Companies using multichannel marketing to increase their brand power

Multichannel marketing is really taking off with companies looking to increase their profits by communicating their brand across multiple channels and platforms.

QR Codes

The use of QR codes in multi-channel marketing is having a great impact upon how companies are engaging with customers. Starbucks are using QR codes to streamline the way they interact with customers. Instead of waiting in a long line to pay, customers can input pre-loaded card details onto their Starbucks iPhone app to pay more quickly. BestBuy is another company that is effectively using QR codes. Customers can scan product tags in store to see further information about the product that they are interested in. This includes reviews to help customers affirm that the product is right for them and can help drive sales.

Charities are increasingly using QR codes in their online and mobile campaigns. According to a study by Edge Research, 26% of respondents raised more than 25% of funds online. Their research also found that non-for-profit organizations generally agreed that the key benefit for multi-channel marketing was the unification of messages across channels, strengthening their brand and promoting their cause.

During Christmas, Leeds creative based agency ‘Propaganda’ helped homeless charity ‘Simon on the Streets’ with a QR code campaign for those sleeping rough. The agency laid out QR codes printed on cardboard amongst blankets and belongings to replicate homeless conditions. Once scanned by a smartphone or tablet QR reader, users were taken to the Just Giving page to donate money directly to the charity.

For more examples of companies using multi-channel marketing strategies to increase their brand power, click here.

Amazon communicates with clients across multiple channels and platforms.

Amazon in your pocket

The Amazon ‘Price Check’ app can have a great impact upon a user’s shopping experience. Using the barcode scanner allows the user to shop in-store and compare prices directly with Amazon. Commonly, when customers have checked prices and tried out products, they go home and load up their laptops to find better deals. Amazon’s price check lets you do this from their competitors’ shop floor, turning it into an outlet for the company. The ability to save products to your wish list whilst browsing through stores turns virtual shopping into a reality.

The app allows the user to spread the message about the great deals they have just discovered via email, text, Twitter or Facebook. This is a good example of multichannel communication and how Amazon allows the user to easily and quickly spread the word. The online retail giant tightly integrates the web, mobile and social media to provide an effective and purposeful app, providing brand and end user benefit.

According to Internet World Stats, there were approximately 51.5 million internet users in the UK (82% of the population) as of August 2011 with 45% of them accessing the net via their mobile phone (Office for National Statistics). Hawk-like Amazon has seized the opportunity to gain market advantage with their customers having rich devices in their pockets.