While 70 per cent of marketers are using printed marketing material to direct audiences to digital content, 23 per cent admit that their print and digital approaches are not closely aligned, according to research by market services production company Charterhouse. And shockingly, none of the marketers surveyed use print to drive people towards mobile content.

A URL remains the most common method to direct audiences online from print, used by 83 per cent of marketers. More sophisticated tools, such as QR codes – at 26 per cent – and augmented reality – 5 per cent – are used less frequently.

Ivan Skoric, head of digital services at Charterhouse, says: “QR codes, and other emerging technologies, hold a lot of potential for some really innovative marketing. But marketers mustn’t think these technologies are the route to instant engagement. Any integration between print and digital must be intelligent, worthwhile for the audience, and closely aligned. Simply sticking a QR code or digital watermark on print marketing to drive interest to your homepage is not going to achieve results.”

51 per cent of marketers plan to use QR codes in the next 12 months, but 32 of respondents still admitted that they are unsure about the potential of QR codes to enhance their marketing campaigns, while 34 per cent say the same about linking to mobile sites. And, at 51 per cent, the majority of marketers say the same thing about augmented reality.