Does QR stand for Quasi-Ridiculous? (an analysis)

I found your comment below insightful but I thought you would need to have your own text short code with the carriers to manage this, correct? Does ExactTarget have kit in their portfolio to help?

"It would be substantially easier – and you’d have a much larger potential audience – if you asked people to simply text message in their email address to sign up. (89% of Americans 15 or older have a phone capable of this action)"

The increased adoption of the QR code still confuses me. It's something that it seems the average consumer (non-tech community) has not adopted at all.

I've never seen anyone scanning a code outside of a tech or social media conference.

And yet so many companies have QR codes on their advertisements. Definitely seems to be a case where the consultants and agencies are pitching QR codes for whatever reason, without having any actual proof of traction. Maybe it's to give this vibe of being innovative, or maybe they're so focused on how it COULD be used, that they forget to think about why someone would use it in the first place.

IMO, the QR code won't be useful until a QR code scanning app becomes widely recognized in the mainstream. Right now people see the codes, and still have no idea what it is, let alone how to scan it.

Until people see a code, and immediately know what to do in order to interact with it, I wouldn't invest my time or money into a QR code strategy.

I do agree with the idea of how QR Codes are now being bounced around totally different then what they are some times meant for. It seems that some of the marketing coordinators for these companies just come up with an idea of one day throwing a QR codes together and just putting a discount with it. I have tested and tried to use a lot of different qr codes but as you did I run into issues where I continuously got an error message when trying to place information.

Although the size of the QR code is not attractive, I do have to give Crowne Plaza credit for actually making the QR code large enough to be scanned by inferior camera phones. (I could even scan the code in the image that you posted.) Most marketers don't understand that inferior camera phones, or ones w/o autofocus, (e.g. iPhone 3GS, Blackberry) are incapable of scanning codes smaller than about 1"x1". They test with their new iPhone 4 and assume that means the code is scannable for everyone. Too small, unscannable QR codes are an epidemic in most QR code campaigns, so Crowne Plaza get props for getting that right.

Your points on design, relevance, and a value-added user experience are right on. Too many marketers have been hypnotized by including a fancy new piece of technology and have completely forgotten about quality marketing tactics for memorable, awesome experiences. Of all the QR code campaigns I've seen (which is a lot), this one isn't terrible. They actually employ most of the best practices on my checklist: http://qrcodechecklist. However, that also points out that marketers need to think beyond a mobile barcode checklist and still incorporate UX logic and marketing strategy in their promotions. Poor implementation is the fault of the marketer, not the technology. QR codes still provide a unique and revolutionary opportunity to bridge non-digital and digital worlds if executed properly.

"the Taylor Lautner of calls-to-action" Love that!

I love the idea of QR codes. They're dummy proof and they draw interaction. My one negative about them is their design. I feel that big white and black chess board takes away from the ad's beauty at times. My one big positive is the potential it has for interaction. These QR codes can lead to any URL you create, so creating custom URLs or videos strictly for a specific ad can create a lot of fun ads.

I think your post does a good job of highlighting the fact that too much of the focus on 2D bardcodes is on the novelty of the format, and not enough thought goes creating a customer experience. A clear call to action (which, as you mentioned, doesn't exist on this particular ad) should lead to an experience that considers the context of the person scanning. I think over time as people become more familiar with the technology, more thought will be put into the best way to use 2D barcodes.

Several people mention in comments that the number of sub-par implementations can be discouraging, but it also tells me that because they are disappointed they must have high expectation for what should be done with the technology. Something you highlight in this post that I hear over and again is that 2D barcodes should minimize the barriers for people to engage with a brand in someway, and the experience should consider the context of how/when/why the scan takes place. Perhaps this will give commenters reason for some optimism: A well executed use of 2D barcodes (in this case Microsoft Tag) was done by Porsche. They used a two-prong strategy to deliver content to the person scanning that considers the context of the medium and location the scan takes place. In a nutshell, if a Tag is scanned in the showroom it delivers information on the vehicle. If a scan takes place on an ad outside the store the content aims to get the interested party into the nearest showroom. Here's more information on the use case if you're interested: http://tag.microsoft.com/community/tag-blog-item/1...

Jason Falls also touches on this idea of delivering a great backend experience on our Tag blog: http://tag.microsoft.com/community/tag-blog-item/1...

Nick Martin

Online Community Manager

Microsoft Tag

Yes, yes, yes! Having spent the last few years designing pre-media businesses, 2D / QR Codes have been on the radar for a number of years. I think it is awesome technology... if done right. The way not to do it is as you see above. I was particularly disappointed when Ralph Lauren ran a QR ad by simply laying a code over an otherwise stunning image.

Instead:

1) Design the code; add design elements to the code, add color, add icons, design it and the ad for each other - graphic design 101.

2) Make the mobile experience compelling! Don't just harvest an email or have a coupon code. Interact via SMS, email, calls, multiple screens, multiple calls to action, even try going across media!

http://www.socialmediawannabe.com/2011/06/wheres-q...

I loved this instance of when it SHOULD have been used...

and I am with you on SMS- easier and more people are doing it versus QR

I'm torn here.

In many cases, I adore QR Codes. Say I'm at a conference and in the hallway there's a sign with the URL taking me to the mobile app. Well, I enter that URL and go to the mobile site for the conference. However, I forget to bookmark it and forget the URL. And, I didn't have time to actually write it down - that's a given if you've seen the intensity of my hallway conversations at any conference :) If I had snapped a code, it would be stored in my history and I could easily go back to the URL.

I really like it for cases where I'm looking at a sign and don't have the time or resources to write down a hard-to-remember URL.

However, I also adore your proposal to use SMS. It's such a quick and dirty means of getting information sent TO me instead of having to pursue it. The only drawback is that thanks to the heydays of telemarketing, a lot of people have the fears of sharing their mobile #...

Love this post (wait, haven't I said that before?) - I have one in the works that is similar.

Midori

QR codes, like anything else, need to add value to the consumer's experience. And look cool.

I agree with you Jay. QR codes can be great if used properly and if they are given the right context. Also to your point in one the comments, if you Dad was seeing this ad he would have no idea what to do with it. The thing I noticed when looking at the ad is that the url is buried, the QR code is too big without a clear call to action for what to do with it, and I think one important call to action is missing. "Call us" with a campaign-specific phone number. Nothing replaces human contact. This is exactly the type of ad where a phone number would work very well as a way to engage the audience, get them to call, show them how fabulous Crowne Plaza customer service is and get them signed up for the package. Heck, you can even still put the QR code there to auto-dial the phone number instead of sending them to a landing page.

Here's a link to an article about how they can be used with phone numbers:http://blog.ringrevenue.com/bid/51061/One-Secret-U...

Great point Jay and I have mentioned this myself to companies who are considering ways to reach mobile audiences. The comeback to using QR codes is to increase engagement. I can use the example of your book readers. You can essentially get a feel for how engaged your readers were and how much they read and paid attention to by comparing books sold to pages visited via MS tag and time spent there. I think that its exactly as you mentioned right up front; QR codes are the 'it' thing to do right now just as SMS was, dare I say, back in the day. Apps are another perfect example. Brands are creating apps for the iPhone and completely neglecting the rest of us who dont have an iPhone. Why not suppport the masses when it comes to promotion, your content and increasing action? QR codes seem to be on everything and there is no shortage of them, but the ratio of those that see them to those that know what they are and can access them is way off. For fun, I asked a few people in my personal life if they knew what they were; they had no clue what a QR code was and/or had not even noticed it. Marketers get so caught up on the latest technology that we forget consumers may not even know what that funny barcode is, let alone that they use their phone to access it. But I bet if I asked them about texting, they would know what to do and could probably do it in under 10 seconds.

This has nothing to do with QR code problems. This has to do with poor design and an overall poor marketing campaign.

The best implementation of this would have been to:

1. Color the QR so it matches the theme of the ad. QR codes do not have to be black and white

2. Give the user a special offer by them using the QR

3. Express that special offer by sending any user that scans the mobile friendly page that says "Thank you for scanning our QR code in xyz ad.". The put the squeeze on them for their email address.

Funny how some jump in to defend the latest shiny social media tool despite: lack of strategy, poor execution, cluttered design, questionable targeting (early QR adopters in numbers large enough to justify these ads?) and a confusing offer and incredibly complicated fulfillment process.

Just a minute while I turn on my smart phone, wait while it finds a signal, scan the code and wait to get the web page. Now I'll just follow the simple "As Easy as 1-2-3-4" process, while still on my phone:

- Register: by filling in the too-long form. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

- Book" online (no URL or hotlink provided) or call (no 1-800 or any phone number given). Um... people?

- Submit: rebate form requiring me to look up the rebate website address and fill in another form to pre-submit and track my rebate. Then, using a four-step process to first find my IHG (I thought this was a Crowne Plaza deal?) rebate. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. Fill in more info, click and find all I have to do is print in the rebate form, attach my bill AND (in Canada) A COPY OF MY MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE!!! WTF?

- Mail: the registration and rebate forms, hotel bill, and marriage certificate off to El Paso Texas to wait for my rebate which is actually a $100 check not a pre-loaded $75 Mastercard. Score, I think.

Even without a strategy and poor execution, now they've made me go through too many hoops and arrived a final stupid requirement for fulfillment. I later discovered in Canada and the US there was also a $100, year long honeymoon special but most consumers would have been long gone by then.

Maybe these marketing geniuses could have instead said: Call us on that cell phone in your pocket or purse. Register with our helpful representative and we'll give you a coupon for $75 off instantly when you book...blah, blah, blah. Simple, much more effective. Oh, and dump that marriage certificate crap would you?

I'm with you on this one Jay! I think I need a holiday... at the Four Seasons.

I agree with your statements regarding this ad. It's a BAD ad. But I don't think the problem is with QR as you seem to imply in your headline. In fact, MOST of the problems with the ad are with design, and copy writing. Clients use bad marketing devices and make poor design choices ALL the time. But just because people don't use the tool well, I don't think we can blame the tool.

A few years ago everyone and their dog was doing "opt in e-mail newsletters". And most of them sucked, and were done all wrong. But that doesn't mean that opt-in e-mail sucks. It just means that people are idiots.