We’ve all seen QR Codes these days. On billboards, posters, ads, and, most commonly, for payments. But what if I told you QR Codes could be more than just a gateway to websites?
Yes, this blog article is all about diving into the world of hidden QR Codes!
Let’s begin!
Imagine a QR Code that looks like any other QR Code but holds a hidden message within. Here’s where things get exciting: Secret QR Code Campaigns! Businesses and brands can use these hidden elements to create interactive and engaging customer experiences.
Say you go to a clothing brand’s store and see a secret QR Code campaign. The company has hidden QR Codes throughout the clothing store.
Why? Well, these secret QR Codes, when scanned, can lead you to secret discounts or exclusive content. Not just clothing brands,
A museum could use these hidden QR Codes to create a scavenger hunt. When scanned, they can guide visitors to different exhibits and help them unlock hidden facts along the way.
But secret QR Codes aren’t just for digital detectives. They can be the key to unlocking a world of fun in the real world, too!
Think of them like tiny hidden treasure maps. Hidden QR Codes can be tucked anywhere–a mural downtown, a picture frame in your living room, even the back of your pet’s collar (okay, maybe not there…).
The possibilities are endless!
1. Unlock secret games with QR Codes
You can use secret QR Codes to unlock games, providing users with a cool way of interacting with your brand.
A secret QR Code can redirect users to a secret game. You can take it even further by redirecting them to an exclusive game that is not available through regular channels.
This could be a great way to reward regular customers or generate buzz for a product launch.
2. Hidden coupon points and discounts
Secret QR Codes can offer exclusive discounts and unlock coupon points for customers. When scanned, these codes can reveal special offers that are not advertised publicly.
You can promote these exclusively for physical stores to increase footfall at your stores. This will encourage users to scan the code and take advantage of the deal.
Hidden QR Codes prove to be very efficient in driving sales and building up customer loyalty.
3. Intriguing QR Code Art
On top of this, even artists take part in the act by creating artistic QR Codes completely camouflaged into paintings or sculptures.
Flipping the QR Codes into art pieces makes them more engaging and pleasant to the eyes. Users only need to scan the artwork to find a hidden message or website related to the artwork.
These artistic QR Codes work similarly. They can be scanned to unlock content. However, they also act as a piece of art.
Design is not how it looks & feels like. Design is how it works. -Steve Jobs
This is just a really nice way to implement QR Codes in marketing material, product packaging, or even physical installations.
The best part is that most of these artistic QR Codes don’t look anything like the standard QR Codes; they are hidden in the QR Code art itself.
4. Encrypted QR Codes for interactive surveys and feedback
Encrypted QR Codes can be used to provide secure access to offers. For instance, after completing a survey or providing feedback, users can receive an encrypted QR Code.
When this secret QR Code is scanned, it directs users to a page where they enter a password, which is provided upon survey completion, to unlock exclusive offers.
This adds an extra layer of security and ensures that the offers are only available to those who have completed the required actions.
This not only incentivizes feedback but also enhances user engagement.
5. QR Codes with hidden content
You can create a sense of mystery and engagement using QR Codes that reveal hidden content only after certain interactions.
This can include answering a series of questions or solving some puzzles to unlock the full content of the QR Code.
This gamification will make the experience more enjoyable and memorable for the user.
6. Exclusive event access with secret QR Codes
Brands can also use secret QR Codes to access special events or VIP areas.
When such a QR Code is scanned, it may confirm qualifications and grant entry to special areas, early product releases, or even invite-only events.
This would be a good way to give value back to your most loyal customers by providing that sense of exclusiveness.
This not only provides that but also contributes to securing customer loyalty, helping businesses retain possible customers.
7. Personalized offers through QR Codes
Individual secret QR Codes can also be an option for marketers. By this, targeting special deals and discounts to select users would be more feasible after understanding their tastes and purchase history.
They get personalized offers when they scan the QR Code, making the experience relevant and compelling.
8. Engaging customers with QR Code treasure hunts
Want some fun ways to boost engagement? Then, you must opt for Secret QR Codes.
Organize treasure hunts using secret QR Codes, where users need to find and scan different codes to collect points, unlock rewards, or reach a final prize.
You will have an interactive and engaging activity that is bound to drive customer participation and create a buzz around your brand or event.
9. Dynamic QR Codes for limited edition offers
You can use dynamic QR Codes that change their content based on the time of day or other conditions.
For example, a QR Code could offer different discounts during the morning and other offers during the evening hours.
This flexibility comes in handy while one is targeting a different segment of customers and testing which kind of promotion works best.
B. Real-life examples
1. Smirnoff Nightlife Experience (2013)
The vodka brand Smirnoff hid secret QR Codes within cocktail menus and coasters in bars across the US.
When consumers scanned the code, it unlocked an interactive “Nightlife Experience” that enabled users to play games, win prizes, and learn about new Smirnoff cocktails.
This campaign used secret QR Codes to create an interactive, fun experience for people sitting in bars—at the point of sale.
2. Love, Death & Robots
In its third season, this Netflix series whisked the fans into a digital scavenger hunt featuring nine hidden QR Codes camouflaged in both online and offline spots.
On scanning, users saw an artwork that was specially inspired by the series. They could then download or mint it as a non-fungible token or NFT.
3. National Geographic Hidden Treasures (2016)
In the September issue of their magazine, National Geographic embedded QR Codes throughout the publication that unraveled exclusive online content featuring historical locations and hidden gems.
Using hidden QR Codes, this campaign increased the dimensions of the reading experience to become an immersive one for magazine readers.
3. Made by You” Campaign by Converse (2017)
Another notable example of hidden QR Codes is of Converse. Converse added these secret QR Codes to limited-version sneaker designs.
By scanning the code, one could upload a photo of them wearing those shoes to appear on a giant digital billboard in New York City.
This campaign used secret QR Codes to create user-generated content and a sense of community around the brand.
4. HBO Westworld Scavenger Hunt
With the second season of its smash hit, Westworld, HBO orchestrated a real-world scavenger hunt across major cities.
Clues were hidden on the web and posters, with some containing hidden QR Codes. The codes led to secret locations, leading back to a specially designed Westworld experience.
This campaign used secret QRs to create an immersive and interactive experience for fans of this show.
5. Music videos with hidden QR Codes
Charlie Puth and BTS Jungkook’s Left and Right music videos had a hidden QR Code.
Most people considered it just to be a prop, while others overlooked it as they were more interested in the song and the artists.
There’s a twist, though: the QR Code is real. A fan scanning the QR Code is brought to Puth’s official web page, where they can order the limited-edition CD single for the song.
6. Ben & Jerry’s “Free Cone Day” Surprise (2019)
In a social media post containing what looked like an innocuous image but had a hidden QR Code, Ben & Jerry’s revealed their annual “Free Cone Day.”
Scanning the code, fans revealed the date and details of the free cone giveaway, which became a fun surprise and further reward for looking for the hidden code.
7. Marvel’s Easter Egg QR Codes
Marvel has always adored QR Codes in many series, waiting for the time the audience will notice them.
In Marvel’s Moon Knight, they made the QR Code less conspicuous and less noticeable. The hidden QR Code reappears in the first, second, and fifth episodes of the season.
These all lead to a free digital copy of the Moon Knight comics.
As early as the first episode of Ms. Marvel, an ATM showed a QR Code while characters Kamala Khan and Bruno talked to each other in a shop.
The code redirects to a webcomic, Ms. Marvel 2014.
In one of She Hulk‘s episodes, another QR Code was placed on the wall the same way, leading to a website where audiences can access the 1980s The Savage She-Hulk #1 comic.
8. Hidden QR Codes in video games
Portal RTX, the remastered edition of the game Portal, added hidden QR Codes across their game world.
Scanning one of them will reveal a secret code that will open up a new cube and change the game display.
Another unnoticeable QR Code can be noticed in one of the scenes in the video game High On Life.
The Tweeg’s character can be seen eating from a cereal box with a scannable QR Code. Scanning it redirected users to the Squanch games site, where other games await the scanners.
Another notable example was Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a Nintendo Switch game. Joe Biden’s presidential campaign released a range of official virtual yard signs for use on islands.
This was done to promote their portfolio/party manifesto and connect better with their voters before the election.
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Scanova is best for creating artistic and aesthetic hidden QR Codes owing to the wide variety of options at your disposal coupled with easy-to-operate design tools.
Here is why Scanova is a great pick:
1. Custom Logo Design: Scanova’s QR Code generator enables users to embed their custom logo within their QR Code to make it flush with their brand’s identity.
This is excellent for businesses that want to display their branding intentionally. A QR Code logo will make it recognizable and more charitable to users.
2. AI-Generated Designs: You can develop innovative and creative design options for QR Codes using AI-generated designs. These QR Code templates adapt in real time to the appearance of the surrounding visual content.
This feature uses artificial intelligence to create a unique, highly engaging, and visually appealing design.
3. QR Codes with transparent background: One of the great features of Scanova is that a QR Code can have a transparent background. This way, the QR Code would not obscure any design or image but retain its fullness in the artwork or marketing material.
Transparent QR Codes are ideal for placing on complicated backgrounds where the regular QR Code might be out of place.
4. Color Customization: You can choose as many colors as you want for your QR Code design scheme. This goes a long way with flexibility, allowing an overall cohesive look, and can include brand colors or specific marketing campaigns.
5. Custom Shape: Scanova offers various shape options and eye patterns. Sometimes, such options can infuse a layer of creativity in the QR Code to make it look like a part of the design.
6. High-Resolution QR Codes: High-resolution QR Codes are required for such print materials to ensure clarity and scannability.
The output quality available on Scanova works with various print sizes and formats.
7. Ease of Use: Built to be intuitive and user-friendly, Scanova’s platform allows even people with no prior knowledge of graphic design to create custom QR Codes easily.
Step-by-step customization with real-time previews lets a user see exactly what his QR Code will look like before designing it.
8. Advanced analytics: These smart QRs help track your QR Codes through detailed analytics of the number of times they are scanned, their click-through rate, and other vital metrics.
This way, you can even plan a strategy for your future campaigns based on the insights offered by Scanova.
D. FAQs: Hidden QR Codes
Here are some FAQs on hidden QR Codes for you to ultimately understand them and utilize them perfectly:
1. What are hidden QR Codes?
As the term suggests, hidden QR Codes are regular QR Codes that are hidden in plain sight or obliged into other ‘objects.’ They may be embedded in any artwork, on any object, or even into an image.
2. How do you scan hidden QR Codes?
You can scan these hidden QR Codes with any smartphone reader app. But, if the code is hidden really smartly, you might have to play with the lighting or zoom in with your camera to get a good read.
3. What kind of information can a hidden QR Code hold?
This means that just like standard QR Codes, hidden QR Codes can hold information of all kinds. It may involve a website URL, discount codes, secret messages, access to hidden games, or even additional content around products or places.
4. Why use hidden QR Codes?
There could be some reasons to use hidden QR Codes:
- Generate intrigue and interactivity: The surprising element, combined with the action of discovery, may turn hidden QR Codes into quite a humorous and engaging way to activate your audience.
- Offer exclusive content: Hidden QR Codes can help you offer very special rewards or information to specific individuals who find them.
- Track participation: Some QR Code generators like Scanova track the scanning of hidden codes to get an idea of the effectiveness of your campaign.
5. Is there any security concern relating to the Hidden QR Code?
Just like any QR Code, there’s always a risk of one being led to a harmful website. Therefore, one must be very careful not to scan the codes from unknown sources by mistake.
6. How do I make my own hidden QR?
You can create a hidden QR Code using Scanova’s QR Code generator. Their services will let you create a code and optionally add password protection or hide it inside an image.
Conclusion
The next time you see a QR Code, don’t just scan it and move on. Look a little closer; you might just be surprised at its secret!
One day, you will be hiding your very own secret QR Code for that special someone to stumble upon.
The world of QR Codes no longer needs to be black and white. It is a playground for creativity and hidden adventures!