The mobile advertising industry is expected to reach $5.04 billion in revenue by 2015, according to a recent whitepaper from Smaato. Almost one-third of the more than 300 million active mobile subscribers use their phones to browse the web, so it's no surprise that mobile ads have grown - and become more creative.
One form of mobile marketing is the QR code, of which beer brand Guinness took full advantage with a campaign that featured a scannable code on a customized glass, AdWeek reports. Pour the beer into the glass and the code appears, contrasted against the dark background of the libation. Once scanned, the code could be used to tweet about the pint, post a status update on Facebook, check users in on foursquare and download coupons.
The news source notes in a separate article that eMart - also known as the "Walmart of Korea," according to a company YouTube video - used a QR code that was only available to scan during lunchtime hours when the sun's shadows aligned properly. The campaign was an attempt to reach consumers between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., when sales tended to decrease drastically.
A recent HighTable infographic found that 50 percent of smartphone owners have scanned QR codes, indicating that the barcodes are becoming more popular.