In its professional networking activities, Stacy’s initiative to support women is noteworthy for making its packaging a portal to geotargeted content accessible via QR codes. This year, as the brand reports, QR codes have seen a revival as the pandemic encourages individuals to use several contactless technologies. QR codes can be quickly scanned with enhancements to smartphone camera apps without needing mobile users to download a different app.
The campaign is expected to cater to younger customers who are more likely to eat snack foods and who tend to prefer brands that advocate causes, such as helping women move ahead in the workplace. The “Rise of the Female Founder” survey by Stacy found that 67 percent of customers wanted to find goods and services from women-founded companies more easily and 79 percent wanted to see more women-founded companies in their communities.
In partnership with Hello Alice, a multi-channel forum for women and what it defines as “New Majority” owners comprising of people of colour, immigrants, LGBTQ people, veterans and physically disabled entrepreneurs, Stacy’s created the directory of women-owned companies.
The QR code campaign is inspired by #ShareForHer 2020’s Stacy’s Rise Project theme and its market study, which also found that online search (50 percent) and word-of-mouth reviews (45 percent) are the top two ways for customers to find new items.
QR codes have been printed on their packaging by a range of brands to engage customers with a branded experience or to provide more detail. To unlock an AR experience for soccer fans and share it on social media, Stacy’s sister brand Pepsi printed QR codes on its cans this year, while Trident Gum ran a campaign last summer that enabled smartphone users to scan a QR code in its packaging to generate music beats with an AR filter on the Instagram photo-sharing app. Morton Salt plans to add QR codes to its rebranded product line, enabling customers to open up an experience in augmented reality ( AR) that includes experiences with tips for its mascot and recipe.
As homebound consumers seek comfort food and make more home-cooked meals during the pandemic, Stacy’s campaign comes as snack foods have seen higher growth. Frito-Lay was a bright spot of sales gains for parent company PepsiCo that surpassed the rise in its soft drinks market, which has taken a hit as many small capacity bars, restaurants and hotels operate. In Q3, Frito North America saw a 7% sales increase from a year ago, helping to drive a 5.3% rise in PepsiCo’s overall revenue of $18.1 billion, according to a quarterly survey.
