I will vouch that they can, in fact, be a great tool for a well-planned campaign. But I'll get to that later. Beyond recent conversations with colleagues, this post was sparked from an experience I had this morning. I was brushing my teeth and saw a tiny square on the back of the tube of toothpaste. Are you kidding me? This is asinine for so many reasons:
1. I don't bring my smart phone into the bathroom - who does that? Toothpaste is a home-based consumer product. Full-size tube, not travel size. No need for mobile marketing there.
2. Again, I'm using this at home, so I have access to my computer. I don't use my phone to access the Internet at home. So just give me a damn URL and I'll look it up if I'm interested. Crest.com - thanks!
3. Unless you have a compelling campaign or contest, I'm not going out of my way to visit your site.
4. If the site is not optimized for mobile usage, DO NOT use a QR code! It leads to a horrible user experience - you see 1/8 of the top left corner of the site, you have to zoom in to click on anything and it's just a hassle. If brands decide to include these, they need to have the budget to execute properly.
Other instances where QR codes are not well played include billboards - if I'm driving 65 mph (let's be honest - 74 mph) on the highway, I do not - nor do my passengers - have time to pull up a QR code app and focus to snap the code. You go by WAY too fast to capture that! Not to mention, isn't texting and driving illegal and highly unsafe even if it isn't against the law? I'm sure QRs on billboards have led to accidents - and even due to the confusion because many people still wonder, "WTF is that?" Which is also funny -- the messaging marketers include to inform users. I've seen simple messages like "Learn more here" which assumes the consumer is familiar with the technology. To convoluted text that practically insults intelligence: "Download the QuickMark app and use it to scan this barcode to visit our website with more details on this lame promotion." Really? There is no industry standard yet on the language.
I don't think QR codes are a terrible idea - they can be very useful tools when used for the right concept. For example, they're great for events, concerts or even in signage AT the grocery store, when your mobile device is all you have. Again, the site it points to needs to be optimized for mobile and have a clear call to action - why should I go there? Is there a coupon, a recipe or directions or a map for the event? Another great use is for tourism - for example, scan a QR code at Fountain Square for a listing of all the local restaurants and shops - that would be awesome! But it's silly to use one just take people to your general website - just post the URL (simplified vanity URL if needed) or let them Google it. I understand that it increases sites visits and CTR but, if people aren't getting anything out of it, they won't become return visitors or share it with others.
If marketers keep posting them all over, QR codes will indefinitely become advertising trash. People will be annoyed rather than compelled to pull out their phones and see what prize they lead to - because they know they won't. Maybe I will scan the code on the toothpaste just to see if the juice is worth the squeeze.
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| To provide context, here is one I generated quickly that links to René of the Day. Try it out if you want to get an idea of how they work. |
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