Do QR Codes Actually Work on TV? Yes — But Only If You Do This

QR codes on TV ads are increasingly common. Most brands are using them wrong. Here's what actually works — and why it's worth getting right.

QR codes on TV used to feel like a gimmick. They'd appear for four seconds at the end of an ad, nobody scanned them, and everyone concluded they didn't work.

They do work. The problem was never the QR code. It was the execution.

Give it time — serious time

The single biggest mistake brands make with QR codes on TV is not keeping them on screen long enough. Four or five seconds at the end of an ad isn't enough. Even if someone's sitting with their phone in their hand — which many viewers are — you're asking them to notice the QR code, decide to scan it, unlock their phone, open the camera, point it at the screen, and tap the link.

That sequence takes time. And before they've even started it, they need to have made the decision that they want to. That decision takes time too.

If you're going to use a QR code, keep it on screen for as much of the ad as possible. For a 30-second spot, that ideally means all 30 seconds. At minimum, you want 15 to 20 seconds of exposure. Anything less, and you're wasting the space.

Position it bottom right

Through testing across a range of campaigns, bottom right of screen consistently outperforms other positions for QR code engagement. The reason probably comes down to how people read a screen — left to right, top to bottom — and where attention naturally settles.

It sounds like a small thing. It isn't. Positioning matters.

The Google problem — and how QR codes solve it

Here's something that surprises a lot of advertisers: research suggests that around 75% of people who want to find a brand after seeing a TV ad go to Google rather than typing in the URL directly. That's fine — except that if you're running paid search, you're paying for clicks from people who were already coming to you anyway.

A well-used QR code bypasses Google entirely. It takes the viewer straight to exactly where you want them — a specific product page, a landing page, an offer — without the detour through paid search. Over the course of a campaign, that can represent a meaningful saving on your paid media budget.

QR codes can take people away from Google — and save you money on the clicks you were already paying for.

Longer formats work better

If QR codes are part of your strategy, 30-second spots are more effective than shorter formats simply because they give the code more time on screen and the viewer more time to decide. A 10-second spot with a QR code is largely decorative.

Plan your format around your call-to-action mechanic, not the other way around.

The bottom line

QR codes on TV work. They're not a magic bullet, and they don't replace a strong call to action — they support it. But used well, they create a direct, measurable link between someone watching your ad and someone landing on your site, with no middleman taking a cut.

Bottom right. As long as possible. In a spot that gives them time to act. That's it.