Cocktail mixer company Daily’s Cocktails is giving consumers a chance to win prizes via mobile bar codes that are placed on its static magazine ad.

The company is running the advertisements as an extension of a summer campaign that promotes its  line of  mixed drinks. In addition to mobile bar codes, the company is also leveraging social media and getting the word out via  Facebook, Twitter and Pandora.

“Daily’s Cocktails had a successful summer campaign last year that focused on making the most of consumers’ summers with Daily’s products, including entertaining and recipe examples,” said Michael Chadwick, partner at CCM Marketing Communications, New York.

“This year, we wanted to use print as another way to get people involved with the campaign, but still wanted it to be simple and easy for users so we decided to use QR codes,” he said.

CCM Marketing Communications is a marketing agency that works with Daily’s Cocktails.

Spin to win
Once consumers snap the mobile bar code via their QR code reader, they are taken to a mobile-optimized page where they can play a game to win various weekly prizes.

To play, consumers click a spinning bar of Daily’s Cocktails products to create a cocktail.

Each week, there is a winning pattern and users who guess the right combination are randomly selected to win prizes, such as blenders and coolers.

The sweepstakes began Memorial Weekend and is planned to run through summer.

“The mobile game is an extension of a more elaborate game that is on the company’s Web site,” Mr. Chadwick said.

Recipe swap
In addition to playing a game, consumers can view a list of 20 curated recipes that use four Daily’s mixes.

“Recipes are one thing that drives drink mixers because there’s always a new and relevant way for consumers to use the products,” Mr. Chadwick said.

“No one is going to buy the product on its own, so recipes are natural sources of content for the brand,” he said.

In addition to using the QR codes to promote the brand, Mr. Chadwick said the company was able to gain valuable insight about how consumers interact with print.

For example, five to six versions of the code were placed in various magazines.

According to Mr. Chadwick, the magazine that has generated the most engagement is Hearst’s Cosmopolitan, which shows that the publication’s readers are looking for sources of additional, relevant content.

“QR codes are a perfect shortcut for going straight from the branded message in the print ad to the more interactive brand experience,” Mr. Chadwick said.

“[QR codes] gives brands an opportunity to make the case for a consumer decision on a situation basis.”

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York