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Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

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Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#141

Post by eli »

curtbrown wrote: post #16
canthonytucci wrote: post #10

Why is is so cool to hate on QR codes lately? I've heard Merlin Mann and Marco Arment rag on them pretty often on their podcasts. I don't get it. No matter how ugly, it's still a better way for me to get to your website/app from a physical item (bottle of wine, print ad, whatever) than having me type out a URL....sure they are stuck a bunch of places that make them ugly or inconvenient to actually read....but so are…

I don't understand all of the hate either. ComScore releases a lot of stats about QR code usage and people actually do use them quite a bit. I find them useful, especially when the alternative is typing in a URL that's 100 characters long.

There are ads encouraging you to type 100 character urls?

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#142

Post by bsphil »

brk wrote: post #25
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? 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.

I do barcode scanning on the Amazon app far more than I scan QRs. Handy to be able to check reviews and competing prices while I'm at the store.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#144

Post by jetti »

corin_ wrote: post #120
natesm wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I'm afraid I can top you in "worst use of QR on underground travel" (this one in London): https://p.twimg.com/AneZAsiCAAATy1Q.jpg:large

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.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#145

Post by kadavy »

I actually have found QR codes to be effective when used in presentations at tech conferences. At the end of each talk, I have a QR code on the final slide that points to a page where attendees can get more info.

About 1/4 of all people who visited that page at my SXSW talk this year came in through a QR code. This is kind of an anomaly because a SXSW talk is probably the perfect place to use a QR code.

My one complaint is, of course, that they are hideous. It would be nice if there were a central database where you could upload your own symbols and assign them to URLs.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#146

Post by stinky613 »

I think QR codes are almost never applied appropriately. I can Google something as quickly (if not more) than I can scan and process a QR code. True, a QR code may help me reach deep info easily, but a QR code has meaning ONLY to a computer; a URL has meaning to both a computer and to a human.

Let's say I see a poster advertising, say, a contest by Budweiser to win Superbowl tickets. Two scenarios that, for the sake of argument, are mutually exclusive: A) The poster has a QR code. If I don't scan that QR code then and there my interaction is done. B) The poster has a URL (BudweiserSuperbowl.com). If I don't visit that site while I'm standing next to the advertisement there's still a chance I may remember the URL and decide to check it out later. This is the similar to the reason we invented DNS to obviate the need to memorize IP addresses.

brk's example of a QR code on a washing machine at Best Buy was far more useful to Best Buy than to the customer: scanning a bar code can yield technical info, reviews, prices etc. whereas scanning a QR code will only give you the information that Best Buy or the manufacturer wants you to see.

Some places I wouldn't mind seeing QR codes:

- Videogames have more and more long alphanumeric strings to enter to enable online features, downloadable content, et al.; why not also include QR codes for Kinect to scan?

- Mini QR codes on menus to take you directly to nutritional info for a dish could be cool

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#147

Post by DanBC »

stinky613 wrote: post #146

I think QR codes are almost never applied appropriately. I can Google something as quickly (if not more) than I can scan and process a QR code. True, a QR code may help me reach deep info easily, but a QR code has meaning ONLY to a computer; a URL has meaning to both a computer and to a human. Let's say I see a poster advertising, say, a contest by Budweiser to win Superbowl tickets. Two scenarios that, for the sake…

> URL has meaning to both a computer and to a human.

I'm not convinced. I think that most people don't remember URLs, in the same way that they freak out when an error dialog pops up and the just click any button to make it go.

"What did it say?" you ask, trying to fault find. "Oh, I don't know", they reply, "I just clicked [NO]".

And honestly, no-one is going to remember "budweisersuperbowl.com". See also AOL using "aol keywords".

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#148

Post by stinky613 »

DanBC wrote: post #147
stinky613 wrote: post #146

I think QR codes are almost never applied appropriately. I can Google something as quickly (if not more) than I can scan and process a QR code. True, a QR code may help me reach deep info easily, but a QR code has meaning ONLY to a computer; a URL has meaning to both a computer and to a human. Let's say I see a poster advertising, say, a contest by Budweiser to win Superbowl tickets. Two scenarios that, for the sake…

> URL has meaning to both a computer and to a human. I'm not convinced. I think that most people don't remember URLs, in the same way that they freak out when an error dialog pops up and the just click any button to make it go. "What did it say?" you ask, trying to fault find. "Oh, I don't know", they reply, "I just clicked [NO]". And honestly, no-one is going to remember "budweisersuperbowl.com". See also AOL using…

So maybe they're both bad ideas, I can accept that. In fact I know I personally would be far more likely to just Google "budweiser superbowl" than pay attention to the URL, but if I'm going to pick one or the other for my ad I'd stick with a URL. Those same people you reference certainly aren't the ones who are going to both know what a QR code is and have the motivation to scan the code. Anyone could read a url and remember it whereas no one I've heard of can look at a QR code and understand a lick of it. If nothing else I stand by a URL in this situation being a better bad idea than a QR code.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#149

Post by beej71 »

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…

I scanned one once, but it was to learn more about a museum exhibit. :)

My personal favorite was when I found one on a banana sticker. I didn't try it, though.

Re: Dear Marketers: Enough with the QR codes

#150

Post by dabent »

Revisor wrote: post #139
dabent wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 bein…

What's the store's purpose then if you have to go online while being physically present to get more product info? Was there no knowledgeable staff? No product flyers/labels?

> What's the store's purpose?

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.

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