2D Bar Code Strategy

As I was researching mobile marketing conferences and events on the web this afternoon, I came across this one titled "Mobile Marketing Strategies Summit," which is scheduled to be held in Boston later this year.

While the conference's speaker list and agenda seem solid, I have two questions or thoughts about the event and the way it is being promoted. First, when I searched for the conference online, the search result linked to the main desktop page for the event. Nothing mobile here. Does Global Strategic Management Institute (GSMI), the company organizing the event, need to take lessons from those presenting at the conference to learn how best to present event information and/or registration forms on a mobile platform? Second, if you look closely at the event's main web page you'll see that there are two rather sizable buttons for Pinterest. I can understand wanting to share the event with people via Facebook or Twitter, etc., but what's to pin? Is an interested registrant to pin a speaker's picture on a board or maybe a picture of a conference room? Not sure I follow the logic here.

Instead of just reacting to the marketplace and jumping on the next marketing related band wagon, companies need to fully think about and consider how a product, service, technology, application, widget, solution, etc. works in relation to what's being marketed, promoted or advertised, as well as the audience that's being targeted. As much as it holds true in this example, it certainly holds true with 2D bar codes and other print to mobile technologies.

Netbiscuits, a leading cloud platform for the development and delivery of next generation web apps across all mobile and connected devices, is currently offering (recommending) a value-added solution to publishers, which will 1) help publishers increase the number of and revenue generated from advertisers, and 2) help the advertisers themselves create successful print advertisements which incorporate the use of 2D bar code technology ( (i.e., QR Code, Microsoft Tag, Snap Tag, etc.).

Most 2D bar code-based advertisements fail due to poor or uninteresting scan resolve content (i.e., the content that is viewed after the scan is made), and Netbiscuits works to remedy this by offering a series of easy-to-use templates, which act as the scan resolve landing pages. Built into these templates are a number of interactive features and/or capabilities, such as store locator, coupon site, sweepstakes, video landing page, email signup, customer service and feedback, social sharing, loyalty rewards, product comparisons and reviews and, get this, purchases, all of which serve to increase the value and benefit of scanning.

At a time when publishers and advertisers recognize the potential of 2D bar code technology, but may be unsure about how best to go about developing and managing the scan resolve content portion of the equation, life just got easier. With a solution like this it becomes much easier to provide consumers with content that has meaning, value, relevance and benefit–all of which help to drive advertising ROI, as well as a remarkable interactive experience for the consumer.

The Bar Code News, a website which provides a variety of news, advice, opinion, reference material and tools all in relation to the bar coding industry, recently published a list of Top 5 Bar Code Blogs to read, and I am proud to announce that 2D Bar Code Strategy was selected as one of the five.

Here are a few takeaways from this morning's panel discussion on the use of print to mobile technology at The Association of Magazine Media's (formerly the Magazine Publisher's Association) Digital Conference.


As moderator, I was joined by Brandon Holley (Editor in Chief, Lucky), Ed Knudson (Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Digimarc) and Scott Omelianuk (Editor, This Old House).

Takeaway #1: Help your audience learn about print to mobile technology by providing them with descriptive or instructional copy next to the code, symbol or image to be scanned.

Takeaway #2: Make certain the pay off (i.e., the scan resolve content) is worth the time and effort to scan in the first place, as well as share with others socially.

Takeaway #3: Do not get caught in the trap of trying to determine which print to mobile technology works best but, instead, determine how best to use any of the technologies that are currently on the market. Case in point, Lucky magazine has a very successful shopping program, which is based on Digimarc's digital watermark technology. This Old House, on the other hand, has built a popular and robust reader sweepstakes program on Microsoft Tag technology.

Takeaway #4: Get all of the departments, groups and/or individuals in the company who need to be involved with a print to mobile based campaign/program on board early on in the process. There's no reason to keep people in the dark when deciding to make use of print to mobile technology.  

If you have any questions regarding the above, or the rest of what was discussed by the panel, please contact me.

Yamaha Motors is currently running a print campaign to promote its V Star line of motorcycles, and featured in the advertisement is a QR Code.


When the code is scanned, the reader of the advertisement is linked to a mobile website, and a very good one at that, which not only provides a great deal of product information about the motorcycle featured in the print advertisement, but also information such as find a dealer, current offers, parts catalog and a text alert function, which alerts consumers about new products, features, deals, etc.

From end to end, Yamaha has thought this campaign through, from the consumer's perspective, and it works seamlessly. It even works without having to rely solely on a product video, which so many companies in the automotive industry are loath to do.

The one item I might suggest to alter is the instructional copy next to the code. Instead of just writing "For more information" I might write, "Scan the QR Code above for more information. Download a QR Code reader from your app store." To know that a great number of consumers are still in the dark when it comes to QR Codes, this type of copy helps them understand and interact with the technology that much easier. Also, "For more information" is not a very powerful call-to-action so, here too, the wording might change.

2D Barcode Strategy Litmus Test: PASS

As printed in today's iMediaConnection newsletter:

Over the past couple of years, the number of 2D bar codes used in print, out-of-home, in-store, package, direct mail, and event advertising has been steadily on the rise. One of the reasons for this growth is that companies are realizing that 2D bar code technology (i.e., QR codes, Microsoft Tags, data matrices, action codes, print-to-mobile codes, etc. -- call them what you will) offers a new and different way by which they can connect and interact with an existing or prospective customer on a truly personal level. And they can do so via the first screen -- the mobile phone.


However, there is a vast difference between simply placing a 2D bar code in a campaign and having that same bar code deliver results that truly mean something to the targeted audience, as well as to the advertiser themselves. In fact, based on my review of hundreds of 2D-based campaigns, for every one campaign that does deliver something (i.e., value, relevance, meaning, benefit, or a real interactive experience for the consumer) via the code, there are three campaigns that don't and fail in part or altogether. Let's take a look at three real-life examples of 2D bar code use that failed to capitalize on the true potential of the technology. Consider these lessons in what not to do.

Buick
Automobile company Buick launched a print advertisement that featured a QR code. When the QR code was scanned, the reader of the advertisement was linked to a short video, which explained how the car's eAssist technology works. Great! Product information that is easy to understand, useful, relevant, valuable, and informative. But then what? When the video finished, the reader of the advertisement had no place to go. Buick did not provide a link to the company's main website, the product page for the particular car being advertised, or even the product page that discusses its eAssist technology. Nothing. Also, there was no link to a dealer locator, customer product reviews, pre- or post-sale incentives, etc. Why expend the time, energy, and resources to potentially warm up a lead and then let it get cold again? Isn't it a goal of advertising to warm up the lead and have the prospect move one step closer to making a purchase decision?  


Goldman Sachs
Several months ago, investment firm Goldman Sachs ran a series of print advertisements that featured a QR code. When the QR code was scanned, the reader of the advertisement was linked to a four-minute video that amounted to nothing more than a four-minute self-promotional corporate commercial. When the video finished, here too, there were no links for the reader of the advertisement to follow. There was no contact request form to complete, no dedicated 1-800 telephone number to call, no email address to write to -- nothing. From a business-to-business perspective, is business so good at Goldman Sachs that it doesn't need to generate any sales leads? If that's the case, why bother to advertise in the first place? Maybe the company just had a few extra marketing dollars it needed to waste. If the idea is to use 2D bar codes as a means to generate sales leads, B2C or B2B, companies need to think through the process, experience, and tactics from end to end. Why go half way only to see the lead get cold again?  


Grant Thornton
Last year, professional services consulting firm Grant Thornton ran a print advertisement that displayed a QR code. This campaign illustrates how companies are not paying attention to the technology itself, as well as some marketing-related flaws. First, the code fails. The code used in the campaign was very dense, which means that the modules that make up the code were very small and packed closely together. When a code is too dense, often times it is difficult or impossible to scan with a smartphone. For this reason, less dense or simple codes are considered to be a best practice. Instead of using a 103-character URL (http://www.gtwhatwins.com/?utm_source=fastcompany&utm_medium=print&utm_content=ps&utm_campaign=whatwins), Grant Thornton could have shortened it to as few as 20 characters (http://bit.ly/LlDaME). By using this shortened URL, the code would have been much cleaner to scan and, atheistically, more pleasing to the eye.


Second, the call-to-action fails. Many 2D-based campaigns neglect to include a meaningful call-to-action in relation to the code, and this leads to a major failure. Yes, this campaign has a call-to-action that reads, "See what wins at gtwhatwins.com." But this has nothing to do with the QR code. Instead of driving readers to the URL address, why not drive them to scan the code? That's what it's there for, is it not? The URL address can and should be displayed so that readers of the advertisement who don't have a smart phone can still access the website and interact with the company. However, the URL address should not be the focal point. Could there be more than one call-to-action? Sure. But the creative and layout just needs to make sense.

Third, the scan resolve and content behind the code fails. Once scanned, the reader of this advertisement is brought to a mobile page, but the one-minute video that is on the page is not optimized for mobile. This too is a huge reason QR code strategies fail. If an interactive mobile-based technology is being used (i.e., a 2D bar code) then any content that is associated with the use of such technology should be optimized for mobile. It's that simple. Also, on the mobile landing page, there is a "click here" button that brings the reader of the advertisement back to the desktop version of the company's website. Why? Why build a mobile page and not leverage that page for all it's worth?

Why They Fail
So why do 2D bar codes fail? Why are more and more companies making use of the technology, and just as many failing in the implementation and deployment of the technology? In my mind, it's simple. First, companies are not taking the time and expending the energy to fully understand the technology from a pure technology perspective (i.e., how 2D bar codes work, get generated, get scanned, etc.). Second, companies are not enabling themselves to fully understand how the technology can and should be integrated into an existing marketing mix from a strategic and tactical perspective. Rather, they are implementing and deploying the technology from their own perspectives -- not the consumer's. In addition, many companies are not establishing clear lines of responsibility when it comes to determining whose job is it to manage and steward the use of the technology from one campaign to the next, and from the inception of a campaign to its completion.

Although the two reasons above help to provide an explanation as to why companies are failing at 2D barcdoes, what they don't speak to is the fact that 2D bar codes are similar to most any other marketing channel or medium and need to be considered as such. When a code is going to be used in an advertisement or a promotional piece, it needs to be given the same amount of thought and consideration that a landing page, for example, would be given. Where landing page copy, graphics, layout, links, buttons, and versions are all well thought out, planned, and even tested, so too should the use of a 2D bar code.

In working with 2D bar codes, I have established a list of no fewer than 20 technology- and marketing-related best practices that should be used when implementing and deploying 2D technology. By no means do the examples in this article detail all of the best practices that I and others in the field advocate, but they highlight some of the main ones.

In addition, above and beyond best practices themselves, marketers must recognize the need for clear goals and objectives -- strategic and tactical -- to be set in place as a 2D-based campaign is developed. We all talk about metrics and the need to justify ROI, which bar codes can certainly help to facilitate. But without goals and objectives in place, one will never know if 100 scans or five sales leads or a dozen products sold constitute success.

In today's New York Times, the financial services company State Street Global Advisors placed this advertisement in the International Section to promote its family of SPDR Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). If you can't make out the image of the advertisement know that it is a listing of the firm's 100 plus ETFs by name. On top of the page is a simple headline and on the bottom is a listing of a toll-free phone number and a website address.

Based on the newspaper's current advertising rate schedule, it seems as though State Street spent north of $100,000 to place the advertisement, and for what? All the advertisement does is list the names of the firm's funds, nothing more, nothing less. Where's the call-to-action? Where's the incentive to respond? Where's the value or benefit to the consumer? Where or what's the compelling reason for the reader of the advertisement to engage and interact with the advertisement (brand)? And, how much may have been spent on other placements of the very same advertisement?


Does the company's marketing team really expect an investor to react and respond just by seeing a list of fund names? Why do I get the impression that they won't? Why do I get the impression that the vast majority of readers will simply turn the page and pay very little attention to the advertisement?

While some may believe that the placement of an advertisement like this is merely for furthering the reach and awareness of the brand, in my mind this is a far cry from brand-based advertising. Couldn't the firm's creative team, internal and/or external, craft something a bit more meaningful, intriguing, innovative, etc.? If the company and its investment products are to be considered cutting edge, shouldn't the marketing and advertising follow suit?

Lastly, with regard to measuring ROI for the ad, I'll assume the 1-866 phone number is dedicated to this advertisement but, what about the web address that's given? Judging from the URL, this is the company's main website, not a landing page that is specific to the ad. So, with any clicks to the website, how can State Street be certain they came as a result of this ad or any other the company might be running concurrently? Also, what could the company's possible objectives be for an advertisement such as this? Were there any?

Frankly, I wish I had such money to throw around and waste.

Here's an article you won't want to miss, "Three Brands that Failed with QR Codes,"  which is scheduled to be published in iMediaConnection's newsletter on Wednesday, June 13.

It gives me great pleasure to announce that I will moderate a panel discussion at The Association of Magazine Media's (formerly the Magazine Publisher's Association) Digital Conference on June 21 in New York.


The panel discussion is titled, "How New Technologies Can Build a Bond with Your Audience" and the panelists include:

• Brandon Holley, Editor in Chief, Lucky 
• Ed Knudson, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Digimarc
• Scott Omelianuk, Editor, This Old House

During the session, we will discuss real-life examples of how 2D barcode and other print to mobile technologies are being used by publishers and advertisers to drive engagement, customer loyalty, social sharing and product sales. Should be fun, looking forward to it.