Happy Birthday to the Barcode!
It has been a big year for our friends at GS1 UK, celebrating their 50th anniversary. We celebrated this milestone with them and produced a coverage film to commemorate 50 years of the barcode.
GS1 UK is the world’s only authorised provider of GTINS, the unique number that each barcode represents – and as the humble barcode turned 50 we embarked on showing the world how these stripey black lines have and will continue to revolutionise society.
They are used 10 billion times a day; have revolutionised the industry; and hold huge potential for the future – yet few know their purpose or creator. Our campaign sought to change that.
We used a combination of powerful storytelling about the barcode’s origin (it was invented in the sand on a beach!) alongside GS1 UK’s expert analysis and insightful consumer research to create a campaign which educated and altered perceptions around this revolutionary invention.
The campaign resulted in 225 pieces of coverage with excellent message penetration, reaching an audience of 450M. Highlights included a 20-minute segment on BBC World Service, a full page in the Daily Mail, page two of the Sunday Times, BBC News Online and a brilliant analysis in the Metro.
