The STAR Publishing Company Limited has once again proved it is the leading innovator in print. Publisher Mae Wayne is proud to announce the STAR has added Quick Response (QR) bar coding to its list of services.
What is QR? It’s the newest marketing craze to hit the global scene. QR is a two dimensional bar code used to connect the real world with the digital world. In this technological age, cellular phones have become a lifeline for many. QR allows advertisers the opportunity to have their target market connect directly with their products and services via smart phones.
Speaking on the new feature Danicius Philippe, the STAR’s web developer, said: “We’re always looking for ways to improve and show initiative and looking for added value for our clients. That is why we decided to explore QR’s possibilities. Around the world companies are putting QR codes on everything from magazines to bill boards, clothing tags, etc. We have always felt that we should give our clients the full scope of advertising capabilities.”
Philippe delved into how QR actually works. He explained: “If you have a smart phone, all you have to do is scan the bar code. The bar code takes you to a link which could be a Facebook Fan Page or could be used for a variety of promotions.”
To illustrate this point, Philippe spoke of the company’s recent SHE Magazine promotion. “On March 9 we began running an advertisement in the STAR Newspaper with the QR bar code. Every sixth person who scans the code wins the latest issue of SHE with cover girl, St Lucia’s very own Miss Caribbean World Aiasha Gustave. The response has been overwhelming. There have been several winners so far. However, the first three winners are Sera Gordon, Sherma Huntley and Chantal Jean.”
Most BlackBerry handsets are able to scan QR codes using Blackberry Messenger. Just go into the Blackberry Messenger, invite a contact and choose the ‘scan a person’s barcode’ option and voila!
For other smart phones like Iphone, Android based handsets, a specific application may need to be downloaded to allow users to scan the barcode. For Iphones and Androids ZXing can be used and for those BlackBerry users who may encounter problems scanning the code, download the barcode scan application from www.scanlife.com.
For more information visit www.stluciastar.com. See page 18 for SHE Caribbean bar code!
