Showing posts with label QR codes. Show all posts

Thursday, January 19, 2012

10 Creative Ways to Use QR Codes for Marketing

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2 days ago by Ekaterina Walter

Ekaterina Walter is a social media strategist at Intel. She is a part of Intel’s Social Media Center of Excellence and is responsible for company-wide social media enablement and corporate social networking strategy. She was recently elected to serve on the board of directors of WOMMA.

QR codes have been around since the early ’90s, but only with the widespread adoption of smartphones and barcode-scanning apps have customers been able to easily access QR codes in significant numbers.

According to comScore, 20.1 million mobile phone owners in the U.S. used their devices to scan a QR code in the three-month average period ending October 2011. In the big scheme of things, this isn’t a large number. However, the number of people using QR codes is expected to grow.
Will QR codes reach widespread public consciousness, or are they destined to be a quirky aside for mainstream promotional campaigns? The trend towards increasingly complex personal technology suggests that the potential is there, but the question remains whether marketers will fully exploit the opportunities QR codes have to offer.

So, what can marketers do to take customers out of their comfort zones and try something new? The ability to access information won’t drive customers to a product’s site unless there’s a reason for them to do so. Below are some of the most creative, fun and interesting examples of QR code marketing that show QR codes have the potential to enrich the product experience and offer the customer real value.

1. Reinventing the Shopping Experience We've seen this a few months ago--very innovative

Global supermarket giant Tesco solved the problem of enticing hard-working, time-strapped Koreans into its stores by bringing the shopping experience to them, with virtual stores based in subways and metro stations.

Shoppers were encouraged to browse life-like images of supermarket shelves with their smartphones and scan the QR codes on products to add them to their shopping carts, all whilst waiting for the metro. Their purchases would then be delivered to them at home, with no need to carry heavy bags.

2. Enhancing the User Experience

Some savvy museums and art galleries have been quick to realize the potential in QR codes for enhancing user experiences. Art galleries such as The Cleveland Museum of Art place QR codes next to exhibits to direct visitors to online or audio tours, or to provide more in-depth information.

3. Streamlining the Customer’s Visit Very cool!

Stores like Starbucks are using QR codes to streamline the way they interact with customers. Rather than waiting in a long line to pay, customers can now integrate their pre-loaded card and their phone app to pay more quickly, as well as learn more about the products and stores.

4. Noting the Things You Enjoy

In a restaurant and enjoying your wine? Rather than scribbling the name of the winery on a napkin, restaurant-goers can now scan QR code wine labels to find out more about the vineyard, the grape, and ordering details.

Image courtesy of Flickr, rKrovs

5. Give Customers Something They Want

Mountain Dew and Taco Bell partnered on a promotion in which customers scanned QR codes on drink cups to get free music downloads. They knew their customers: younger people interested in popular culture. The campaign earned the companies over 200,000 downloads.

6. Providing Real-Time Information Maybe?

QR codes can take customers to real-time updates anywhere where there is a constant flow of information, for instance, train stations, bus stops, department store sales, live events, restaurant specials or airline booking.

Frankfurt, Germany recently introduced smart posters in train carriages, which provided commuters with travel information, transport connections, special events and points of interest, as well as special offers for travel card holders.

7. Initiate Share-worthy Competitions

Verizon recently ran a successful campaign that increased sales by an incredible 200%. In-store customers scanned a QR code that shared their competition entries on Facebook. If a friend used that link to buy a Verizon mobile, the original customer would win a smartphone. Verizon saw a $35,000 return on a $1,000 investment, plus brand awareness on 25,000 new Facebook profiles.

8. Personalized Gift Giving

This past holiday season, retailer JCPenney allowed customers to add a personal touch to their gifts. When you purchased a gift from any JCPenney store, you received a "Santa Tag" with an accompanying QR code. By scanning the code, the giver could record a personalized voice message for the recipient. The the giver stuck the code on the package like a gift card.

9. Help Your Customers Grow Their Businesses

Google identified over 100,000 businesses in the U.S. as "Favorite Places on Google," based on Google users' interactions with local business listings. Each business received a window decal with a unique QR code, which passersby could scan to find information about that business, read reviews, star the business as their favorite and much more.

10. Share Modern Day Mixtapes

If you would like to convey a musical message to your special someone, create a modern day mixtape through Spotify. After creating a special playlist on Spotify, send that special person a greeting card with the QR code, the scan of which leads directly to the mix.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, youngvet

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

In-Store Search Proves Costly for Retailers

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January 11, 2012

prosper-in-store-shopping-with-connected-device-jan12.gif

Smartphone and tablet users who use their devices to compare prices while shopping in a store are 33% more likely to purchase from another retailer than from the same retailer (40.6% vs. 30.6%), according to [download page] a survey released in January 2012 by Prosper Mobile Insights. A further 25.6% of respondents say they have compared prices while in-store and purchased from another retailer’s website using their device, while 23.1% have made a purchase from another retailer’s website using their laptop or desktop after leaving the store.

By comparison, only 13.3% say they have compared prices in-store and purchased from the same retailer’s website using either their device or their laptop or desktop after leaving the store.

3 in 10 Use QR Codes

Data from the survey indicates that 29.7% of smartphone and tablet users have scanned a QR code to get more information about a product while shopping in a store. 35.8% have used their device to read product reviews to decide between products, and roughly one-quarter have requested a price match and “checked in” for a discount.

According to a survey released in January 2012 survey by Chadwick Martin Bailey, 57% of consumers who have scanned a QR code say they did nothing with the information, compared to 21% who shared the information with someone and 18% who made a purchase.

Swiping Device Seen Useful, But Concerns Abound

56.9% of respondents to the Prosper survey either somewhat (32.8%) or strongly (24.2%) agree that swiping their device to pay for a transaction would be convenient and useful, with a further 21.9% neutral on the topic. However, 7 in 10 cite a concern with security issues and their location being tracked, leaving respondents less likely to report a degree of comfort with using their device to pay at a store check-out counter as opposed to using it to purchase an item online using a web browser or application (43.9% vs 57.5%).

Device Value Extends Beyond Shopping

28.3% of smartphone and tablet owners said they plan to use their device to keep their New Year’s resolutions on track. Of that group, the most commonly cited ways to use their were for being on time (73.1%), keeping in touch with people (63.5%), budgeting (51.4%), reading more (48.4%), and organization (46.8%).

About the Data: The Prosper Mobile Insights survey was conducted December 29, 2011 - January, 3, 2012 among 360 smartphone and tablet users on their devices. 54.7% of the respondents were female, and the average age of the sample was 45. The average age here is interesting!

Monday, January 9, 2012

The Top QR Code Fails of 2011

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December 29, 2011 by Todd Wasserman

This past year was a big one for the QR code as the mobile call-to-action surfaced in campaigns for The Home Depot, Taco Bell and other mainstream brands. In some cases, however, brands are adopting QR codes without thoroughly thinking through their application.

Looking back over 2011′s QR code campaigns, Mike McGuinness, VP of sales for QRblaster.com, a firm that generates QR codes, has identified five of the top QR Code fails of 2011. If you’re a marketer eager to hop on the QR code trend, you might want to learn from these negative examples:

1. Red Bull

Red Bull ran a campaign featuring subway ads with QR Codes. Sounds like a great idea until you consider that most subways don't offer mobile phone connectivity, making the codes inaccessible.

2. Continental

Continental also didn't fully think through the user experience. The airline made a QR code for its in-flight magazine, linking air miles without having to log-on to online accounts. When passengers scanned the codes (during takeoff or landing), they were directed to a page with two buttons and a pop-up window that was mostly off screen, ensuring that passengers wouldn't be able to click through.

3. The Washington Redskins

This fail, which actually took place in 2010, featured a QR code on the team's Facebook Page. Unfortunately, you needed a proprietary scanner to actually activate the code.

4. Esquire magazine

Esquire was singled out for featuring a QR code on a recent cover (not this one) that was positioned where the mailing label goes. Oops.

5. Nirvana's Nevermind 20th Anniversary Edition

The QR code used to promote the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's classic album looked cool, but proved very hard to scan, especially when featured on billboards.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

QR Codes: The good, the bad and the unscannable

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By Chantal Tode

December 19, 2011

Red Bull and Continental Airlines are among the marketers whose QR code efforts stumbled in 2011, while Starbucks and Tesco offered examples of the right way to do a QR code effort.

QR codes and other 2D mobile bar codes are quickly catching on with marketers in Europe and the United States because of their ability to drive consumers to specific content. However, some marketers are crippling their QR code campaigns with simple mistakes such as scans that take users to a dead URL.

“QR codes are an emerging technology,” said Mike McGuinness, vice president of sales at QRblaster.com, Santa Rosa Beach, FL. “Marketers are gravitating to QR codes because they are an instant response mechanism and a great way to catch people on the go.

“Marketers can leave a bad taste in a person’s mouth if the code doesn’t do what it is supposed to do,” he said. “You don’t want to hurt your brand by leaving the person hanging for whatever reason.

“This is part of the process of an early technology – some marketers are going to make some mistakes in the early days,” he said. “They are still learning.”

Access deniedOther mistakes marketers commonly make in their QR code campaigns include not including a call-to-action, codes with no instructions and lengthy URLs.

For example, Red Bull put a QR code on a campaign in subway stations where there was no phone signal to access the online content.

“It sounds like QR 101 but it is amazing how many codes we see that just plain refuse to scan,” Mr. McGuinness said. “Much like an ashtray on a motorcycle, a non scannable code is just plain worthless.”

Continental/United Airlines put QR codes on in-flight magazines inside its planes, which meant the codes could not be accessed during flight, only directly before and after a plane took off. In addition, when the code was scanned, it took people to a page that was mostly covered by a pop-up window.

While the idea behind the QR code effort was good – linking to air miles without having to log-on to online accounts – the execution was lacking.

“The airlines threw a lot of money out there to try to do the latest thing, then had a Web designer made something that was not mobile optimized, in fact impossible to use on a mobile phone,” Mr. McGuinness said. “These things need to be simple to use.”

Another example of how marketers failed in their QR code strategies this year include a QR code on the Washington Redskins Facebook page that required a proprietary scanner, meaning most people only saw text.

Additionally, Esquire Magazine recently placed a code right where the mailing label gets adhered.

Getting it rightSome of the best examples of QR code campaigns include grocery chain Tesco’s use of QR codes on billboards featuring their products in South Korea subway stations so that people could scan items they were interested in and have the groceries delivered to their homes.

Starbucks Coffee partnered with Lady Gaga on a digital scavenger hunt that consumers could activate by scanning a QR code posted in participating Starbucks stores nationwide or online.

Another example of how QR codes are being put to good use comes from the real estate industry. QRBlaster provides a way for realtors to generate a QR code tied to a specific listing, which they can use in their print and other marketing collateral to instantly connect an interested consumer with the information they are looking for.

One of the challenges marketers face is that QR codes can be in circulation for a long period of time, maybe longer than the promotion a specific effort was designed for lasts.

“Marketers don’t know how long QR codes are going to be out there so they need a way to make sure the codes continue to direct people to a live URL,” Mr. McGuinness said.

Final TakeChantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York

Associate Editor Chantal Tode covers advertising, messaging, legal/privacy and database/CRM. Reach her at chantal@mobilemarketer.com.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The future of mobile tagging

PSFK presents Future Of Mobile Tagging Report

View more presentations from PSFK

Thursday, December 1, 2011

TrendWatch: Why SnapTags are replacing QR codes

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By Jeff Hayzlett on November 28, 2011

Glamour magazine recently included a SnapTag on its cover, resulting in more than 100,000 scans. Jeff Hayzlett tells us why we need to dump the QR code for the cleaner, simpler SnapTag.

Glamour magazine posted a SnapTag alongside a sequined Rinanna on their September cover. Users accessed the code either by scanning it with a proprietary SnapTag app, or by snapping a pic and sending it to the number printed in the image. The resulting response included over 100,000 code activations, 50,000 Facebook likes, and 500,000 interactions of some kind including code scans and peer sharing.

SnapTags are 2-D barcodes that include a brand's logo (or a Facebook logo) in a notched circle design. Contrasted with the familiar QR code, the result seems minimalist and polished. But it's not just a new design. The interactivity and analytics are updated, as well.

Here's Jeff Hayzlett talking about why he likes the new, cleaner SnapTags.

What brands are "getting it?" And what are the best places to use scannable codes? Here's our 4-minute interview with Jeff.

Conversation highlights
0:00 - Don't delete Facebook comments
0:00 - "If you suck offline, you'll suck online."
0:35 - PepsiCo, Macy's and other brands that are doing it right
1:00 - SnapTags
1:40 - The best places to use scannable codes
2:20 - Are users fluent enough to adopt SnapTags?
2:35 - Proving value to the CFO
2:55 - ROI = Return on Ignoring
3:25 - The power of mobile usage
Run time is 4:09

Jeffrey Hayzlett has been called a lot of things, most of them good. He has been described as a “CMO on steroids,” who parlayed what he learned running his own businesses into his position as Kodak’s CMO, where he helped revitalize one of the world’s iconic brands. Forbes magazine anointed him the “Celebrity CMO,” because of his countless media appearances, including on Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice.” And Advertising Age calls him “a new style of CMO,” especially for his social media skills that made him one of the top ten C-level executive Twitterers in the world.

Monday, November 21, 2011

How to Use QR Codes in Your Mobile Phone Strategy to Brand and Market Your Product or Service

One perspective on what people are looking for/expect when they scan a QR code.

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by Chris Brown on Thursday, November 17, 2011

Interested in how Quick Response Codes that are accessed with smartphones are being used?
Consumers who scan the QR Codes are expecting to get something.

As of June 2011, most people (87%) expect a coupon when they scan a code. Many Fortune 500 companies have started to adopt components of a mobile strategy, but haven’t fully launched them yet.

It seems that most QR codes:

are used to distribute product info, social media, coupons and real estate info.
are accessed by women (64%)
using an iPhone (68%) or an android device. Not Blackberry.

Heidi Cohen offers 15 ways marketers are using QR Codes.

One thing about QR codes, you can change the URL that the code points to, so this allows you to swap out different coupons, offers, promotions, etc. without changing your printed piece. Or in the case of the codes on this truck featured on the You Scan Me Blog, the electric company can connect with their customers and update their hints and tips on how to save electicity without having to redo the expensive graphics on the truck. Just update the destination URL.

For more statistics about QR codes, check out the QR Code infographic from Digital Buzz Blog.

Friday, November 11, 2011

3 in 10 Consumers Lack QR Code Understanding

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October 7, 2011

A high number of US consumers demonstrate a significant lack of understanding as to what QR codes are or how they work, according to an October 2011 survey from strategic marketing firm Russell Herder. Results from “The QR Question” indicate 72% of consumers say they have seen a QR code, but nearly 30% do not know what it is.

In addition, nearly one in five consumers who regularly use the internet via mobile phone do not know what a QR code is.

Consumers age 18-24 have the highest rate of having seen a QR code (more than 75%), while those age 25-34 and 35-44 both have seen a QR code at a rate almost the same as the overall average. Interestingly, a slightly higher percentage of consumers age 55 and up report having seen a QR code than those 45-54.

3 in 10 Multiple QR Code Scanners Say Time Was Worth It

Nearly four in five of those who have scanned a QR code have done so more than once. Perhaps more importantly, however, only 31% report that what they receive in return is always or usually worth their time.

The largest portion of consumers who have scanned more than one QR code (52%) say it is sometimes worth it, while a combined 17% say it is rarely or never worth the time spent.

Younger Mobile Users Scan More

Consumers who have seen a QR code, know what it is and have scanned one with their mobile device tend to be younger (ages 18-34), male and regularly go online via their phone. More than 23% of mobile phone owners age 18-24 have scanned a QR code, roughly 50% more than the slightly more than 15% of overall mobile phone owners who have done so. Mobile phone owners age 25-34 also overrepresent in having scanned a QR code.

Mobile phone owners age 35 and up all underrepresent in having scanned a QR code with their device, with an almost negligible rate among those in the 55-plus bracket.

It is also worth noting that among people who know what a QR code is, and own a mobile device that is capable of going online, 54 percent say they are likely to scan one.

comScore: QR Code Scanners Skew Young, Male, Wealthy

In June 2011, 14 million mobile users in the US, representing 6.2% of the total mobile audience, scanned a QR (quick response) code on their mobile device, according to an August 2011 study released by comScore MobiLens. The study found that a mobile user that scanned a QR code during the month was more likely to be male (60.5% of code scanning audience), skew toward ages 18-34 (53.4%) and have a household income of $100,000 or above (36.1%).

In addition, 18-to-24-year-olds were 36% more likely than average to scan a QR code with a mobile device, and those with a household income of $75,000 but less than $100,000 were 18.6% more likely than average to scan QR codes.

About the Data: Russell Herder conducted an online survey of more than 500 US residents in August 2011 to gain insight into awareness levels of QR codes and attitudes towards their use among consumers.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

The Magic of QR Codes

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By Vivian Wagner
E-Commerce Times
09/07/11 5:00 AM PT

Regular old bar codes have been around for years, there on your box of macaroni and cheese or breakfast cereal. Now, though, there's a new kind of code in town, and it's taking the marketing world by storm. "QR Codes on marketing material can be effective in many different ways," said Gus Velissarios, founder of mobiConsultant.com. "The problem is ... to utilize them to perform in a mobile environment."

You might have seen them without knowing what they are: little black and white boxes with squiggles and lines in the corner of a magazine advertisement, on a band's poster in a coffeeshop, or even on a T-shirt.

Those things, called "QR codes," or "quick response codes," are part of a whole new way of connecting with consumers via their smartphones.
"QR Codes have been around for quite some time in other parts of the world, but they are catching on in the States for a few reasons," Patrick Donnelly, a mobile solutions architect for 2ergo.com told the E-Commerce Times. "The first reason is that consumers are finally embracing smartphones in their everyday experiences. This tipping point with technology made it possible for brands to embrace mobile phones as a tool to reach consumers."

Learning to Do QR
Marketers must first create a QR code, which can be generated by simply entering a URL at a variety of sites, such asBeQRious and Delivr. That code can then be printed in an ad, placed on a website, distributed in a brochure, or even offered as a temporary tattoo.
To read QR codes, a consumer must first install a QR code reader app on a smartphone or other mobile device. Many of these apps, such as Qrafter andRedLaser, are free.
Then the phone can be pointed at the code, which is scanned with the device's camera. Instantly, the code then leads the consumer to the encoded URL, which can be any kind of online content: a mobile website, social media site, online video, or other marketing material.
"QR codes have few limits," Nick Jerome, a marketing service manager with Fastsigns, told the E-Commerce Times. "A restaurant might use QR codes on their menu to unlock a special coupon, magazines can bring an article to life with a QR code that links to a video with extra article content, an organization might use them to promote an upcoming event such as a golf tournament, or a business might utilize several QR codes to host a scavenger hunt at a tradeshow."
Jerome explains that just as important as the code itself is the marketing that surrounds and promotes it.
"The key is to actively market the code on signs, graphics and print advertising with a call to action," said Jerome.

Making It Mobile

Another key to QR code success is to link to a mobile-friendly site. After all, a consumer accessing a full-blown, tiny-print website on a smartphone may immediately click away.
"QR Codes on marketing material can be effective in many different ways," Gus Velissarios, founder of mobiConsultant.com, told the E-Commerce Times. "The problem is that when utilizing them, to utilize them to perform in a mobile environment. For example if I were to create a QR code to render to my YouTube link, not all smartphones render YouTube videos the same way, so I would create a landing page for my video that is available in various formats that can be viewed via mobile such as 3gp, mp4 and flv."
It's all about incentive, explained Velissarios. If customers have a reason to scan the code, visit the link, and see what it's all about, they will. The QR code itself is useless without good marketing material to back it up.
"Do not just jump on the bandwagon because your competition is doing it," said Velissarios. "Find out what your competition is utilizing for and create a better incentive for your customer to want to scan your code to visit your offer page. And to be one step ahead of the competition make sure that your message renders to a mobile website."

The Evolution of QR Codes

QR codes are undergoing a quiet evolution, as more people figure out how to use them, more businesses incorporate them into their marketing plan, new technologies develop, and the codes themselves become more interactive.
"I believe QR codes will keep evolving with technology," explained Velissarios. "I believe more and more brands and local markets will continue to utilize for many years to come. The more fun and interactive they become the greater the usage."
If they're not fun to use, QR codes might actually end up driving consumers away. So it's important that companies use them to offer real value to their customers and clients.
"QR code reader applications and mobile phone technology are improving and in turn making it easier to use QR codes," explained Jerome. "As QR code use increases, companies need to ensure mobile marketing campaigns are streamlined and worthwhile for the end-user. Sending users to non-mobile websites and landing pages and leaving out the call to action can drive users away from using QR codes in the future."
Even the look of QR codes might be changing, making them less anonymous collections of black-and-white lines and boxes, and more logos or even works of graphic art.
"There a handful of QR code designers that are making these otherwise binary codes into pieces of art that are scannable," said Donnelly. "Creating branded barcodes with colors, logos and objects create a more human feel that creates a good first impression for the codes themselves."

Freelance writer Vivian Wagner has wide-ranging interests, from technology and business to music and motorcycles. She writes features regularly for ECT News Network, and her work has also appeared inAmerican Profile, Bluegrass Unlimited, and many other publications. For more about her, visit her website.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

3 in 10 Use QR Codes

Swiping Device Seen Useful, But Concerns Abound

Device Value Extends Beyond Shopping

Monday, January 9, 2012

1. Red Bull

QR Code Fails

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One perspective on what people are looking for/expect when they scan a QR code.

Friday, November 11, 2011

3 in 10 Multiple QR Code Scanners Say Time Was Worth It

Younger Mobile Users Scan More

comScore: QR Code Scanners Skew Young, Male, Wealthy

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Making It Mobile

The Evolution of QR Codes