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U.S. Cellular garners 4,000-plus QR code scans from college football promo

A recent U.S. Cellular mobile promotion that gave college football fans at games a chance to win instant prizes by scanning QR codes resulted in 4,321 scans. 

U.S. Cellular worked with mobile technology solutions provider 2ergo to launch the ?Tailgate for Tickets? mobile campaign at eight college football venues sponsored by the wireless carrier. Attendees could scan QR codes on Segways traveling around the events for a chance to become an instant winner and enter to win a grand prize.

?The customized QR codes designed by 2ergo were able to incorporate the college team?s mascot and colors, which really made them stand out, and this campaign was a great opportunity to educate users on how to scan a QR code with a U.S. Cellular phone if they didn?t already understand the process,? said Michael Scully, market unit director of 2ergo Americas, North Arlington, VA.

?Also, the QR codes brought the fans in to talk to the representatives,? he said. ?If the campaign would have been executed through a keyword-to-short code instead, the fans may have missed out on the opportunity to hear about U.S. Cellular phones from the team on the Segways.?

The QR code bridge
The campaign, which ran throughout the 2011 college football season, helped U.S. Cellular bridge an in-venue marketing channel to a mobile channel by providing an engaging way for football fans to interact with the U.S. Cellular brand while using their mobile phones. 

The goal was to enhance the fan tailgating experience with U.S. Cellular products while increasing awareness of the brand.

For the campaign, U.S. Cellular representatives traveled through the events on branded Segways adorned with QR codes created by 2ergo. Tailgaters could scan the QR codes to reach a mobile landing page that dynamically displayed whether they were an instant winner of U.S. Cellular branded promotional items or gift cards.

The mobile sites also included an entry form for the grand prize of two tickets to the National Championship Bowl Game.

?The uniqueness of having representatives riding around on Segways with team-branded QR codes was a great way to get attention and draw people in,? Mr. Scully said.

?Then, the ability to have one-on-one conversations with each participant went a long way in bringing personality and positive energy to the U.S. Cellular brand,? he said.

?Plus, having a great prize like the trip for two to the Bowl Championship game certainly helped as well.?

Consumers could also enter to win the grand prize by scanning a QR code at their local U.S. Cellular retail stores.

Participating colleges were University of Iowa, Iowa State, University of Maine, University of Northern Iowa, University of Tulsa, Valparaiso, West Virginia University, and University of Wisconsin.

U.S. Cellular was very encouraged by the participation levels it saw from the effort, with 4,321 consumers scanning the QR codes and 1,074 participants winning prizes. Additionally, 2,989 people entered to win the grand prize.  

?U.S. Cellular will continue to work with 2ergo to leverage new and unique mobile marketing efforts in 2012 to enhance the customer experience while driving business results,? Mr. Scully said. ?From reducing churn of pre-paid customers to increasing consumer engagement at sponsored events, mobile gives U.S. Cellular a wide range of innovative marketing and CRM possibilities.?

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York