‘Intriguing’ guerrilla QR code campaign ‘tapped into Malta community’s inherent curiosity’

When posters accusing a certain ‘Andre’ of cheating started showing up around Malta, it did not take long for people to notice. They soon went viral, powered in part by the tempting invitation to scan a QR code to see the evidence of the alleged indiscretion.

Curious scanners, however, would go on to realise that their hope for salacious pictures would instead be met with a 10 per cent discount code for Dre’s Grill, a food truck in Għargħur.

“They certainly succeeded in raising brand awareness and enhancing brand recall through the free PR generated by the stunt,” says Jonathan Gianino, marketing manager at Harvest Technology.

“The Maltese community’s inherent curiosity and tendency towards debate have only amplified the impact, something few companies here actively leverage for marketing purposes,” he continues.

In fact, “such campaigns are a rare sight in Malta,” he tells BusinessNow.mt. “However, it’s worth noting that such tactics aren’t easily implemented across all markets.”

He notes that while a burger joint has the creative liberty to engage in this kind of unconventional marketing, other sectors are more constrained by the nature of their business, making it more challenging to develop similar guerrilla marketing concepts.

“Industries with stricter regulations or more formal target audiences may find it difficult to experiment with such bold strategies,” says Mr Gianino.

Raquel Galdes Briffa, a freelance digital marketing specialist working at Leady, says she liked the guerrilla marketing aspect of the campaign, but nonetheless feels it represents something of a missed opportunity for the brand.

“It was a good idea, but it felt rushed,” she says. “It was a bit of a letdown that the effort to scan the QR code only resulted in a generic discount code.”

Ms Galdes Briffa says the execution of the campaign could have been even better if the page linked to by the QR code continued the story started in the poster.

“For example, maybe Andre could have cheated by having a cheat meal. That kind of thing, where the marketing concept is retained from the first touchpoint to the last. By putting a bit more effort into the story, the campaign could have resulted in even more value for the brand.”

Meanwhile, Mr Gianino also raises the issue of digital security: “While such controversy-driven techniques can work in favour of brand exposure, I would advise the public to exercise caution when scanning QR codes in public spaces. QR codes could potentially lead to malicious sites, making users vulnerable to cyber-attacks.”