Segmentation, involvement and the reach-engagementrelationship: evidence from a QR code advertising campaign

Abstract

This paper presents a procedure that practitioners must follow before assessing the reach-­‐engagement relationship in a “pull” campaign. It is suggested to check for the independence between this relationship and that between segmentation and product involvement. If the two relationships are independent, then segmentation becomes less relevant when assessing the reach-­‐engagement relationship. Otherwise, an unobservable segmentation variable must be accounted for in the reach-­‐engagement relationship. These aspects of segmentation are never mentioned in the extant literature, which treats segmentation in “pull” campaigns the same way in which targeting is designed in “push” campaigns. This article presents an assessment of a cross-­‐media campaign in which a Quick Response (QR) Code that links to the brand’s website has a central role in the narrative of print media advertisements. The context is void of viral content and without e-­‐commerce sales. Evidence shows that the QR code has a great potentiality as a communication agent to increase the notoriety of high-­‐involvement durables (apartments).