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Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

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Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#41

Post by natesm »

jetti wrote: post #39
brk wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

2. Internet access is really good underground.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#43

Post by mojuba »

masukomi wrote: post #17

Japan has been using QR codes respectfully, and usefully, for years now. People don't scan them in the US because most people don't seem to have a clue what they are. If we spend any freaking time educating the public about what they are and how to use them ( and stopped using those damn proprietary variants) then we'd see a lot of value come out of them. You don't like QR codes? Fine, then give me some %#$%@$ altern…

> then give me some %#$%@$ alternative that allows me to get people from the print version of my stuff to the online version

I think a plain URL printed with some agreed OCR-friendly font would do the job much better than the ugly, unfriendly, redundant and unintuitive QR bars.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#44

Post by dabent »

asolove wrote: post #2

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 th…

> 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.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#45

Post by rprospero »

ColinWright wrote: post #35
rprospero wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a lot of hate comes from the fact that I've never encountered a QR code where I couldn't have typed in the URL on my stupid-tiny keyboard faster than the time it took for the QR app to scan the code. I'm curious if this means my phone has a terrible camera or if yours has a terrible keyboard. Probably both.

It's the error-pronedness - clicks are far easier. Can you always type a lengthy URL without any mistakes or having to make corrections? Plus, I can't read a poster and a phone without constantly changing whether I'm looking through glasses or not. I type pretty well, but the scan wins every time. Added in edit: I really, really don't understand the downvotes. I'm offering a point of view as to why QR codes are easie…

It took me 28 seconds to type in this sentence on my cell phone. I didn't use auto-correct, so it's a pretty good match for typing a url, if a little long. That time did include going back through to correct for errors. Comparatively, I've never seen a QR code scan in under a minute, either on my own phone or on one from my friends, family, and coworkers.

I could see the glasses thing being a pain.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#46

Post by ColinWright »

mojuba wrote: post #43
masukomi wrote: post #17

Japan has been using QR codes respectfully, and usefully, for years now. People don't scan them in the US because most people don't seem to have a clue what they are. If we spend any freaking time educating the public about what they are and how to use them ( and stopped using those damn proprietary variants) then we'd see a lot of value come out of them. You don't like QR codes? Fine, then give me some %#$%@$ altern…

> then give me some %#$%@$ alternative that allows me to get people from the print version of my stuff to the online version I think a plain URL printed with some agreed OCR-friendly font would do the job much better than the ugly, unfriendly, redundant and unintuitive QR bars.

Do you have a really good OCR app that's 99.9% reliable? Or are you suggesting a non-existent solution to a problem that already has a solution?

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#47

Post by nooneelse »

urbanjunkie wrote: post #20
ImprovedSilence wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if it comes down to typing a long ass url in my phone, or pushing a button to scan a code, guess which one I'll pick. Don't impede technological progress just because "not everybody has it"

Here's how the future will be: Long home button press. "Siri (or Android version, or WP12 version) , search for "

But if I'm scanning a QR code in a store next to some product or on a poster about an event, I don't want to know what Siri knows about it, or to read some non-specific page online about it. I want to know what the store or poster wants me to know.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#48

Post by dabent »

mseebach wrote: post #21

Number one missed opportunity for QR-codes: "For Sale/Rent" signs. It actively annoys me that I don't have a super-low-friction way to take a closer look at a for-sale house I'm walking by.

I know that westsiderentals.com uses them for their signs here in LA. They have a QR code in addition to a way to use SMS to get information.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#50

Post by urbanjunkie »

s_henry_paulson wrote: post #36
urbanjunkie wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's how the future will be: Long home button press. "Siri (or Android version, or WP12 version) , search for "

Then consider me loathing the future in advance. To me, people talking out loud to their phones in public is akin to bluetooth headsets. The technology might provide an easier way to let you do something, but you look like an idiot.

If the price I have to pay is that people like you think I'm an idiot, I'm sure I'll manage.

I am curious though, how do you distinguish between people "talking out loud to their phones", and people talking out loud to other people using their phones (ie making a phone call).

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