movie launch creative with consumer response technologies, allowing the fan to experience the living portrait creative, the trailer, and a complete synopsis of the movie,? said David Apple, chief marketing officer of Augme Technologies, New York.

?The mobile device provided the perfect vehicle to leverage the experience of the movie in real time at the point of peaked interest,? he said.

Lionsgate is an independent filmed entertainment studio.

Augme lets marketers and agencies integrate brands, promotions, video and other digital content through the Internet and mobile communications.

Movie codes
Consumers can interact with movie posters to explore added online content leading up to the film?s Nov. 5 release.

The 2D bar codes will be featured on the printed posters.

When consumers scan the bar codes they are redirected to a full mobile site where they can watch the For Colored Girls trailer and view living portraits gallery of the cast.

?Combining a QR code with SMS provides users the most scalable solution for participating,? Mr. Apple said. ?Just about every device can send and receive an SMS message, which creates the necessary connection to the content experience, coupled with QR codes perfectly drives consumer adaptation as scanning a 2D bar code is still a behavior being learned.

?It is important for brands and marketers alike to begin educating consumers on the 2D code space and getting them used to seeing them,? he said.

SMS alerts
In addition, consumers can set up SMS reminders for the movie?s release date.

Consumers can text the keyword COLORS to the short code 30333 or scan the 2D bar code featured on the posters to experience the mobile site.

?The instant gratification of the 2D bar code will be a substantial vehicle to create dialogue in the coming quarters when executed properly,? Mr. Apple said. ?Consumers will begin to hunt these codes, scan, and leverage array of rewarding content and purchase experiences.

?Studios will have the ability to utilize physical movie release media to allow consumers to engage, get interested, and purchase tickets directly from their mobile device,? he said. ?This will drastically change physical media from being purely an impression based model.?