QRators in Action: How Megazone Media's App QR Code Simplifies Radio Discovery
QRators in Action is a set of interviews with client brands that use QR codes to reach and grow their audience in the simplest way possible.
Long before the rise of streaming, podcasts, and social media platforms, there was radio. And while it has seen a dwindling in usage (or at least we thought), it’s far from being dead. It has taken a new form to be more interactive and engaging with the audience.
The South Africa-based multi-platform media company, Megazone Media, is making it easier for listeners to access the radio through its digital platform.
It operates 12 radio stations in a single mobile app, allowing listeners to switch stations without ever leaving the platform. They can be all ears wherever they are through their smartphone, car dashboard, or television.
To reach more listeners, Megazone Media tapped QR TIGER to create a dynamic QR code that simplifies the app download process and broadens its reach.
(Dynamic QR codes can be edited and updated anytime, even after printing—letting Megazone Media track scans and adjust the destination link without starting over.)
Table of Contents
Behind Megazone Media’s growing radio platform
Megazone Media was founded by Vishal Maharaj in 2015 to make radio more engaging and accessible worldwide. It's already been a decade since the company began operating in the uMhlanga community of Durban, South Africa.
Over the years, the company expanded to more than 12 radio stations across different genres, all accessible through a single mobile application, and grew into one of the country’s most distinctive independent media groups.
Put simply, independent media groups aren’t run by the government or major media companies. This gives them the freedom to make their own choices about their content, the stories they cover, and their target audience.
Megazone Media now operates as a full-service media partner, offering services ranging from radio advertising and content creation to business registration and website hosting for brands looking to grow their presence.
When a simple app download became complicated
Megazone Media’s growth came with its own set of challenges. The company sees that finding and downloading its mobile app can be a struggle for potential listeners.
The reason is that it’s listed under different names on the Google Play Store and the App Store. The app appeared as “Megazone Media” on Android and “Megazone FM” on iOS. Listeners searching for one version often failed to find the other.
To simplify app discovery and downloads, Megazone Media created a single dynamic QR code and placed it on its marketing materials, water bottles, and promotional assets.
Listeners scan the code to reach a landing page where they can choose the correct app store for their device type and download the mobile app immediately.
Users can also find other quick buttons on the page to visit the company’s website (PC Stream) and connect through Megazone Bollywood Instagram and MegaZone Hit Radio Instagram.
How Megazone Media uses QR codes to simplify app downloads and uncover a global audience
We had an opportunity to talk with Vishal Maharaj, founder and CEO of Megazone Media, and explore how a single, dynamic QR code solves the confusion around app downloads and their analytics, which revealed an unexpected global audience.
Can you tell us briefly about your company and what you do?
“Megazone Media comprises two parts: one is Megazone Radio, our app, where we host 12 radio stations. One has an FM frequency, which is our flagship station, the Megazone Bollywood 104.8 FM frequency.
Then we have a media side of it, [where] we do everything for the client towards the growth and campaign. We marry what we do on the radio adverts to social media for them. So, posters, recording the adverts for them, social media posts, and creating content for them as well.
We also take it much further, providing services like registering the company, CIPC registrations, obtaining a tax number, registering the company for a domain, hosting the domain, and creating an email and website. So these are the things we can create, even to the point of printing business cards, putting up banners, and so forth. We do all of that.
So the client comes to us, and we’d like to call it a one-stop, where we are able to start off a client from absolutely nothing, create a business registration right up to website hosting, try to radio advertising, and marketing moving forward with them.”
What makes Megazone Media unique?
“We’re unique because we offer on our app, not one but 12 radio stations, all with different genres of music. So if you want to listen to Bollywood music (that's our flagship station), there's a Bollywood option for you. If you want to move into something that throws back to the late-70s, 80s, 90s, and early-2000s English music, I've got a cassette radio. So it's all within my platform, my Megazone platform.
So I don't lose that listener to another radio station. All they do is switch between the different music genres they want to listen to at that time, and they remain within the Megazone radio platform. So that's what makes us so unique.”
Why did you decide to use QR codes, particularly, and what made you choose this approach for your campaign or event?
“You know, the thing is, as you study and get into [the] media, you've got to try and keep yourself abreast with what's happening. A lot of the things are actually making the change and adding that bit [of a] difference to what you can offer to your client, you know, and the whole QR code thing became a big thing. Or I could see [it] starting to become a big thing. And that's when I started with QR codes, got in, and looked at QR code companies.
And QR TIGER stood out for me. I registered and said, "Let's see how I perform.” And I came in from there, and I've never looked back at another company, and I've just been moving forward with QR TIGER since.”
How has QR TIGER helped Megazone Media achieve its goals?
“Well, I have to admit and say that since before we had QR TIGER, we would try and market our Megazone radio app in any possible way for listeners, potential listeners, and advertisers to download our app, you know.
And lots of people who have cell phones are scared of going into an app site and how to download, and what they need to press, and what the buttons are, and so forth. So we tried to make it easier.
People are getting very used to scanning QR codes now. You scan the code, and a pop-up appears asking, “Is your phone an iOS or an Android?”
You select what it is, and it'll take you straight to that store. The app is downloaded on the smartphone. Pretty simple. So they don't have to go into [and search the app]; it saves a whole lot of time… this just goes into the actual store.
And what made it a bit confusing is that when we created the Megazone Radio in the app, on Android it shows as Megazone Radio, and on iOS it shows as Megazone FM. We couldn't confuse our listeners [with] what it is or what they're looking for.
The QR code takes them directly to the landing page, where they choose whether to have an iOS or Android phone. Click on either button, and that can take them to the correct downloading page.”
What key insights or learnings did you gain from using QR TIGER in your campaign?
“I just recently found out that the QR code [generator] was much, much more than just providing a QR code.
It gave me a very in-depth analysis of where and how far people are actually downloading my [app through the] QR code. Right down to the city, right down to which city around the world has downloaded [the app].
That makes brilliant, brilliant marketing for us when we use that information in our media kits so that potential advertisers can see, you know, how far the QR codes are being [scanned and the app] downloaded. That means we have listeners in those cities.
So these [data on locations], that we don't even know exist, [let us know that] the Megazone app is downloaded there because of [a] QR code. Then you give us a distinction between English and the other languages in which they are being downloaded.
So, yeah, the in-depth knowledge [given by] the QR code analytics that come with it is something that is very, very helpful to us when we're pitching our product to potential clients.”
Can you share how many cities or countries are now listening to a radio station based in South Africa?
“It's far, far more than we actually thought it was because when we initially looked at it, we said, okay, fine. But it shows a limited number and says, “See more.” And then we said, okay, let's see more.
And we threw out a whole lot more countries again, and the list still goes on. If you see more, it throws out a whole lot, another 10 or 15 countries again. So that list just went on and on, and it surprised us at every point in time, you know.
So, yes, we're starting to play around with that now with QR TIGER, to see how else we can use it to increase our presence in and around the world, South Africa, and the world, and what further analytics we can get out of it so that we can use it to promote the brand.”
Can you share any results or numbers you're comfortable providing for engagement, reach, leads, and conversions of your code?
“I think it's still early to get potential clients converting to signed-up clients because of the QR code. We've only started using the QR code's analytics in the last month. So it wouldn't be fair for me to say it doesn't work, since we're starting to implement it and are going in with it forcefully.
However, in saying that, I can tell you that the QR code has definitely brought in a whole lot more listenership than I would have had if I just used my link.”
Would you recommend QR TIGER to other businesses and why, or why not?
“I have to be honest that I have not shopped around at any other QR code providers. When I got into it, and I Googled, QR TIGER showed up, and I said, " Let me try it out and I've not turned that off since then. You guys have upped your game since then, as well, based on what I see on your site when I get on it.
I also enjoy that I'm now able to see more information than just your company details on a QR code, and what you want. It also lets you create a URL or any QR code you want. It gives you the options to use and create them.
It's made life so much easier. I've got the QR codes on all my branded water bottles as well. So, as water bottles go out, where we sponsor events and so forth, the QR code is there. People are sitting at presentations or functions; the water bottle is there. They're playing with their hands, they see a QR code, and for the fun of it, they're scanning the code, you know, and then, wow, okay, magazine radio, you know.
So in that way, yes, it's helped us a whole lot. And the fact that we're now seeing the analytics behind it, giving us the towns, cities, countries, and so forth. The analytics is what I want to get more involved in now that we're more settled in.
I wouldn't be able to show proof if it wasn't the analytics that come with QR code, as much as social and digital media have taken the forefront.”
Proving app discovery and visibility through dynamic QR codes
Making the app easier to find through QR codes didn’t just make app downloads smoother for users; Megazone Media also gained a clear view of where exactly people discover its mobile app.
Using dynamic QR codes removes the guesswork from downloading the app, while the data collected from scans—from global locations to specific cities—demonstrates how wide the company’s reach is among its listeners and clients.
For Vishal Maharaj, the software helped him see QR codes in a new light. “We've included QR TIGER’s analytics into the June media kit, which just reemphasizes to listeners and potential clients how widespread the brand has become. And all because of the QR code.
“The analytics itself stand as a testimony to what the [dynamic] QR code is doing to and for the brand,” he concluded.
See what a Link Page QR code can do
Megazone Media and 850,000 client brands use our dynamic QR codes to bring their content closer to their audience. Wouldn’t it be great if your audience could also see all your pages and visit them right away?
With a dynamic QR code, you can include your website, social media handles, app store links, and other links in a single hub. Update it anytime for fresh content or new pages.
Then, monitor how many are scanning, when and where they are, and which linked pages your audience is actually visiting. You’ll see all of these in real time in your own dashboard.
Create a Link Page QR code in QR TIGER and see how it turns passive links into clicks. Try it for free by signing up—no credit card details needed.
