Voir QR: The History, Use & Abuse of QR Codes

“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” — Wayne Gretzky

• They’re a kind of bar code! • Also called graphical tag, 2D bar code, or [chillingly] matrix code• Developed by Toyota’s Denso Wave in 1996 to track car parts• ISO standardized & open source

Well, that didn’t tell me much. Seriously, what are QR codes?

• Store digital information on analogue media [IRL!]

• Paper [or any other real life item] - based hyperlinks[But they don’t necessarily need an internet connection]

• Open a website, dial a phone number, read an RSS feed, send a text msg or email, schedule a calendar event, retrieve location data to help you get somewhere, share a contact card, download audio, and/or launch any app on your phone!

What do QR codes do?

How do you scan a QR code?

• Whip out your phone• Doesn’t need to be a smartphone

• Launch your reader• Black berries & some Android phones come with software

• Many users will have to download an app

• Scan the code with your camera• Enjoy magically delivered content

All QR code readers are, sadly,not created equal.

• Nope• Data is encoded in the graphic itself ( “direct” code)• Plain text can be returned where

there’s no cell / wifi signal

Do you need an internet connection to make this magic happen?

How much info can you pack in 1 of these puppies?

Generators can produce different:• Capabilities [URLs, app store links, MP3s]• Metrics / tracking• Error correction levels• Graphic customization• Languages, sizes, URL shorteners, simultaneous Datamatrix generation...etc!

Making QR codes: all generators are [of course] not created equal.

• Where are people scanning my code?• Tells you what ad locations are effective• Tells you which creative is working• Tells you where you might want to do a

pop-up store, flash mob, or other guerilla invasion

• When are people scanning my codes?• Tells you what time of day your customer is

active

QR codes provide great metrics.

• You might use custom landing pages or PURLs or• Bit.ly & goo.gl URL shorteners let you create & track QR codes• Add “.qr” to the end of any shortened

bit.ly or goo.gl link

• Goes to QR code that resolves to original link• Allows for metrics including Google Analytics• See how many “clicks”, phone OS, user path, etc

If you can’t afford fancy metrics...

• Scan your printed code

• Try several readers• Try several phones• Test all major OS’s• Test in the light or

other location conditions you expect scans to happen

TEST.

28.2%Increase in time spent with mobile devices in 2010eMarketer

300,000Daily Android Activations

270,000Daily iPhone Activations

Andy Rubin, Google, December 2010

Apple, October 2010

Scanlife Mobile Trend Report, December 2010Global data Oct 2010 – Dec 2010

Demographics

45-5422%

Age Income

35-4425%

25-3422%

18-2416%

< 185%

55+11%

<$50k18%

$50-$100k32%

$150-200k16%

>$200k10%

$100-$150k24%

Scanlife Mobile Trend Report, December 2010Global data Oct 2010 – Dec 2010

Demographics

Gender

Male70%

Female30%

1 & 2D codes

QR codes

Male36%

Female64%

The Naked Facts: QR Barcode Scanning in 2H-2010 North American data July 2010 – Dec 2010

Scanlife Mobile Trend Report, December 2010Global data Oct 2010 – Dec 2010

Mobile OS

Blackberry 23%

Android 54%

iPhone 18%

Symbian 3%

J2ME1%

WindowsMobile1%

• Poorly thought out campaigns turning people off • Competing systems• Lack of preinstalled code scanners• Current smartphone penetration• But not for much longer

• Unclear value proposition• Not sure what you’re going to get• Good ad copy can help with this

Barriers to adoption.

“QR Campaigns are gimmick ridden at this point. They don't create naturally extended story experiences from the real world to mobile. They are wasting people's time & people will simply cease to engage with the technology before it goes mainstream in the States” —samiam22, comment on Mashable

• The tag itself is not a call to action• Tell people what they’re going to get• Provide friendly instructions

• This is no place for interruption marketing• Don’t make people watch a commercial• Don’t waste their time with an inane experience• Provide something very useful to thank them

for interacting with your brand

• Give people contextual content—products/services that: • Make sense at the time & place / is best delivered on their

phone• Can be delivered instantly• Save the user time

You’ve got their attention,

so don’t blow it.

Context = location [what makes sense/is useful where I am now: transit update, historical photos]

ORContext = phone-specific [perfect info to have on my phone: contact info, Google map]

OR Context = conversion [what i want to do next: buy tickets, get a deal]

OR Context = attention [I’m currently interested: entertain me with more info]

• Design a mobile site/experience• Optimize for all major mobile browsers

• Light, fast-loading graphics• Big buttons & easy touch navigation• Make contact with brand easy [phone, email, twitter]

• Make sure the internet is available where the audience will scan the tag [ie not the subway or airplane]

•Don’t leave them hanging at the end• Lead people to what they should buy/join/like/visit/share

“Scan resolve” best practices.

• QR Codes aren’t the only type of 2D bar code• Wide adoption in Japan with proven uses helping them gain traction here [All phones come with readers, many with RFID shells!]

• Microsoft is trying to dominate North America with a proprietary system called Microsoft Tag

• ATT&T is doing the same thing with Datamatrix

• Other companies creating proprietary QR systems that require their reader

• Open source = no champions

Competition: a bit of a browser war to muddy the waters.

• Excellent metrics• Location data heat

map

• Password protectable

• Can set to expire• “Editable” after

the brochure has gone to print

• Microsoft resources promoting adoption

The upside of Tag.

• Microsoft stores & controls your data

• Internet connection required

• Some URLs blacklisted• Artistic customization

makes them hard to recognize

• Fragments the market

The non-upside of Tag.

“There is no tipping point”• You don’t need to wait if you think your

audience could benefit• Educate them & experiment with it

If it makes sense & you can deliver a useful experience, go for it• Already have mobile-ready Facebook page, YouTube

**It’s your responsibility ** as a marketer / lover of new media not to:• Let clients do inane or frustrating things with QR• Turn people off the technology by wasting their time

So...should you use QR codes?

2d-code.co.uk

alphagraphics.com

alvarobarata02.wordpress.com

axissalon.com

bestbuy.ca

cakestudio.ca

calvinklein.com

Chris Lamberth

clikbrix.com

emarketer.com

emilystrange.com

garage.ca

hbo.com

i-nigma.com

jefftallon.com

jetblue.com

Kathleen Driscoll

kaikaikiki.co.jp

Matthew Shepherd

ming-ling.livejournal.com

miltoncontact.blogspot.com

mobioid.com

mts.ca

mytoys.de

nationalpost.com

nbc.com

NYC media

nycresistor.com

Oliver Spalt

pandemic-design.com

pfsk.com

qrarts.com

qranywhere.blogspot.com

retailgeek.com

scanlife.com

setjapan.com

socialqrcode.com

Sophia Sengsuriya

space-invaders.com

sparqcode.com

time.com

vibe.com

winnipegfreepress.com