A number of factors go into making a mobile barcode campaign successful. For consumers, it’s about the visibility of the barcode, what is on offer, and whether the offer is clear. For brand marketers, it is about what the campaign is trying to achieve and what they can get out of it. With mobile becoming a must-have part of the marketing mix, it is certain that mobile campaigns will need to grow more sophisticated in terms of what they can deliver for both the consumer and the marketer.
The central question brand marketers need to ask is what role APIs should play in their mobile barcode platform.
“API” stands for application programming interface. It is the interactive connection between two different company’s databases allowing the databases to ‘talk’ and exchange information. The connection enhances the functionality of a marketing campaign.
APIs can amplify the power and sophistication of a mobile marketing campaign by allowing marketers to leverage the capabilities of other platforms and providers. Some of the more notable applications that APIs crucially impact include:
- Database Information Exchange – Rendering information on demographics and user data crucial to serving consumers a customized response.
- Reward and loyalty programs – Assigning points to existing rewards and mobile loyalty programs through interactions with mobile barcodes.
- Geolocation – Determining when and where consumers interact with a barcode.
- Sweepstakes– 2d Mobile Barcode campaigns can connect to program management agencies required by many companies for sweepstakes and instant win administration
- Fulfillment – Marketers can use a 2D Mobile Barcode to offer consumers a sample of a product like conditioner, or deodorant, or whatever the client chooses to offer. After collecting the consumers address information, the API can be used to transfer the consumer shipping data to a fulfillment center
- Content serving – APIs can serve up exclusive content like video on demand or mobile games.
Brand marketers should start with what capabilities they want their mobile barcode campaign to have and which objectives they would like to reach. QR codes, for example, require a fair amount of back-end integration to plug into various APIs. Other platforms come with API connectivity built in. It all comes down to what marketers want their campaign to do.
