2D Bar Code Strategy

The publisher of The Dragonfly Effect, a relatively new book that discusses "powerful ways to use social media to drive social change," has launched an advertising campaign, which features a QR Code.

Given that a typical call to action is used (SCAN HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO) and that no other information is provided to learn about what the code is or where to locate and download a code reader app, I assume the publisher's intention is to only target 2D early adopters. While that may be all well and good, not really, but we'll pretend, there is also no use of a mobile website, which could be used to 1) provide additional information about the book and its authors, 2) link to an on-line location to purchase the book (i.e., Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.), 3) find an off-line book retailer nearby, 4) offer an incentive to purchase or 5) host the video, etc., etc.


To know that there is a plethora of valuable and meaningful information about the book on the book's main website, it seems as though the marketing team either got lazy or did not want to spend on a mobile site or both. Too bad, because it makes for a very lackluster user experience. At least it seems as though the video was optimized for mobile, perhaps even down to the device. So, for that, I'll give the publisher one point. 

2D Barcode Litmus Test: FAIL

This photograph was sent to me by Patrick Donnelly of QRArts, and illustrates the point that user experience should and must be on top of mind when developing and implementing a 2D barcode-based advertisement or campaign.

Let me set the scene. The billboard is located on the second floor of a suburban shopping mall and faces a floor-through opening. If you enlarge the image and look close enough, in the upper right hand corner of the yellow section, you'll find a QR Code. Why or how the company that placed this ad believes that they are going to get a significant number of scans, if any, is beyond me. Have they ever heard of the user experience or thought about media placement in relation to the created ad or vice versa?


Regardless of how great the scan resolve may or may not be, in reality, it's virtually meaningless, because not enough thought was given to one simple, but very important, element of the campaign...the user experience.

2D Barcode Litmus Test: FAIL

Earlier today, this article was published on iMediaConnection. Enjoy.

Grand River Printing and Imaging teamed up with Print 2D to develop a variety of collateral pieces, which featured a designer QR Code, to help promote Detroit Earth Day 2011. The image below is a mailer/poster that was created. 


When the QR Code is scanned, the reader of the mailer is brought to a mobile website, which provides information about the event, the guest speaker, the venue and the sponsors. To facilitate registration, readers of the mailer where given an email capture form to complete and told that an event registration link, which was desktop based, would be sent to them via email. Strange? Yes. Why drive people from the mobile site to a desktop site in order to register? The answer may surprise you, but shouldn't.

Realizing that the event registration process would be easier to read and complete in a desktop environment, as opposed to a mobile environment, Grand River Printing thought it best to forego forcing a less than ideal mobile user experience and offer a more ideal desktop user experience. Read that again, "thought it best to forego forcing a less than ideal mobile user experience and offer a more ideal desktop user experience."


Often times, I write how a company fails at 2D advertising, because they don't have a mobile website but, in this scenario, the company has a mobile website, as well as a desktop website. A bit confusing? Perhaps. An optimal use of 2D? Not really. But it works. Why? Because more than anything else the company gave serious thought and consideration to the consumer's interests first and then their own. Gee, how novel.

2D Barcode Litmus Test: PASS

Look at the top and middle images below...see anything different between the two? The top image, which is a full-page advertisement by Goldman Sachs, displays a QR Code (lower left hand corner). The middle image, the same exact advertisement by Goldman Sachs, does not display a QR Code. A mistake? Probably not. An A/B split test? Probably not. So then, why the two different ads? My guess, Goldman Sachs' marketing and creative team probably thought it would be cool/hip/innovative to place a QR Code in an advertisement, any advertisement, so they simply took one of the most recent ads running and slapped a QR Code on at the last minute. Not a recommended strategy.   


Even if Goldman Sachs was legitimately running a test or comparison between the two versions of the ad, I can tell the company right away why the campaign with the code will fail. How? Simple. Try to scan the QR Code. You can't. Or, at least, I couldn't even after trying up to eight different code readers. The code is too dense and too small.

Just for fun, I went to the URL provided in the advertisement to "watch the story" (the call to action on the code), but after some real buffering issues I decided to stop watching. My interest totally gone.


On a number of fronts, this advertisement teaches a lot, a lot of what not to do when developing and implementing a 2D campaign.

2D Barcode Litmus Test: FAIL

Over the past several weeks, I have noticed television commercials by Lowe's and Home Depot, both of which feature a 2D barcode. In the Lowe's commercial, you see a Microsoft Tag placed on garden plant care stakes, and in the Home Depot commercial you see QR Codes placed on garden plant care stakes too. The only real difference between the two commercials is that in the Home Depot spot you actually see a customer scanning the QR Code with a smartphone.

While it is great to see two major retail brands making use of the technology, the average consumer (i.e., a consumer with no previous knowledge of 2D technology) probably would not realize what they are being shown during the commercials and, even if they did, they stand a good chance of missing the visual, because in both spots the codes are shown for only a few seconds. So, in my mind, why bother placing the codes in the commercials at all?
 
Yes, I realize these two companies are in the experimentation phase with 2D, as many others are, but how much of an experiment is it when codes are not presented as the focal point in an advertisement, or are figured into an advertisement as an afterthought? Why not create a 30-second commercial that really features the technology and puts it out there front and center for all to see and experience? How else does a company believe that consumers are going to 1) learn about the technology in general, and 2) know that the company itself makes use of the technology and provides it to their target audience?

Another question to ask is, why can't information about the use of 2D be found on either company's website? I searched both the Lowe's main website and the Home Depot main website and nothing...no press release, no general information page, no additional information on the garden center product pages...nothing. If a customer wanted to learn more about the technology and how they can make use of and/or experience it, the opportunity does not present itself. Once again, this points to an advertiser not fully thinking through their use of the technology and the role they need to play as 2D barcode educator/ambassador/evangelist.

It will be interesting to see for how long, and in what context, Lowe's and Home Depot stick with 2D.

(Note: I have not scanned the codes in store, but I assume they both link to plant care information.)

Club Monaco, the clothing, accessories and home furnishings company, is using QR Codes in their store windows to promote its new Spring Collection.

With no descriptive and/or instructional copy other than "Check Out the Behind the Scenes Video," I believe the company feels as though its target market is comprised of 2D barcode early adopters who simply need no further explanation or instruction...they get it. Additionally, the stand alone code offers some sort of sophisticated/cool/hip aspect to it so, from an aesthetic perspective, I suppose the company does not wish to impinge on the code as well. That may be all well and good, but what's not all well and good is the code scan resolve.

When the code is scanned, the consumer is brought to a video that plays for four minutes, four minutes too long that is. The video shows behind the scenes footage of the Spring Collection photo shoot and does absolutely nothing to educate, inform, motivate or incentivize the consumer to enter the store and shop.Yes, the company offers the ability to share the video with others via the social networks, but who really cares? Where's the value, the benefit, the meaning, the relevance, etc.? As written in other posts, so much opportunity simply wasted. 

My guess, the company is disappointed with scan results and elects not to use 2D anytime in the near future. What's your call? 
 
2D Barcode Litmus Test: FAIL

Discovery Channel has launched a campaign to promote the next season of "Deadliest Catch" and featured in the campaign is a QR Code. The billboard below was spotted on the side of a New York City bus stop shelter.


The QR Code is prominently displayed on the billboard and above the code the copy reads, "Scan this code for exclusive Catch videos and more." Below the code, the copy reads, "MORECATCH.COM" which is the program's own website. Great that a call to action, instructions and a URL are provided, but given the amount of space that the billboard offers, one more line could have been written to help readers of the billboard find a QR Code reader app. Why leave it to chance that the reader will know where to find an app if they don't already have one? Also, why leave it to chance to simply say "this code," as opposed to "this QR Code?" Maybe advertisers don't feel the need to spell out just what type of code is being used and/or referred to in an ad, but knowing that there is more than one 2D barcode on the market today I believe it helps to be specific.


When the code is scanned, the reader is brought to a well-designed mobile website, which offers a lot of program information, a sweepstakes entry, content sharing via social networks and program merchandise for purchase. Additionally, there are a number of videos that appear on the site and most of the ones that I selected played just fine. For what it's worth, the content definitely offers value to those who are fans of the program, as well as to those who choose to scan the code.

Overall, a very sound campaign and use of 2D. I am curious to know if Discovery Channel did all of this work in-house or if they hired an outside vendor to work with. Also, is the channel making use of codes for other programs as well. 

2D Barcode Litmus Test: PASS

On Thursday, an article appeared on Fierce Mobile Content's website titled, "Are 2D Barcodes Worth the Hype?" and although the author writes about 1,800 words in the article, I believe she fails to really answer her own question. Yes, the author provides a great deal of background information about the various 2D barcodes and platforms/vendors on the market and discusses some 2D marketing best practices, but none of what she writes about really addresses the issues of worth or hype.

First, let me speak to worth. In my mind, to talk about worth is to talk about the cost of something versus the return which that something can or does provide. So to figure out cost, an advertiser needs to spend time asking questions like the ones below and trying to put a dollar amount to them.

• What does it cost to learn about the technology?
• What does it cost to generate codes in house or outside?
• What does it cost to manage and track codes in house or outside?
• What does it cost to analyze codes in house or outside?
• What does it cost to create a 2D-based advertisement, packaging, etc.?
• What does it cost to be first/last to market (i.e., use a code) from a competitive standpoint?
• What does it cost to properly execute and maintain a 2D program for the short and long-term?

Additionally, the idea of worth can also come in the form of asking questions such as, does our target market know about codes and do they scan them, could codes make for a better overall brand/user experience, do codes align with our overall integrated communications strategy, etc. Although these questions relate more to the marketing aspect of code worth versus the pure financial aspect of code worth, they still need to be asked and addressed.

Second, let me speak to hype. Certainly there is some hype about 2D codes in advertising and creative circles, but I do not believe the hype is that much more than any other new technology or application on the market today. The trick for advertisers is to be able to separate fact from fiction and to know what it means to have realistic expectations with respect to the capabilities of the technology and what campaign response rates can or should be. When speaking with a provider or vendor in the space, advertisers should request referrals and/or case studies to help in this process. It's my suspicion that some providers and vendors are out promoting and selling a bill of goods to those advertisers that are less than knowledgeable or aware.

From one company to the next, from one industry to the next, from one advertising campaign to the next, there are simply too many variables to say with absolute certainty that codes are worth the investment for each and every advertiser out there. And, to rely on any kind of industry benchmarks with respect to response rates, scan rates, etc. is difficult, because the technology is still so relatively new in the U.S. market and many advertisers are not sharing campaign data/metrics. So then, where does this leave us? In my opinion, I believe an advertiser will simply need to try 2D barcodes for themselves, in an earnest manner, in order to determine their true worth.

Neustar, a provider of solutions and directory services to enable trusted communication across networks, applications, and enterprises, placed this banner ad in a recent National Retail Federation e-newsletter.


Rare is it to find a B2B 2D campaign, but not so rare is it to find a less than ideal 2D experience. For starters, of the six to eight code reader apps that I use, only one (NeoReader) was able to successfully resolve the banner ad code. Why should this be? Was the code not tested with multiple code reader apps, or does the company believe that most people who view the banner ad would not scan the code and click on the "sign up" button instead, so whether or not the code can easily be scanned is irrelevant. My take...if and when a 2D code appears in an ad it should work, period. A company should not hedge as to whether or not consumers may or may not scan the code. Instead the company should develop the ad/code under the assumption that the code will be scanned. 

When the code resolved, I was brought to the company's desktop version of their website. Once there, I had to click on a button, which brought me to the webinar sign up page and, from there, I was able to enter my contact information to register. Question: If the company already created a landing page for the banner ad button, why not just link the code resolve to the same landing page? Why have the reader of the ad take the extra step by going to the home page first? Also, it comes as a surprise that a company like Neustar would not make use of a mobile site (i.e., a best practice). 

From an overall strategic sense, I understand the premise of Neustar's banner ad and the point the company is trying to make, but I guess I would have structured the user experience a bit differently.

Last question to the marketers at Neustar: If the e-newsletter's audience is comprised of retailers, and the QR Code seems to be the default standard among retailers, from an open source code perspective, why are you using Data Matrix Code in your banner ad? Just curious?

2D Barcode Litmus Test: FAIL

(Thank you, Jim)

Sprayway, a manufacturer of household cleaning products, ran this coupon offer in last week's local Sunday newspaper. Great that the company is offering $1.00 off for consumers to try the product, but less than great is the placement of the QR Code and the mobile experience that transpires.

Look where the QR Code is placed, right next to two UPC codes. Without any instructions or a description about the code, how are consumers to discern the difference between the QR Code and the UPC codes? In reality, I guess it does not matter that much, because all the QR Code does is resolve to the desktop version of the company's website anyway.


There is plenty of interesting and useful content on the desktop site that could easily populate and help build out a mobile version but, for whatever reason, the company has chosen to do what so many others have done...use the mobile platform to push out desktop content and images.

As an aside, note to Sprayway's marketing/creative team, you might wish to rethink the way you offer the "Find a Store" feature on your website, as there are ways of allowing a consumer to enter a zip code and voila a list of local stores appears. Also, something strange happens when the company's blog is accessed, an error page appears instead. To consider these items in broader and more strategic terms, companies need to pay attention to the customer/user experience, on every level, now more than ever before. Failure to do so will only hinder the building of long lasting customer relationships and product sales.

2D Barcode Litmus Test: FAIL

Keep a Child Alive, a charitable organization working to help people affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India, is using a barcode to help promote its Buy Life campaign. The barcode/platform used in the campaign is powered by WiMO.


When the code in the ad is scanned, the reader is brought to a mobile website that enables the reader to donate to the organization via text or a credit card. Simple and straightforward enough.


Aside from the barcode/mobile experience, it's worth mentioning that this is the first campaign that I have seen affiliated with WiMO. WiMO is a hybrid platform in that it offers advertisers the ability to work with either a  UPC/barcode, the WiMO Marker or image recognition. UPC/barcode and image recognition most of us are already familiar with, but the WiMO Marker is something new and a bit different. According to the company, the WiMO Marker "was created for situations where a unique identifier is essential. Proof of purchase, SKU specific content, are examples of where a standard barcode and image recognition (IR) won't work. We re-imaged two-dimensional codes and created an aesthetic, scalable, ultra-legible code from the ground up. By designers for designers." In addition to the codes, the company offers code management and analytic capabilities, as well.


Although I would have liked to have seen more information about the organization and its cause on the mobile site, the message gets through and the campaign works to drive and solicit donations.

2D Barcode Litmus Test: PASS

Commonwealth Worldwide, a limousine rental company, recently placed this QR Code-based advertisement in Gotham magazine and the experience using the code is, quite frankly, miserable.


First, the QR Code cannot be easily scanned, because 1) the code is too small (should be no less than 1" x 1") and 2) the code is too dense (i.e., too much information is embedded in the symbol causing the use of too many modules). Second, even if the reader of the ad was able to scan the code, which I was only able to do after enlarging the image, he/she is given nothing more than a reservations telephone number, email address, web address and physical address for the company. That's all, just vCard type of data which is why the code is too dense and too difficult to scan.


Beyond that, there is no call to action associated with the code, let alone the ad itself, no code description or instructions, no information about where the code will lead the reader, need I continue?

There's plenty the company could have done via the QR Code to get the most out of the ad spend and deliver a truly meaningful customer experience, but my guess is that the company either went about the development of this ad on their own without conducting any 2D research or doing any 2D homework, or the marketers and creatives that were involved were just poorly informed. Either way, this is a perfect example of how not to use 2D technology.

2D Barcode Litmus Test: FAIL

Zonin, vintner of Prosecco sparkling wine, has launched a new campaign in Gotham magazine, which features a QR Code.


The ad is visually stunning, and I would expect nothing less from an advertisement placed in such an upscale magazine as Gotham, but it's a shame that the company put more effort into letting readers of the ad know how to connect through Facebook and Twitter, by providing the URL for each, then through the prominently displayed QR Code. But then, with no real content behind the code other than a 1:11 self-promotional YouTube video which leads to, you guessed it, nothing, perhaps it's best that no call to action, description or instructions are associated with the code.


Or maybe the company believes that its target audience already knows how to scan a 2D code and no description or instructions are needed, which is fine, but does it not register with Zonin that the people in the target audience may want more than just a video to look at? How about providing a store locator, a food pairing guide, a drinks recipe guide, information about Prosecco wines and the region they come from, a history of the company since it dates back to 1821, a contest to win a trip to Italy, etc.? You know, something of real value?

To know that the company spent about $20,000 just to place the ad, why not make the additional investment, not expense, but investment, into building out a mobile website that's linked to the code and making certain that the ad, in its entirety, is as meaningful and useful as possible?

2D Barcode Litmus Test: FAIL

The Santa Monica Museum of Art has launched a new campaign to help promote the museum's annual fund raising event, Incognito, which will be held April 30, 2011. Featured in the campaign is a designer QR Code, which has been developed by Print2D, a Warbasse Design company.

When the code is scanned, the reader is linked to a mobile website, which has the following touch points/sections: 30-second YouTube video, About, Tickets & Information, Sponsors, and Contact & Directions. Also included are Facebook and Twitter icons, which enable the reader to easily share content found on the mobile site with his/her social network. The layout and design of the mobile website could not be any simpler or more straightforward, which lends itself to a decent 2D experience. 

Always interested in social and cultural causes, Philip Warbasse, the founder of Print 2D and the design firm that bears his name, wants to help other museums and galleries across the country generate awareness and raise attendance levels so, during the month of April, he is currently offering to create a designer QR Code and a mobile contact page for free. The offer includes six months of mobile hosting and full access to user statistics. If you represent a museum or gallery and wish to learn more, contact Philip at 310.883.4258.

Although I was unable to see the advertisement that the QR Code and mobile site are linked to, I can say that from the scan resolve perspective this campaign delivers just what it is supposed to. If, however, the campaign was not for the museum's annual fund raiser and was instead geared towards driving regular museum attendance then, perhaps, some sort of ticket discount or special offer should have been offered.

Porsche recently launched this print advertisement to promote its new Porsche Everyday campaign. Featured in the ad is a designer Microsoft Tag.

Before analyzing the scan resolve, let's take a look at the creative. To begin, the company has chosen to develop and make use of a designer Tag. The standard Microsoft Tag makes use of triangle shapes, but dots such as the ones seen in the image below can be used as well. Beyond the dots, the Tag's design gets a bit more customized with the placement of a car silhouette (see second image below), but I am at a loss to understand how this simple rendering serves to represent or portray the Porsche brand. Here's the best practice test with respect to designer codes: If the code is viewed out of context can the consumer recognize the brand or product it is to be associated with? If not then there is little value associated with the designer code and, perhaps, there is no real need for it. 


The company chose to place the Tag in the photo montage and, while it is certainly large enough, I believe it gets somewhat lost with all of the other imagery. Personally (and I am not a creative director), I would have preferred to see the Tag in the bottom half of the ad where there was more white space. Also, by placing the Tag Reader app download instructions above the photo montage, I believe it gets disconnected from the Tag and may lead to a reader missing the information altogether. Regardless, the information is present, so points to the company for that.


When the Tag is scanned, the reader of the ad is linked to a mobile website, which ties in directly with the Porsche Everyday campaign. The main idea behind the campaign is that real life Porsche car owner stories are used to fuel the conversation and interaction. The reader of the ad can view stories by car type or by topic (e.g., comfort, safety, usability, etc.), find a local dealer and sign up for news and updates. A note about some of the stories, some of them are linked to videos and some of the videos are slow to load and play, but overall they work. Also, for each story on the site, the reader of the ad has the ability to share the content.

Above and beyond the use of 2D, which is done well, this is a great example of how best to make use of customer stories, reviews and accolades to inform others and help sell a company's product(s).

2D Barcode Litmus Test: PASS

In many of my 2D barcode campaign reviews, I comment about code scan expectations and how an advertiser should provide some sort of clue or description along with a code, so that a consumer will know where they are being directed or what action they can expect next, once a code is scanned. While that may be all well and good in relation to the consumer, I believe it's just as important to manage code scan expectations in the relation to the advertiser, as well.

Whether a 2D barcode-based advertisement is formulated and executed well or not, often times I wonder, what does the company expect to get out of the ad? What are their goals and objectives, as they may relate to the code and it being scanned? Is the advertiser interested in building overall code awareness, generating sales leads, driving actual product/service sales, strengthening brand loyalty, creating media buzz, etc., etc.? Even if it is a matter of the advertiser experimenting with 2D, here too the question can be asked, what's the end game?

Regardless of using 2D codes in a B2C or B2B landscape, advertisers should have their own set of expectations, realistic expectations, surrounding each and every campaign. By doing this, it not only helps in determining the overall success or failure of a campaign and/or ROI, but it may even help in the creative and strategic planning process of a campaign. To know what is expected as an outcome may help to drive the direction of building a 2D-based campaign to the point that the finished campaign is complete on all fronts. For example, if the campaign is intended to be a lead generation campaign then the advertiser will know that as they develop the campaign they must include a strong/relevant call to action, an incentive or offer to respond to, a contact information gathering device, a follow-up mechanism, etc.

By setting corporate-based expectations, an advertiser will be able to recognize that the 2D campaign, as a whole and in all of its various parts, was produced and implemented correctly or not, instead of attributing campaign success or failure solely to the technology itself. In other words, when a campaign wraps, an advertiser should not look to the code for answers, but to themselves.

American Slide Chart/Perrygraf, a designer of specialized dimensional tools (i.e., slide charts, wheels, etc.), recently launched this direct mail campaign, which features a Microsoft Tag, or is it a QR Code?


Great that the company wants to make use of 2D technology and add to the products and services that they can offer but, in reading the promotional copy, the company gets it very wrong. The copy reads, "Your dimensional can instantly link your customers to your online content! Just ask about imprinting these special QR codes on your next dimensional tool." Great if the code being referenced on the mailer was a QR Code, but it's not, it's a Microsoft Tag. Whoops.

An honest mistake, sure. But what happens when a reader of the mailer attempts to locate, download and launch a QR Code reader app to scan the Tag...nothing. Marketing and creative teams must ensure the proper naming of the 2D barcode used in a campaign, or they stand a chance of really confusing people and slowing down adoption. Also, at a minimum, they need to provide some instructions and descriptions surrounding the code. For instance, the company does not even mention where to find the Tag Reader app, so without help here and by misnaming the code, most likely readers of the mailer will be totally lost. 

Scanning the Tag on the mailer brings the business consumer (this is a B2B campaign) to the company's main website. Why? Why not bring people to the landing page that is referenced on the mailer: http://www.americanperrygraf.com/expandedideabook (talk about a long URL). After all, that's what 2D is all about...enriching the experience, quickening the experience, simplifying the experience. Remember the platform is mobile, not the desktop.

2D Barcode Litmus Test: FAIL   

(Thank you, Chris)