Are marketers missing opportunities with QR codes?
In order to
scan a code, you need a smartphone with a camera and a suitable app. The
idea is that mobile phones can be used to scan the codes on the go. The
happy snapper is then transported to a webpage, receives a Vcard, makes
a phone call and possibly more. If used well, the codes are an
excellent marketing device which can transport potential customers
direct to selected pages. Craig Villamor and Brad Frost writing for the
Guardian last month observed the faux pas of using QR codes. Chiefly
they found that advertisers had placed them in a whole host of
impractical places. These ranged from on moving transport, the far side
of a train track and high billboards. "Some of the most surprising
places we've seen the codes appear are on tombstones, rooftops,
cupcakes, and condoms. Our most popular post shows a small plane pulling
a QR code across the sky. The captions practically write themselves."
It
is obvious then that to maximize their potential, QR cards must be
placed in accessible places. Not only this but they should only be
present in areas with internet access. Underground stations for example
have little or no phone reception, let alone 3G or 4G. Of course QR
codes are not only useful for advertising; they can also engage the
public with information and correspondence. Early last year The National
Museum of Scotland placed codes on 70 of their items to encourage
interaction and build a historic diary. Visitors could access a range of
facts and tales and also leave digital memories in a shared collection.
