QR Codes on TV Commercials: Do They Work and How to Track

Nookesh Karri

Do QR Codes on TV Commercials Work, and How Do You Track Them?

QR codes on TV commercials work when the code stays on screen, is big enough and leads somewhere useful. Track them with one dynamic code per spot.

Nookesh Karri Nov 2, 2026 · 7 min read

Yes, QR codes on TV commercials work, as long as the code stays on screen long enough, is big enough to capture from the couch, and leads to a page worth opening on a phone. To track them, give each spot or network its own dynamic QR code, tag the link with UTM parameters, and compare scan times against when the ad aired.

Do QR codes on TV commercials actually work?

TV QR codes work for a real share of viewers, and the best-known example shows what happens when people want what’s behind the code.

A study by LoopMe, reported by Next TV in March 2023, surveyed 6,982 respondents. It found “Nearly 95% of consumers understand how to scan QR codes,” and half of them are likely to scan codes in relevant and engaging ads. The most common reason: 48% said they’d scan to learn more about the product. Heavy streamers were nearly twice as likely to scan as light streamers.

That study measures what people say they’d do, not counted scans from real campaigns. Your numbers will depend on the offer, the audience and the execution.

The Coinbase Super Bowl ad: what happens when it goes right

The Coinbase spot from February 2022 is the example everyone cites, because it was almost nothing but a QR code. According to KFYR’s report, “The ad featured a floating and colorful QR code bouncing around the screen.” The landing page “had more than 20 million hits in one minute,” and the app crashed briefly from the surge.

NBC Miami adds the two details that explain it. The ad ran about one minute, so the code stayed up the whole time. And scanning led to an offer of $15 in Bitcoin for new sign-ups. A long on-screen time plus a clear reward is the pattern worth copying.

The crash is the other lesson. If your ad works, everyone scans in the same few minutes, so load-test the landing page before the spot airs.

How to make a TV QR code people can scan

Most TV QR codes fail for boring reasons: too small, on screen too briefly, or with no reason to scan. MediaVillage’s list of common mistakes covers the fixes.

Keep it on screen. “QR Codes should appear for the entire length of the commercial to yield the highest response.” A code on a five-second end card gives people no time to find their phone.
Make it big enough. The article’s rule of thumb is about 300x300 pixels on a 1920x1080 screen, lower right corner, so it can be captured from at least ten feet away.
Tell people what they get. Put a short call to action above the code, like “Scan For Coupon” or “Scan to Call.” Our guide to QR code calls to action has more examples.
Give an incentive. A discount, a contest entry or exclusive content gives a reason to pick up the phone.
Build the landing page for phones. A slow desktop page wastes the scan.

How to track QR codes on TV commercials

Tracking TV QR codes comes down to one rule: every spot you want to compare gets its own code. One code across all your airings gives you a single total and no way to tell which network or time slot earned it.

Here’s a setup I’d use for a regional campaign running on two networks:

Make one dynamic QR code per network and spot length. For example, “Network A, 30s” and “Network B, 15s.” A dynamic code can change its destination later and counts every scan. See dynamic vs static QR codes if you’re unsure which you need.
Tag each destination with UTM parameters. Google’s Analytics help page on URL builders describes utm_source for the referrer, utm_medium for the channel and utm_content to “differentiate creatives.” A link might end in ?utm_source=network-a&utm_medium=tv&utm_campaign=spring_sale&utm_content=30s. Our UTM parameters for QR codes guide walks through naming.
Keep the airing log. Your media buyer or station sends a list of when each spot ran.
Line up scans with airings. Look at scans by hour for each code. A real response shows up as a jump in the minutes after the spot airs and fades quickly.
Follow the visit through. Analytics shows what scanners did after landing: sign-ups, purchases, calls.

You can do steps 1 and 2 in the dynamic QR code generator. QRAnalytica shows hourly scan counts per code, plus city and device, and can add UTM parameters to the redirect for you.

Reading the airing log against your scans

Say Network A’s 30-second spot aired at 9 pm. If its code shows a cluster of scans between 9:00 and 9:10 and almost none the rest of the hour, that airing drove them. If scans are spread evenly all day, they’re probably coming from somewhere else, like a printed flyer reusing the same code.

Scans from different cities help too. A regional spot that pulls scans from outside its broadcast area is worth a second look. Our post on unique scans vs total scans explains why one person scanning twice shouldn’t count as two viewers.

What TV QR code tracking can’t measure

Scan counts only see people who scanned. Someone who watched the ad, remembered your name and searched for you the next day never touched the code, so the code gets no credit for that visit. Scans are the floor of the ad’s response.

A dynamic code also adds a step between the viewer and your page. QRAnalytica’s dynamic codes run through its redirect servers, which is what makes scan counts and editing possible. That’s one more service that has to stay up during the exact minutes your ad airs.

My take: put a code on every direct-response TV spot. A per-spot scan count is the clearest signal you’ll get about which airings worked, and it costs nothing extra once the ad is made. For more on measuring codes in public places, see out-of-home QR code tracking.

FAQ

Do people actually scan QR codes on TV?

Many do. A LoopMe study of 6,982 respondents found nearly 95% of consumers understand how to scan QR codes, and half are likely to scan codes in relevant and engaging ads.

How long should a QR code stay on screen in a TV ad?

As long as you can manage. MediaVillage’s advice is that QR codes should appear for the entire length of the commercial to get the highest response, not just a five-second end card.

How big should a QR code be on TV?

One guideline from MediaVillage is about 300x300 pixels on a 1920x1080 screen, in the lower right corner, so it can be captured from at least ten feet away.

Can I track which TV spot a scan came from?

Yes, if each spot or network gets its own dynamic code or its own tagged link. The scan counts and campaign tags then show which airing drove each visit.

What can’t TV QR code tracking measure?

It can’t count people who saw the ad and visited later by typing your URL or searching your brand name. Scans are a floor for the ad’s response, not the whole of it.

Sources

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