The 2D bar codes will appear in printed collateral and advertising and marketing materials such as billboards, commuter transit posters and online advertisements. The show will take place in on April 22 through May 1.

“ScanLife and mobile bar codes allow the New York Auto Show to link visitors to additional content from all of their pre-show and at show material,” said Mike Wehrs, CEO of Scanbuy, New York.

“Before the show, they plan on linking to a mobile site where people can purchase tickets or view special content,” he said. “At the show, there is a wide variety of ways that visitors could engage including additional photos, videos and more from leading car manufacturers.

“Codes are very quickly becoming a way for mobile consumers to get specific information in a matter of seconds – they don’t have to navigate to that new model from a landing page, they just scan and they’re there.”

Scanbuy provides mobile bar code services that use the camera phone as the link between the physical and digital world. 

Mobile tickets
The New York Auto Show is incorporating the codes into its show program.

Consumers can scan the 2D bar code and receive additional information about the vehicles featured in the full-color 144-page publication.

“The New York Auto Show is one of the leading innovators in their industry,” Mr. Wehrs said. “We saw this as a perfect fit to engage both their visitors and potentially give their manufacturers a tool that can be used at the show. 

“Most of the traditional marketing tools they leverage are mobile in nature – transit and newspapers – this is a perfect way to give consumers a direct link to buy tickets and learn more from where ever they are,” he said.

Code reader
To access the additional content, consumers can download the code reader to their phone by entering http://www,getscanlife.com via their mobile device.

This is not the New York Auto Show’s first foray into mobile.  The company offered an iPhone application last year.

“We also have some new features we plan to announce next week that will make our application even more versatile and powerful for the mobile shopper,” Mr. Wehrs said. “Growth continues to be explosive so it’s an exciting time.”

Final Take