Sharethrough is getting into the boom in QR codes, introducing its own offering for connected TV.

The codes can be added dynamically as connected TV ads are bought programmatically through the Sharethrough platform. When scanned, the code takes the viewer to a website or other destination for additional product info or online experience requested by the advertiser.

Among the reasons QR codes have had an increase in interest recently is their application in connected TV, both in converting highly targeted audiences and measuring actions taken after seeing an ad.

Sharethrough’s offering gives advertisers access to performance reporting, such as scan rates that show directional indication of the engagement and attention to the brand’s offering. There is no additional cost for ad buyers, who can automatically add codes to connected TV ads delivered through the Sharethrough Exchange in all major DSPs. Advertisers can further customize dynamic elements of the QR code, such as background colour, adding a logo or changing the call-to-action.

But Sharethrough says the QR codes also have a place in improving ad attention. North American research conducted by the company in Dec. 2021 and released earlier this month found that 76% of consumers do not pay active attention to TV ads, but that 79% of people do have their phone or another device in their hands – which are used to scan QR codes – during commercial breaks. Additionally, when asked if they would scan a QR code on TV if it was relevant to them, 76% of respondents said they would, and the research also saw a 12% improvement in ad attention.

“They’ll make it interesting for consumers,” says Jean-Martin Provencher, senior product manager for QR codes at Sharethrough. “When you’re viewing in the living room and seeing an ad for a fashion brand with a QR code that tells you more about the spot you’re seeing, you don’t have to get up from the couch. Scan from where you are. It works; we’ve tested it.”