The print ads are running in several publications, including in Glamour magazine. Skechers is promoting its new GOwalk products.

“QR codes appear to be the best way to get a customer to engage with a brand,” said Steve Timpson, president of SiteMinis. “Econsultancy released a survey in June of this year that illustrates how important QR codes are as a primary driver of mobile channel marketing.

“Publishers of traditional print collateral are all jumping into QR code attachment to advertising,” he said. “Magazines are certainly one of the principal QR code scan readership.”

Mr. Timpson is not affiliated with Skechers. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Skechers did not respond by press time.

Next level
The QR code is featured on the bottom right corner of Skechers’ print ad.

Although using mobile bar codes is a smart move for the company, a call-to-action of some sort would have been effective.

The technology has been around for some time now, but there are still consumers who are unaware of what a QR code is.

When consumers scan the mobile bar code, they are redirected to a landing page where they can view videos of the latest Skechers products.

A video is a great way to capture a user’s attention.

However, adding a commerce element would have also helped the company increase sales.

Skechers could have also led readers to a mobile commerce-enabled site where they could have purchased the product.

Right moves
QR codes are all the rage now and can be seen on the majority of print ads out there.

The technology helps bring a static page to life and lets marketers further interact with new and existing customers.

Marketers are increasingly looking at ways to implement QR codes into their strategies and there is no doubt the technology will continue to grow in years to come.

“QR codes make marketing mobile and that means that a customer can share the content,” Mr. Timpson said. “Additionally if a brand manages the QR code process well, they can maintain a relationship with the user over time- even through the same QR code.

“Also, you can really push all the real revenue drivers of adding more to the shopping basket and increasing shop frequency simply by using a mobile device’s technology to breath real life into a print ad, as Sketchers has done by including a video into the QR code landing page,” he said.

“On the other side of QR code engagement is when a brand does not have a targeted and thoughtful mobile experience waiting for the customer after the scan, something Sketchers has done well. Including functions on the landing page such as Tweet this site, like on Facebook or even email this to a friend are all ways to encourage sharing and wider customer reach.”

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York