Hearst Corp.?s House Beautiful is using mobile bar codes to bring the publication?s static advertisements for Glidden paints to life.

House Beautiful is placing the mobile bar codes in the magazine's February issue on the Glidden ads in addition to editorial content throughout the magazine. The publisher is working with Digimarc on this initiative.

?Our program is unique in that it is based in creative editorial digital extensions ? video, animation, customized buy-off-the-page interfaces,? said Sean Sullivan, group marketing director and associate publisher at House Beautiful, New York.

?Once we had achieved a critical mass of users we opened the opportunity up to a key like-minded advertiser, Glidden, and created the first sponsored Digimarc video to appear in the magazine,? he said.

?All future success of print, mobile and Web integration will continue to be contingent upon providing users with unique and worthwhile content or experiences that cannot be accessed through other media.  Too often QR tags and codes are not well thought out ? if you are only linking to an existing website or page, users will quickly get turned off.?

Mobile improvement
The February issue is the second mobile bar code initiative from House Beautiful?s partnership with Digimarc.

According to Mr. Sullivan, since beginning the program, the mobile bar codes have generated 100,000 views.

The mobile calls-to-action appear on two-page advertisements of Glidden paint are indicated with a picture of a smartphone inside an orange box.

Underneath the icon, readers can learn how to use the mobile technology. Readers can download the Digimarc app from either Apple?s App Store or Google?s Android market.

Here is a picture of the mobile-enabled ad

Once users scan the picture, they are taken to a landing page to watch a video about Glidden.

Users are then prompted to visit the Glidden-supported Web site Mycolortopia.com, where they can learn about paint colors and home decoration.

Via the Web site, users can share home decoration tips and get paint-matching help from users.

The Digimarc technology is also being used with House Beautiful content in the issue.

Throughout the magazine, four different sections of content link to Web-exclusive video that shows readers additional content and how the magazine was put together.

Paint on mobile
The House Beautiful initiative builds on Glidden?s mobile bar code initiatives, which also include placing QR codes on marketing materials at the point-of-sale in stores.

Mobile bar codes are a hot engagement tool for publishers, but also have the possibility to ruin content editorially, aesthetically or from an advertiser?s perspective if not used correctly.

For example, a recent mobile bar code initiative from Esquire magazine on the cover was placed in the same location as the mailing label.

However, a recent mobile bar code initiative from Glamour magazine received 512,339 scans from including mobile bar codes in the September issue (see story).

?This initiative is appealing and speaks to our consumers that value aesthetic and color more than a mobile bar code,? said Eric Stasiowski, director of communications at Glidden, Strongsville, OH.

 ?For our business, many people have a tough time moving from being inspired by a paint color to going to store to pick up a gallon of the paint,? he said.

?So for us, mobile marketing has revolutionized how we can bring a consumer?s moment of inspiration to an action.?

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