MillerCoors' Miller Lite is using mobile bar codes to entice South By Southwest attendees to enter its Beer for the People sweepstakes.

The contest is running through March 20 at the SXSW Festival. Consumers can scan the code to win a variety of prizes.

?Miller Lite is trying to engage a tech-savvy audience at SXSW with a technology they are very familiar with,? said Mike Wehrs, CEO of Scanbuy, New York.

?2D bar codes have been used at the festival for a couple years now, and they are practically everywhere this year so it is very likely that the audience has scanned a code before,? he said.

Scanbuy provides mobile bar code services that use the camera phone as the link between the physical world and the digital world.

Scan me
The Miller Lite campaign features the mobile bar codes, which are place throughout the event on numerous items including posters, print ads, case cards and coasters.

Additionally, the mobile bar codes appear in participating retail stores in the Austin area, as well as in participating bars and restaurants at SXSW.

?The Beer for the People campaign gives everyone a chance to win at SXSW,? Mr. Wehrs said. ?People can just scan the code from a poster to a coaster, and get notified if they win anything from event passes to music downloads. 

?This is a really simple way to enter a promotion and it gives Miller Lite a way to engage with people directly at the event,? he said. ?The codes are very visible at beer stands and at bars around town. 

?They are also using Twitter which has a very active following at the event.?

Users can scan the mobile bar code to enter the sweepstakes

The mobile bar code is featured on coasters

Beer me
When consumers scan the code, they are routed to a mobile landing page that includes an online entry form where they can enter into a sweepstakes for a chance to win $20 pre-paid cards.

Users are informed immediately whether they won the prize or not.

?Mobile barcodes are starting to move toward mainstream as brands are evolving from trials to integrated campaigns,? Mr. Wehrs said. ?As they become more widely used, brands are looking for a centralized platform that really shows how their audience is scanning in real time so they can adjust marketing plans. 

?For many brands, it is changing from an activation point to a real engagement strategy,? he said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York