Tuesday, January 03, 2012
The QR Code Quandry
As much as I love QR codes and the potential that they hold, there are barriers that I’ve noticed that can and have prevented people from using and, more importantly, understanding them.
What is that thing?
One good thing about QR codes is their overall shape. They look like barcodes, for the most part, and most people know what a barcode does and how it works. The biggest question, apart from what the QR code is is how does one scan it? I’ve seen an array of barcode-enhanced ads and promotional materials over the past year but some of the instruction and details around the use of the code has been blurry. Some television ads just pop up the code for a quick second (or two) or have the code positioned in the corner of the screen where it’s hard to identify. When the viewer realizes what the’re looking at, it’s too late to grab their smartphone, launch their code reader app, and aim it at their tv.
Other forms of traditional media have been used to display QR codes as well, such as billboards, posters, and direct mail pieces. Depending on where these billboards and posters are placed, their usefulness can suffer from the same setbacks mentioned earlier.
Implementation and Education
There have been some interesting and unique examples of outdoor and moving-media usage as well, such as the QR code-wrapped vehicles from AmeriSign & Graphics as well as a scannable code on the side of Juan Pablo Montoya’s Target Chevy. In the retail space, I’ve noticed Best Buy and The Home Depot using QR codes on products to provide additional information to their customers. I personally found the Home Depot versions useful as they were placed on the tags in their nursery and gave additional details on growing conditions and what types of weather the plant would thrive in. These provided useful information that helped my wife and I decide what to purchase and plant in our garden. The implementation and positioning of the code was solid, there was additional information listed on the tag regarding how the code should be used, and the end result provided rich and meaningful information.
The item that I feel is more important than the placement and use of QR codes in marketing and promotional materials is educating the masses about what these odd-looking barcodes are, and more importantly, what they can do. Going beyond that, once your audience knows what these codes are and how they work, they then need to find (and make easily accessible) a QR code reader program. Speaking from personal experience, this may be the weakest link in the chain when it comes their use.
Depending on where the QR code is placed on a material, whether it be print or digital, the time that it takes to recognize what it is, grab your mobile device, find the appropriate app, launch that app, and get a clear capture of the code image is of the utmost importance. When used properly (and not just slapped onto an ad) I feel that QR codes have shown great potential for providing rich content and information.
Then again, there are those that don’t feel QR codes should be used in marketing. Period.
