Do you use QR codes?
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- rizm0
No
- detritus0
A client puts them on the corner of their flyers... or at least, did, 'til I pointed out that they were consistently printed too small and therefore of absolutely no use.
His demonstration to prove me wrong didn't last all that long, and was quickly dropped and swapped with another demonstration—who could say the least for 5 minutes whilst staring into the bottom of a pint glass.
- that's the main problem is they have to be huge to be usefulspot13
- canoe0
There's always more of a response when an incentive is involved.
That goes across the board for all kinds of advertising.
However, advertising works regardless if the person is incentivized or not. Because I'm interested in going scuba diving in Dominica if a 2d barcode up shows up on an article in a mag I'm reading, I'm def going to check it out whether I get the free snorkel or not.
So mono, I get it, you had a successful campaign, but I don't think "luck" has anything to do with advertising... besides being there at the right time, right moment, with the right communication - wait I take it back, that's not luck at all.
- I never mentioned luck! What an a... eh, whatevermonospaced
- yeah yah yahcanoe
- "If it's just to get people to a website, good luck." - mono. Next time, don't try to be so smart. LOLcanoe
- what I MEANT was that using them in place of a website isn't as useful as has been clearly discussedmonospaced
- Mine was meant to be a surprise. Like, scan this code to find out what you're going to get, what you're going to find outmonospaced
- boobs0
Those things are fucking ugly. Best not to put them on anything.
- chalk0
QR codes are dumb. We have a client at work that uses them. It's kind of dumb. Who puts a QR code on an 8.5 x 11 flyer? What an irrelevant use of this 20+ year old medium.
- canoe0
^ How is it more irrelevant than direct mail itself?
Shit, if anything the QR code might bring back the relevancy of direct mail!
And they put it on there so they can measure who's interacting with their product/campaign... does that still sound "dumb" to you?
- doesnotexist0
this discussion has come up (in real life not here i thin) before and it seems to always end in the opinion that the generation after us (if you graduated hs ~2002) is really into them.
never scanned one in my life.
- That may be true, the only research that I saw was that more tech savvy people scan - gofigurecanoe
- well duh. marketing to the tech savvy, who only try things once and then abandon them.chalk
- sounds like real, sustainable metrics to me...chalk
- i mean i'm tech savvy...and do a lot of work for web. but absolutely hate qr codes.doesnotexist
- chalk0
^ Yes, I stand by that. If you have to attach a QR code to a direct mail piece, then you're not getting good analytics, you're getting the same analytical measurements you had before, through a different medium. What's the difference between a smartphone activating a QR code, and a person going to the web on their computer to visit the link in your direct mail piece? Nothing. It's just more marketing junk that has wafer-thin traction, which is enough for one person to say, "Everyone else is doing it, so why aren't I?" It's the used car salesman mentality. "Omg, my competition is using flashing yellow text on red backgrounds and screaming in their commercials, so it must be working for them!!"
I also don't think QR codes are going to "save" anything as you so righteously projected. It's just another digital fad in the US, in my opinion—a temporary Facebook-esque tool for marketing more crap to consumers. Don't get me wrong, I support the idea of testing out "emerging" technologies, but the average US consumer is too slow to adopt QR codes. By the time it has real traction (whatever the hell that is), the fad will be over. Your savvy big city demographic is going to adopt, of course, but the level of usage and interest in rural areas is probably laughable. I don't have any figures on that. Figures on this kind of thing are laughable anyway.
To me, the QR code fad in the US is simply "marketeers" glomming onto something that they read about in SmartCEO Magazine or OMMA Magazine. People always mention that my demographic is the early adopters and we are all using it, etc etc. Truth be told, I think that my generation is certainly the adoption circle, but I have never scanned a single QR code, because I am well aware that it's dumb.
- jacklalane0
I scanned a QR code on a real estate sign yesterday to see how much the house was. It took me to the company's website NOT the listing.
Totally useful if done right, but just got me frustrated.- im sure this is common misuse. again, it's just "marketeers" glomming on to tech they know nothing about.chalk
- ntslide0
Saw this the other day. I'm still out on whether they can be more accurately applied.
- doesnotexist0
who wants to be seen scanning the bed bug info qr code on the subway?
- chalk0
I dunno, I am in hate mode today. Lack of sleep makes me cranky. :(
- DrBombay0
Home Depot adopted it in their stores. It is really useful in this application. Can you fit all of the information for this product on a price tag? Use a QR code for the rest.
- jtb260
Here is my pet-peev with QR codes.
THey all take you to regular, desktop/laptop sized websites. WHY wouldn't you build a mobil landing page with the info you want to give. They are going scan and visit using a mobil device.
I think they can be really useful if they are used in smart, creative ways - not just as a means of driving traffic to a page. I'm using them on my wedding invites so people can instantly load a Google map of the location.
- DrBombay0
At work we run print ads for events and use a third-party service to sell tickets. We attached a bit.ly to it and got 10% of completed orders from the bit.ly link. These are marketed towards lawyers in our case, they all have smart phones.
So, depending on what your definition of success is, it made it much easier for 10% to purchase event tickets for an inch square real estate on the ad.
- utf80
- On girls that don't have buttocks?Horp
- Haha yeah I saw this. There is no way in hell you'd be able to scan these. Just gives everyone an excuse to ogle!antonyjwhite
- nato0
The USPS has been giving a discounted rate for all Standard and First Class flat mail with a QR code somewhere on it for July and until the end of August. I've had to put them on all sorts of direct mail for the last couple of months because of this. We actually did build mobile sites for the links, though.