Cracking The QR Code
February 16, 2011 | Posted by Cam Hoff
You've probably seen a few of these odd, blocky bar codes around by now. They're starting to pop up in magazines and print advertisements regularly, but what exactly are they and how do you use them?
They're called QR Codes (Quick Response Codes), and they're a type of bar code that can be scanned with your smartphone's camera. They're commonly used by marketers to store URL’s and be used to instantly direct users to rich web content on their phone. Consider them offline hyperlinks bridging the gap between print and online content. They're hugely popular in Japan and most Japanese phones now come equipped with a code reader as standard. With over 50% of americans carrying smartphones, and readers for every operating system readily available for free it's expected that QR Code circulation in North America will increase dramatically in 2011.
That’s great that it's big in Japan, but does anyone actually use them here?
Since QR codes are a relatively new medium, there lies a huge potential for early adopters. Here's a few examples of how this context-sensitive marketing has already been used successfully in North America.
The Detroit Red Wings have made their game programs a powerful interactive fan experience by including QR Codes that directly link to custom video content from print articles.
Several museums have experimented with QR Codes by offering additional mobile content to museum guests via QR codes placed alongside their displays.
Google has recently launched a "Favorite Places" campaign where they mark local businesses (100,000 in the USA for starters) as Google favorites by placing a QR code sticker in their window. Scanning this code will give the user detailed business information, pricing, reviews, recommendations and the like. They're also introducing a coupon feature tied into this program, where users would receive a discount just for scanning the QR Code.
Jimmy Fallon, the tech junkie of late night, brought QR codes right into North American homes on a recent show. When introducing the guest musical act for the night (Odd Future), Fallon held up a large QR code in place of the album art the host would typically display. Viewers who scanned the code on their TV screens were directly linked to a music video.
Ok I'm sold, now how can I start using QR Codes?
There are simple online applications where you can input a URL and receive QR codes in a range of sizes. It's recommended you generate as large a code as possible to ensure clarity in your final printed piece. Aim to adhere to a minimum size of 1.25" x 1.25" for best results. Also try using TinyURL to shorten those long URLs into a short simple hyperlink before you plug them into a QR Code generator. By keeping your URLs short, a simpler code is generated, with less room for error when the end user scans the code.
Creating the codes and implementing them into your print materials is only half the battle. The most important thing to remember when using QR Codes is to deliver content to the end user that is optimized for mobile. Sending people to your flash-based website on their phones isn't going to do them (or you) any good. So make sure you're at least linking to the mobile version of your website, preferably something directly related to the content in the printed piece. YouTube videos can also work well and deliver compelling video content that can't be put on a printed page.
Let us help you.
Being in it's relative infancy, the possibilities are really quite infinite when it comes to this new bridge between print advertising and mobile content. If you'd like to learn more about this new marketing tool please contact us at Flipp and we'd be more than happy to explore creative ways to put QR Codes to work for you.
