Dick’s Uses QR Code Marketing on Cowboys Stadium Jumbotron
September 8th, 2009 Posted in Branding
Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. kicked off its new mobile site using a Quick Response (QR) code (or Tag) on the world’s largest HDTV video board at the new Cowboys Stadium during the third quarter of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Cowboys Classic (University of Oklahoma vs. Brigham Young University) on Saturday, September 5, 2009. The first-ever QR code marketing campaign to take place on a stadium jumbotron directed fans with QR code-enabled smartphones to the company’s new mobile site at http://dsports.mobi for an exclusive offer of $10 off a purchase of $50 or more.
“Dick’s Sporting Goods has gone mobile in one of the biggest ways possible with a technology convergence of largest meets first,” said Jeffrey R. Hennion, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Dick’s Sporting Goods.
“[We've] gone mobile in one of the biggest ways possible!”
An announcer instructed fans to take pictures of the QR code shown on the jumbotrons, which total to 25,000 square feet of video billboards. Fans with QR code readers, upon doing so, were connected to the site where they received the exclusive offer. Fans without a reader were still eligible to redeem the discount by entering “dsports.mobi” in their mobile phone’s browser or by taking a photo of the jumbotron and emailing it to Deals@DSports.mobi.
“Fans were instructed to take photos of the QR code shown on the jumbotrons.”
Branding Brand, a Pittsburgh-based interactive marketing company, designed and created Dick’s user-friendly mobile site, which enables mobile users to browse and purchase from the complete Dick’s selection. The site was tailored to mobile devices for faster download time and improved viewability. Web pages appear differently on mobile devices than on computer browsers, because most mobile browsers do not support standard HTML/CSS/JS. The Dick’s mobile site was revealed as part of Dick’s Sporting Goods Kickoff Week on ESPN, the official start of the 2009 college football season.
QR code, released in 1994, was developed to be easily interpreted by scanner equipment by Denso Wave in Japan. The “matrix” or two-dimensional bar code allows QR code-enabled smartphones to read the QR code, which then triggers an action, such as linking to a mobile site, on the mobile device.
“Smartphones read the QR code, which triggers an action, such as linking to a mobile site.”
Typical bar codes contain data in one direction only, whereas QR codes have higher information density as they contain information in both vertical and horizontal directions. This matrix method, which can be read from any direction, allows more information and character types to be stored in a smaller space than a typical bar code.
QR code readers can be installed in the U.S. on newer smartphones, such as many BlackBerry models and the newest Apple iPhone. QR code technology allows for many creative interactive uses and has even been used in a real-world game during which participants “killed” opponents by reading QR codes on their backs.
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Kara Arnold Kara Arnold has a framed QR code on her living room wall. Who needs a Picasso? Want content written for your Brand that shows up #1 on Search Engines and brings you new customers? Contact us. |
6 Trackback(s)
- Oct 8, 2009: As Mobile Gets Smarter, Consumer-Brand Relationships Change | The Blog on Branding
- Oct 10, 2009: M-Commerce is Blowin’ Up. Pun Intended. | The Blog on Branding
- Feb 8, 2010: Red McCombs Media Blog » Are you QRious?
- Jun 22, 2010: S. Slade Sundar | Civic Engagement? There’s an App for that.
- Jun 29, 2010: Barcodes As Mobile Shortcuts | webdancers
- Jul 21, 2010: Are U.S. brands and businesses ready to embrace QR Codes in a big way? – The Buzz Bin
10 Responses to “Dick’s Uses QR Code Marketing on Cowboys Stadium Jumbotron”
By manisha bhalekar on Sep 10, 2009
Great post – I do have a question though. Is the end user experience as seamless as it sounds? without standardized 2D code readers embedded on phones, using this systems pretty cumbersome. And option 2 for people with no readers is just not the same is it, as being connected to the mobile site?
The concept in itself is sound, its the execution that seems hard – especially for the end user. At least in the U.S where QR technology is not as prolific – yet? Maybe it will change a few years down the line.
-Manisha Bhalekar
By Sunday Barbaro on Sep 30, 2009
I want to commend you on your fantastic QR campaign for Dick’s Sporting Goods. I am sure it was a huge success. I am wondering why this did not get more exposure? It truly deserves more recognition. Dick’s has been in the stone age per its marketing and PR practices. I am also thrilled they chose a local company to assist. Nice job!
Best,
Sunday Barbaro
PGH Marketing
By Brander Kara on Oct 6, 2009
Thanks so much for the kudos, Sunday!
Good news…
Our campaign actually got a recent mention in the WSJ!
By Kara Arnold on Oct 12, 2009
Thanks for commenting, Manisha.
To answer your question, people with no readers were able to redeem the discount by simply entering “dsports.mobi” in their mobile phone’s browser or by taking a photo of the jumbotron and emailing it to Deals@DSports.mobi.
This option may not be as technologically advanced as the option for those with QR readers, but it is by no means more cumbersome.
QR technology and smartphones are more popular in Japan, but both technologies are increasingly growing in popularity across the Pacific.
One of our hopes for this campaign was to not only be the first to use this technology on a jumbotron, especially of such gigantic proportions, but to increase U.S. awareness of these technologies as a marketing tool.