Valpak’s March mailing will include a message from Sandra Lee, but whats different about this ad, vs. ads she ran with us in 2010, or what this has to do with the future of advertising?  See the funky barcode thing?  Thats called a quick response code or QRC.  Owners of smartphones with the QRC reader app will be able to scan that code and enter the sweepstakes promotion.

If you haven’t seen these tags in action, they will merge print advertising and digital media.  These tags can be printed on ads, and consumers can scan the code and be taken to an interactive message in their smart phone, a web page, a special page and more.  The sky is the limit on the future uses of this technology.  What does this mean for the local print advertiser?  Look at your current ad, and your current offer.  Its very likely that your ad is valid for a week, or a month, etc.  What if your ad had a tag that takes your shopper to a special daily offer page that you control?  Imagine having the power of changing your offer on the fly to drive necessary traffic to your business.  While this technology is just beginning, and most advertisers are years away from taking advantage of its power, Valpak is on the forefront of innovating print and digital media.