A full 8% of magazine ads in December 2011 included action codes (including quick-response or QR codes), up from 3.6% in January. That according to mobile technology provider Nellymoser, and reported in Adweek.

The company surveyed the top 100 magazine titles throughout the year, and offers these findings:

• 4,468 codes appeared in the top 100 magazines during 2011
• Only 352 codes appeared in Q1, and grew to 1,899 in Q4, for 439% growth
• Advertisers drove the growth with 4,011 codes, while editorial (supporting the publisher or magazine) drove the remainder

Nearly 40% of the codes came under beauty, fashion and home. Top users were John Frieda with 82, L’Oreal with 79, Cuisinart with 74, Garnier with 72 and Revlon with 67. That is why most of the codes were in women’s magazine titles, and the top 10 included InStyle, Self, Allure, Glamour and Shape.

Male-oriented titles using QR codes included ESPN Magazine, Sports Illustrated and Wired. Advertisers in male-oriented magazines tended toward electronics (Bose, Samsung), credit cards (American Express) and retailers (American Eagle).
Finally, advertisers used QR codes for four types of campaigns:

• Video demonstrations and branding (e.g., a look behind the scenes)
• Data capture and list building (e.g., with sweepstakes)
• Links to e-commerce sites and store locators for brick-and-mortar locations.
• Social media sharing with links to Facebook and Twitter.

The significance of QR codes is that 18% of those who regularly scan the codes are moved to purchase. Magazines represent the highest use of QR codes (versus billboards and on-screen ads) at 35%.