QR Codes can be generated by free online tools, kaywa, zxing and mobile-barcodes to name a few. Here is the QR code of my blog (generated by kaywa):
Digital barcodes have actually been around for a while. Magazines, brochures and newspapers in Europe use QR and other formats of barcodes for promotions, while QR codes have become the norm in Japan for most business selling tangible products/services. Bloggers write about the many uses of QR codes and advertising companies such as Google have recently incorporated QR codes to local classified listings.
For me, however, QR codes serve as the fundamental missing link between print and the Web. Before the launch of the iPad and other readers/tablet PCs, I had always pondered on a way to connect print to the Web. This philosophical question largely resulted from my dealings with SMEs whose notions on the effectiveness of traditional advertising mediums were rock-solid unassailable. I just could not shake them to drop their print advertising budget! In time, however, they either capitulated or released part of their budget to experiment online. While taking their credit card details and reading out the carefully scripted sale confirmation of their online advertising product, I quietly thought to myself:
"How do we match quality traffic to online directories / web sites similar to their offline counter-parts"
"How do we promote specific products/services/attributes/unique selling points (USPs) of our clients, and more importantly how do we track traffic to these 'destinations'?"
Then one day out of complete boredome I was fiddling with my smart phone, Nokia E71, and came across the barcode scanner. At first I couldn't put two-and-two together as I had not noticed the codes on the Telstra poster ads, and it took me a good six months to a year to come around!
While smartphone owners in Europe, Japan and now the US are aware of this functionality, barcode scanning capability is not a feature that is publicised by most, if not all, manufacturers/retail outlets/mobile phone companies in Australia. This is probably the case because QR codes decrypt URLs and mobile phones need Internet access to access these sites, which is a premium service. That said, with pre-paid and post-paid plans increasingly featuring Internet access to respond to growing demand for social networking access, it's only a matter of time until the market is truly ready to whip out their phones and start scanning!
Pros of QR Codes:
-Assign individual URL to each product / service / USP
-Track access to the above using any analytics platform
-Print QR codes as decals, on T-shirts, mugs, any print-based advertisement
-QR codes can be generated for free using many online tools.
-You don't need a smartphone to read QR codes, free readers can be downloaded and installed easily.
Cons of QR Codes:
-Market awareness of barcode scanner is not yet mature in Australia.
-Unsure of legal implications, i.e. answers to questions such as "who owns the QR codes?" if an online generator is used.
General Framework to use, in my opinion, when starting a QR code Campaign:
- Ensure all landing pages are mobile/iPad/table PC-friendly, no point in directing traffic to a site that requires constant scrolling.
- Ensure each landing page is treated as 'inventory' linked to a primary key of an individual QR code; features such as start/expiry dates should be tracked in the inventory management system so as to plan, execute and manage campaigns effectively.
- Ensure there is a tangible prize for the user accessing the landing page, i.e. give them something for taking out their phone, selecting/executing the bar code reader application, accessing the Internet (which they are paying a premium for!) and finally landing on your promotional page - make sure they get REWARDED, and none of the crap 'get in a draw to win blah blah' but something more like 'send a rose to your partner', 'download free mp3/ringtone/app', 'code for a free cupcake at the Cupcake Shop', etc.
Something tells me the mere reward after performing the above-mentioned tasks should allow the visitor to form a lasting opinion about a brand/business/online functionality/product/service. And not to mention the nifty techie trick of 'point n click' it's surely to seal the deal! That said, careful segmentation of demographics
(age, disposable income, level of Internet savvyness, etc) of the target audience will be key for successful campaigns.
At this point, start planning and get your websites and inventory management systems ready, and let market awareness of barcode scanners be tackled by the big players like Google, Microsoft, Fairfax, News Ltd, etc. through their fat advertising budgets.
Helpful Links:
Really cool Facebook page dedicated towards finding 1001 ways to use QR codes.
Lifehacker article about generating QR codes while shortening URLs using goo.gl
Cool QR code video from http://blog.cliffano.com/:
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