Last Christmas Smyth Jewelers launched a marketing and advertising campaign titled “15 Deals in 15 Days” which featured 2D barcodes. The barcodes appeared on large banners hanging outside the company’s retail stores during the month of December and offered consumers a new deal each day during the campaign.

Mobile’s Next Big Thing editor Meredith Bagnulo talked to John Jackson, Vice President of Operations at Smyth Jewelers about the company’s experience.

MNBT: Tell me a little about the campaign and how you came up with the idea?

Jackson: Early last year we learned about QR codes and our advertising firm approached us with the idea of incorporating them into a campaign focused around the holidays. We launched the “15 Deals in 15 Days” campaign using giant banners with QR codes outside of our stores and customers would come scan the code on their way into the store. This created quite a stir in the local Baltimore community.

Everyone sees QR codes at the bottom of fashion magazines, but this was a gigantic, in-your-face advertisement and people came and asked what it was all about.  It was a fun way to introduce our customers to this new technology.  We also placed them in ads and on business cards and people really had a lot of fun with it. It was also a great marketing tool because of all the analytics that came with it.

MNBT: What happened when people scanned the code, where did it take them?

Jackson: We used a very simple code that consisted of a simple screen shot and for any purchase that day if you showed the screen you received a free pearl bracelet and 25 percent off you purchase.  The screen consisted of simple red and green Christmas colors.

MNBT: What was the reaction from your customers?

Jackson: Although Smyth Jewelers has been in business since 1914, our audience spans across generations and we are in touch with the younger generation, their parents and grandparents who shop at our stores.

There were three different types of reactions. Among the younger audience — the ones reading Vogue and other fashion magazines – they thought it was cool. They use 2D barcodes all the time when looking at magazines so they were familiar with what to do and loved it.

For more of the middle-aged audience, they had seen QR codes, but weren’t sure what they were. So, after we explained how it worked most of them downloaded a scanner and tried it and were impressed.

Then there were the older folks who didn’t know what it was. Once we explained how it worked, they thought it was a fun advertising medium but were not ready to try it out. Instead, they just asked us what the deal of the day was and we told them.

MNBT: Are you planning to use QR codes in future marketing/advertising campaigns?

Jackson: This was the first time we tried using QR codes and we have learned a lot. We have already started using them with some of our vendors as well as in print media to direct people to our website and stores. When the QR code is scanned it pulls up the locations of our stores and how to get there.  We are in our infancy in our use of QR codes, but see endless possibilities for them. We also like that QR codes are trackable, with analytics to find out how many people are hitting our site.

MNBT: What other mobile marketing tools do you use to reach your customers?

Jackson: We have used Netbooks for several years for merchandise inventory. This allows us to look up certain product lines not available in our store and compare prices, etc.  Our next step is to look at iPads and either have all salespeople with an iPad or have them available throughout the store to show people product information and pricing for jewelry that is not in stock.

MNBT: How big is mobile in your overall marketing/advertising strategy for 2011?

Jackson: Mobile is taking a bigger role in our strategy.  Most people read everything online nowadays — even coupons are online. But is also depends on what you are advertising. For bridal/engagement rings we will go more high-tech because that is where our target audience is. When people get engaged, they go to Internet for information.

We also do a lot of advertising via mobile and Internet including Twitter and Facebook. This is wave of the future and I want to be on the cutting edge which is why we started the QR code campaign last year.