Ex Libris Campaign Turns Barcodes into Bookshelves
The "Ex Libris" campaign by Freundliche Grüsse transforms real barcodes into interactive DOOH displays that retrieve the lowest daily prices from the online store.
Ex Libris Campaign Links Barcodes to Real-Time Prices
The Ex Libris campaign by the Zurich-based creative agency Freundliche Grüsse is based on a minimalist yet technologically sophisticated concept: real barcodes are transformed into interactive book offers at current low prices. Ex Libris stands for a wide selection of books at low prices—and the campaign reflects this positioning.
A standard barcode, such as the one used for every book with an ISBN number, contains all the basic identification and product information for a title, but does not include a fixed price. This is where the campaign comes in: To put the price front and center, the barcodes on the digital advertising spaces were linked to Ex Libris’s store data. When scanned, they retrieve the current day’s lowest price from the database in real time.
Based on this concept, campaign visuals were created using real EAN-13 barcodes. The design interprets the vertical lines of the barcode as a bookshelf.
Dynamic Setup with a Contextual Matrix
To ensure the campaign goes beyond a mere visual impression, Freundliche Grüsse has developed an innovative campaign setup in close collaboration with Drop8, Ex Libris’s media agency. DOOH placements featuring countless variations of the creative are currently running throughout German-speaking Switzerland. Each of these variations is equipped with a uniquely generated barcode. A contextual matrix—which links location, time of day, and book category—determines which titles from the current Ex Libris book charts appear where and when. The result is a digital bestseller shelf that constantly rearranges itself on digital screens in tune with the rhythm of everyday life.
The campaign is highly dynamic: The book titles behind the codes are pulled directly from the Ex Libris book charts on a weekly basis and automatically incorporated into the promotional materials.
The scanning app takes you directly to the online store
The designs directly encourage passersby to scan the digital posters using the specially developed scanning app on https://bookcode.ch to scan. If you don't come across DOOH ads in your daily life, you can check it all out on the landing page https://bookcode.ch Try it out on your desktop, too.
Anyone who scans the code is taken directly to the specific book and its low price in the online store. A special highlight of the technological implementation: The scanner isn’t limited to campaign images. According to the company, it works universally with any book that has a 13-digit ISBN number and immediately provides a price comparison in the Ex Libris Shop.
Responsible at Ex Libris: Ester Grau-Garcia (Overall Responsibility), Rahel Stier (Marketing Manager), Sonja Alber (Interim Chief Commercial Officer) Responsible at Friendly regards: Pascal Deville, Samuel Textor, Fabian Biedermann (Overall Responsibility), Laura Leuenberger (Art Direction), Jacqueline Rufener (Copy/Concept), Sandro Matter (Consulting/Technology) Responsible at Drop8: Fabrice Lalive (Director of Innovation & Technology), Monty Meier (Managing Director)
