The Brief

Electronic book store "Four Directions" is an environmentally friendly business that saves paper and printing every time they sell an e-book. The company's primary target audience includes book lovers who are ready to switch their reading habits to e-books, which cause no harm to the environment. As an e-bookstore, Four Directions was looking for ways to advertise offline, but without using paper that would be harmful to the environment.

Creative Execution

Although QR codes direct mobile devices to digital content, they are typically printed on physical materials, which if over-produced, can add up to harm to the environment. Rather than using printed flyers to distribute a QR code, we invented an entirely new, bio-degradable, easily consumable, environmentally friendly advertising medium - QR cookies. Consumers could eat what they read – on a media that left no harm behind.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We invented an environmentally friendly offline medium - QR COOKIES. We placed an enticing QR code on a cookie using Sugar Sheets edible decorating paper. We served the cookies with coffee orders at popular cafés. Consumers could scan the QR code on their cookie to download a free trial e-book.

Results

With a budget of only US$5,000, we distributed over 8,000 QR cookies within one week. Visits to the bookstore's site increased by 45%, leading to a 12% increase in sales. Most importantly, we strengthened the brand's image as an environmentally friendly business.