Television ads of yore used to urge viewers to “act now” in order to receive a free bamboo steamer with their knife order, or to grab limited merchandise before it’s gone. Bluefly, the online fashion retailer, is taking commercials to a new level of urgency, with mobile coupons that consumers can “scan” for clothes coupons while watching celebrities talk about their clothes.
The Closet Confessions series of advertisements on Bravo–the cable station whose show Project Runway features Bluefly on its infamous accessories wall–includes mobile barcodes from ScanLife. These codes offer consumers instant access to a $30-off coupon (or additional video content) when they scan the codes with their camera phones..
It’s not just a campaign to sell accessories and clothes–it’s also a campaign to get people to download ScanLife’s mobile barcode scanning application. The success of Closet Confessions will affect the mobile barcode solutions provider’s ROI as much as Bluefly’s: More consumer users means more advertisers will potentially want to utilize ScanLife barcodes as well. The companies note that this is the first time a “quick response,” or QR, code has been used on TV in the United States.
“Linking viewers directly to mobile content from a mass media is extremely compelling, especially as consumers are spending more time on their mobile device for entertainment and shopping,” Mike Wehrs, CEO of Scanbuy, said in the release. “The fact that the technology is now being used on television really demonstrates the explosive growth we have seen this past year.”
Bradford Matson, Bluefly’s chief marketing officer, said in the release: “By incorporating ScanLife mobile barcode technology into the ads, we are taking Closet Confessions one step further by providing viewers with a unique call to action that allows them to instantly access exclusive content and special offers from their phones while they are watching TV.”
