HBO is putting QR codes on bus shelters to promote the premiere of its newest show ?Boardwalk Empire.?

Playing on the show's theme of prohibition, the cable network is letting consumers scan the QR codes to reveal passwords to invite-only speakeasy events. HBO tapped agency PHD to power the campaign. 

?[The strategy] was simple,? said Andrea Cardamone, group account director at PHD, New York. ?Give people something of value and get them involved in the show?s narrative.

?The Prohibition era was notorious for using creative ways to get the job done ? this marketing effort does the same,? she said.

Home Box Office Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., providing two 24-hour pay television services?HBO and Cinemax?to more than 40 million subscribers in the United States.

PHD, a subsidiary of Omnicom Media Group, is a media and communications agency.

The QR codes were designed by SET Japan.

Hunt for drinks
The QR codes are featured in three New York City locations:

? 42 St between 3rd Avenue and Lexington Avenue
? 86 St between Amsterdam Avenue and Columbus Avenue
? 79 St between 3rd Avenue and Lexington Avenue

Users can scan the code via any code-reading application.

After scanning the QR code, users get the location of the speakeasy event and the password for the event to get a complimentary drink.

Here is a photo featuring one of the locations with the QR code:

?Skyrocketing mobile use and smartphone growth aside, it?s really about engagement ? more for the user,? Ms. Cardamone said. ?QR codes turn traditional media into an interactive experience and allow for multiple opportunities for users to engage with the show.

The QR codes are also featured in five Chicago locations:

? 16 S. Clark St ? (Clark and Madison)
? 200 North State St ? (State and Lake)
? 630 N. Lasalle Dr ? (LaSalle and Erie/Ontario)
? 68 E. Wacker Dr ? (Wacker and Michigan)
? 67 E. Wacker Dr ? (Wacker and Michigan)

Mobile campaigns
In July, HBO ran a rich-media ad campaign to promote the season three premiere of its other show ?True Blood.?

The company worked with PHD and Medialets and the ad was featured in Variety and Flixster iPhone applications.

When users browsed through the application, the first touch they got was a bloody fingerprint (see story).

HBO is also working with PHD on other mobile marketing campaigns.

?Mobile lets users engage more deeply with HBO content,?  Ms. Cardamone said. ?We?re working on several other mobile marketing campaigns, including ?Eastbound and Down? and ?Bored to Death,? which both premiere this Sunday night.? 

Final Take