I think this boils down to the basic rule: don't disrespect your audience.
I keep going to meetings where people suggest using QR codes to advertise a product. And I ask the obvious question: when have you ever scanned a QR code and learned about/bought something? No one can ever answer. But there's a vague sense that somewhere, out there, "those people" are using QR codes.
What's funny is no one seems to know who this is. Among the hip, young, techy people at a startup, it is assumed QR codes are for technically-illiterate old people who don't know what a URL is. Among well-dressed, professional adults, it is assumed they are for all the young, hip people with their smartphone addictions.
I assume someone uses QR codes, but I don't know who, and I don't see why they are popping up in so many places.
when have you ever scanned a QR code and learned about/bought something?
Shopping for dishwashers in-store, even after doing lots of online research. The in-store display tags have very minimal info. Best Buy has/had a QRCode on each product that took you to a webpage for that item with a lot more info, reviews, etc. It was one of the main reasons I actually bought a dishwasher AT Best Buy instead of elsewhere.
That is a good use for them. Recently I saw one on a company's van which just baffled my mind. I don't know if they wanted somebody to come up while the van was parked and scan the QR code but it was just stupid and goes in line with what the article is saying.
My favorite New York subway ad (besides Zizmor) is something like "Have bedbugs?" and it offers you some "bedbugs apps" if you scan it, which is great because:
1. I've recently been looking for a good way to let a crowded train know that I probably have bedbugs on my clothing.
They never learn... Some time ago (early/mid 90s I think) there was a particular problem with pickpockets in the Kings Cross area so an awareness campaign was started with similar posters. The problem got worse. Why? Often people walking past the posters would, consciously or otherwise, check the pockets their wallet or other valuables were in - this helped improve an observant pick-pocket's hit rate.
I know what I'm going to do in Chicago! I'll buy an ad like that near one of the CTA platforms and stand around it and as people come by and try to scan it, I'll pick their wallets.
yeah, I work with text messaging, i.e. "text XXXX to #####" and while I love seeing it places, when I see it on the train I say wtf? But I guess people can draft the message and send it when they go above ground? I wonder if that is the same for QR codes on the train....
That is exactly how they should be used: to give more detail once the user decides they want/need that detail.
They are used all over the place in Japan (where IIRC the QR code's popularity started) for non-sales related information like bus timetables as well as for access to detailed product information in shops. In both these use cases the QR code directing to a web page with up-to-date information is a benefit to the user rather than an advertising gimmick.
QR codes are done wrong in a great many adverts.
I've seen adverts with QR codes where is isn't entirely obvious what is even being advertised: sorry, I'm not wasting my time waiting for your information to come down what could be a slow mobile connection unless there is a good chance I'm going to care. You advert should make me want more detail, not expect me to make an effort to get basic detail.
The two times I bothered scan a QR code on an advert were failures from the advertisers PoV. One went to a page that was simply not useable on a small mobile device (remember: there are plenty of phones out there with QVGA screens and that site was unusable at half VGA) and would have taken an age to download if the user was stuck on a GPRS link due to lack of 3G+ reception. I closed the browser and thought nothing more of it. The other time I was taken to a registration page where I was asked for some of my details in order to get the data - if I scan a QR code I expect to go direct to relevant information, not to be asked for my personal details (I could have oput in fake details easily, but I should not have to go to even that effort). If you must have a registration form on the page, put it below the detail the user is expecting to find.
But that's not an example of using QR codes for advertising. It's an actual, useful application of them, yes, but it is so precisely because they're not being used for marketing.
I've seen a lot of replies to this of the form "how about they use [URLs/NFC/etc.]", but how are those options at all better than printing out all the product specs?
Surely having the specifications printed out and mounted in an emplacement next to the product is better than having to scan/touch/type some sort of digital tag.
If it is about paper use, how about they stop using flip books full of paper numbers set next to each other to display prices before worrying about replacing some measly product spec sheets with QR codes.
(EDIT: reviews are definitely a fair use of this sort of thing, and I had forgotten that they were a thing while replying.)
Not really because then I have to type a bunch of characters instead of just clicking a button.
QR Codes are nice macros, in the right places. They don't necessarily belong on every uncovered surface, but in many cases they can transfer a relatively large amount of data quickly and easily.
I think we're still figuring out QR Codes and the proper applications of them. I remember usenet discussions in 1996 asking "Why did Ford put a URL in their commercial? Why do I need/want that? What do I do with it?"...
I think there should just be a font and border standard that is easily isolated and orc'd. That would make the human readable url and the device scannable URL one in the the same.
But I realized something about QR codes. Though they can contain any text, the vast majority of the time they're URLs. But they're not just base URLs. They contain query variables that people couldn't be bothered to type in, but which let the advertiser know which exact code (or which print run at least) was scanned.
If you have a reader app on your phone scanning the QR code is a bit faster than typing in a url, especially if your doing repeatedly for multiple products.
I still think they are overused, but they can offer a little extra connivence, as long as they aren't taking up too much space.
URL: Turn on phone, swipe right to unlock, press search button, type url, press enter.
QR: Turn on phone, swipe up to open QR reader, point phone.
Yes, I'm one of those rare people who not only scans QR codes, but does it enough to bother making it one of the three actions he can take from his lockscreen (Camera, QR, Unlock)
usually this is for tracking and/or to redirect the page to a different url if their are changes. it is always best to use QR code management and tracking software than to use a direct link in the ad, because if you've printed 10,000 copies or are in national print ads and the site changes, you could be screwed....
No, it won't. NFC is (and will be) more expensive than just printing a label. It also gives no benefit to the user compared to scanning a code. User has to take the phone, and get it close to the reader, just as with NFC.
1. My understanding is that the user won't have to fumble to launch a reader app (and then aim the phone at, as with QR codes), as proximity to the NFC tag will trigger an event on the phone.
2. NFC tags won't be as efficient if you are tagging individual devices (e.g. all inventory on a store shelf), but for tagging stationary things (e.g. the appliance displays at Best Buy) they will work better, even if they cost a bit more.
> When have you ever scanned a QR code and learned about/bought something?
Saturday I used a QR code when I was in a store, trying to get more details on a grill I was thinking of buying. I guess it worked, because I got more information and got the grill.
I laughed when QR codes came out, but can think of more than just that instance when I started using them. QR codes are ugly, but their success relies on them being a path to information that has real value to the target audience.
I agree that's a nice use case (to get details about a grill in a store), but it's not an example of advertising.
Even for that use case, QR codes seem like an interim solution, while we wait for better recognition apps (photo [of object or tag] -> recognition software -> search -> detailed info about object). An example of this is the Google Goggles app (which is not to be confused with Google Glass):
That's a good point. There's not much real use for a QR code being on a billboard/or vehicle. Also, I think QR codes will have their day, then be replaced by superior technology.
It's really just a warehouse where I could pick up my merchandise.
> Was there no knowledgeable staff?
No, and That's certainly not the trend these days. I did ask an associate if I could just take the assembled grill to the cash register (and I could).
Your comment made me think about the real purpose of brick-and-mortar stores in the age of Amazon. In this case, the big-box retailer served as merely a display room for me to physically inspect the product and a place for me to take immediate delivery of the product. All the information gathering can be done by me, using the information on the box, or through my mobile device (with the QR code being the relevant portion of this discussion).
> No product flyers/labels?
If used properly, a QR code (or whatever vector allows me to find information online) can provide much more information than labels or flyers.
I assume someone uses QR codes, but I don't know who, and I don't see why they are popping up in so many places.
They live in Japan. QRs are very old news there. I couldn't really tell more (I've never been to Japan) but this must be it. Anyone with ground level expertise?
I can confirm this, they are everywhere and people seem to like them.
Eg, I was handed a flyer for a random nightclub with a QR code on it for cheap entry. You just scanned the QR code then showed your mobile at the door for a discount. This was 5 years ago too (Tokyo, Shinjuku/Shibuya).
I think QR codes have a place. But I don't think advertisers know where that place is yet. QR codes on products I may buy -> bad, terrible, everything this comic describes.
But if it happens to be an event (free concert in the park, grand opening of awesome new store, whatever) and it's on a poster somewhere about town, I like this, cuz maybe I'll be like, "hmm, blues fest sounds like fun, lemme just scan this in, and I'll have all the deets for it on my phone.
If it's a QR code on my bottled water, well that's just a waste of space.
Disclaimer: This is tangential to the scope of what the comic was complaining about.
Bottled water may be a waste because water is pretty indistinguishable from its competitors outside of visual design of the product container, but not everything is so generic. I bought a bag of granola the other day that had a QR code on the back that I thought worked well.
As I idly sat at my breakfast table last week, I was reading the back of the bag and thought "this stuff is pretty damn good, I wonder what their QR code does?" I scanned it and was sent to their site where they displayed their entire product line, leading me to discover a different variety of their product I wanted to try (and have since purchased). Since I was groggy and not feeling very interactive at 6am, the bag of granola probably couldn't have convinced me to type in a URL into my phone no matter how tasty their product was, so I'd say their QR code worked (typing URLs is comparatively a lot of work compared to two taps of my phone to scan QRs)
As a product discovery mechanism I think they're probably ok, especially for existing customers that may like your brand but may not know everything about you. I don't think they'd be great on billboards or television ads, but as part of a product label design, I think it's a great way to provide more information to the consumer than would otherwise fit in that space.
Poster in my train station: "Our timetables are being updated. Scan these QR codes to download them to your phone."
Below that were eight pictures of timetables, showing their color-coded covers so you could identify them from the paper timetable you might already have, with a QR code on each one. Below those were instructions on how to download a QR code reader if you didn't have one already.
Well, just a few days ago I was trying the new system in our apartment complex where we can use a credit card to add value to the smart card that is used in the local washer and drier systems. I had to type in the url to get it going. Well, I used the smartphone keyboard and got it in with a minimal number of typos which I quickly corrected, but you know what? If they had a QR code that I could scan, it would be just a couple of taps and a couple of seconds and much, much more convenient.
Well, I don't think QR codes are inherently offensive, and if some people use them, why not? I would only say that it's a bad idea if the only point of ref on it is a QR code, but if a typed out website name is included, what could it hurt? I'm also solely talking about QR codes in advertising.
Every time I am in a meeting about QR codes I share this: http://wtfqrcodes.com/ We all have a good laugh and then somehow, no one wants to suggest QR codes anymore.
Westside Rentals uses them on their displays in LA and I've often used the QR code to check out the details of the listing when walking by in Santa Monica.
I keep going to meetings where people suggest using QR codes to advertise a product. And I ask the obvious question: when have you ever scanned a QR code and learned about/bought something? No one can ever answer. But there's a vague sense that somewhere, out there, "those people" are using QR codes.
What's funny is no one seems to know who this is. Among the hip, young, techy people at a startup, it is assumed QR codes are for technically-illiterate old people who don't know what a URL is. Among well-dressed, professional adults, it is assumed they are for all the young, hip people with their smartphone addictions.
I assume someone uses QR codes, but I don't know who, and I don't see why they are popping up in so many places.