A More Mature Understanding Of QR Codes

When QR codes first exploded onto the scene, everyone was skeptical and wondered how long the ‘fad’ will last. And when it got more serious, people wondered about the technology’s potential. Now that it has become less of a phenomena and more of a reality and as these companies and large advertising agencies learn from past mistakes, things are looking good for 2011.

When it was first introduced, some large companies (we loathe to name them) played with it and paid for some really expensive test marketing tactics. They knew how it worked but did not have the knowledge to fully make use of the technology. It was a lot of toying, with very little impact. After researching it for more than a year, advertising agencies and large corporations are much smarter and knowledgeable now. They know what is important now.

Take, for example, Pepsi, a reputable brand name. The first soft drink company to latch onto the idea of implementing a QR Code campaign. Experts in the mobile marketing industry applauded their efforts and made a huge deal over it and we think it was one of the best marketing campaigns so far. They were the first few companies to ever really link the offline world to the online one correctly and effectively.

You see, the full potential of a QR Code is not about printing it and enticing consumers to scan the code. The full potential can only be maximized when we make an effort to engage the consumers effectively after they scan the code. For example, getting them to play a game, download a coupon, share their ideas, getting their feedback or just encouraging them to sign up for a contest.

It is a waste of time (and money) to create and print a QR Code just so that people could click to a website that is not even mobile-phone-friendly. That isn’t the point. It isn’t any different from just printing the URL instead of the QR Code.

The good news is that more advertising agencies and people know that now. And that is also the reason why we think that 2011 is going to be big for QR Code marketing. In all sincerity, we can’t wait for 2011.