With everything I’ve written about poorly implemented QR Codes, it was nice to see a really well implemented QR Code today. It was in Canon Solutions Americas’ white paper The Inkjet Opportunity, and it was one of multiple QR Codes scattered throughout. The QR Codes sent readers to a video that did not duplicate the content in the white paper but that complemented it. In addition...

• It allowed CSA to deepen the educational content without taking up space on the page.
• It provided readers with that content in a highly effective form: video.
• By tracking scans of the code, CSA got a sense of readers’ mobile engagement.

On page 5, for example, CSA has a quote from Marco Boer of I.T. Strategies saying that one of the most common things he’s heard from people interviewed by I.T. Strategies on the topic of high-speed inkjet is that they wished they had started looking into it two years earlier. Immediately below this quote is a colored text box with the headline: “To learn more, view the K&H Partners with Canon Solutions America video, which shows why K&H execs say their goal is to replace all of their toner devices with inkjet printing technology.” The box also contained the QR Code, below which was the text: “Scan the QR Code with your smartphone or view the video at [link].”

I wanted to hop up and down and shout, “Yahoo!”

I scanned the code, and the content was exactly as promised. I was taken to a video that gave background on K&H, its customers, and its primary applications and that provides testimonials from K&H execs on the benefits of its newly installed Canon CS 3900 inkjet press. In the background, the video shows the press running.

Here’s why this implementation was outstanding:

1. The QR Code did not duplicate information. It provided content that was supplemental and complementary to the white paper.
2. The information was valuable to the reader. This is something marketers often forget to do.
3. The QR Code was placed in a really excellent location—right after a quote that directly related to the topic of the video. The placement was strategic and made sense. It did not look like an afterthought.
4. Below the QR Code was text that told the reader the benefit of scanning the code—to get additional information they would not get in the PDF but that was relevant to the content (and to them).
5. CSA included the actual (live) link in case the reader wanted to access the information without scanning the code. The content was not held hostage to the code.

The white paper includes codes to access other customer testimonials, as well. All of them were handled with similar excellence. Overall, this was one of the best implementation of QR Codes I’ve seen in a long time.

Kudos, Canon Solutions Americas!