JumpScan Creates Digital Calling Cards From Small Town of Brevard

Ok, I have to admit that when I first saw this article I was interested because I saw the name "Brevard" next to Tech. I live in Brevard County Florida and was hoping that this awesome tech company was local! As I began to read farther, I realized that the article was about the company I used to provide my QR Code. (It appears in the upper right hand corner of my blog) I just wanted to pass along the good press and an inspirational story! Way to go JumpScan!

Written by

Jason Sandford

Original Post

BREVARD — Phil Davis and his partners have created a physical link to the digital world they believe will forever change the way people share their contact information.

Their company is called JumpScan, and their innovation is a Web-based platform that allows a user to create a specialized bar code and easily share it. The QR code, which looks more like a blotchy stamp than a traditional stripy bar code, can contain all kinds of information, from a Web address to a phone number.

“I first saw QR codes in March or April of last year,” Davis said. “We started looking around, and we began to realize that there really wasn't a Web-based platform for the codes,” he said of his partners: his son, Ben Davis, and Web developer Mike McKearin.

So the company created JumpScan (www.jumpscan.com), a site that allows anyone to create a profile, then spit out a QR code that directs a user to a mobile-friendly profile page when it's scanned by a smart phone.

The result is the equivalent of a digital business card, Davis said.

“Imagine going to a restaurant, and the doors are closed, but there's a QR code right there on the door,” he said. “Anyone with a smart phone can scan it and get directed to a page that tells you what time it opens, what their lunch special is and Flickr photos of their food.”

The company launched in September. After tech websites Lifehacker and Mashable published stories about JumpScan on New Year's Eve, the company captured 5,000 users in one week, Davis said.

Interest is high in technology such as QR codes because “the digital epicenter is moving from the laptop to the palm-top,” and companies are focusing on mobile users, Davis said.

He cited statistics that show that Web-enabled phones will reach 50 percent market penetration in coming months, and that by 2013, more people will be accessing the Internet by mobile phones than by desktop computers.

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QR Codes, A Billboard Advertisers Dream Come True!

Long before I turned my attention to internet marketing, I was heavily involved in billboard advertising for multiple companies. Billboards are great for reaching large numbers of people, but difficult for tracking return on investment (ROI). The question I spent far too much time trying to answer was, "Do these Billboards actually WORK?!"

FINALLY, there is an effective solution! QR CODES

By using a QR Codes linked to a website, social network profile or product offers an advertiser is now able to track where customer saw their billboard and the rate of return on these billboards. QR Codes are customizable interaction points that point users to a specific url, photo, video or text online. All the user must have is a smart phone and a QR scanner. Please see the following example for a better illustration of the capabilities of QR codes.

For Example: Ron Jon's Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Ron Jon's has billboards all over the state of Florida. They are trying to figure out which express way (I-4, I-75 or I-95) gets more tourists through their doors. It used to be a guessing game, however QR Codes will allow Ron Jon's to get a much better picture of where their tourist traffic is coming from (literally).

Ron Jon's could set-up 3 different QR Codes to be used on the 3 express ways. Depending on the traffic to the associated URL's plus any other variables they would like to set up, they can decide where there is more traffic that is interested in their shop.

They could also track these QR Codes in relation to coupon redemption. Ron Jon's gives out 15% off coupons, by pointing the QR codes at 3 unique Coupons, they could even track where the customer saw their billboard and whether or not they came into the store to redeem it.

Ron Jon's could also enhance a marketing technique they already use, a count down to their shop. As shown in the photo a RJ's billboard, they post the milage to their store on nearly all billboards. The QR Code could also point to this information to make this technique more interactive. I know if it were me interacting with a brand for 200 miles, I would be determined to at least visit the store when I got there!

If it were me in charge of the content, I would point the QR Codes to a fun voice file with some surf music or trivia. If each billboard had a new trivia question about surfing, it would turn finding Ron Jon's billboards into a game for traveling families. I would also talk up all the things there is to do once you get to the surf shop like take lessons, rent surf boards, or shop.

QR Codes are the tracking device billboard advertisers have been looking for. This will allow advertisers to interact with customers and track their results like never before. Finally this old fashion form of advertising is interacting with the 21st century!

Related Post: What is a QR Code?