Today I tweeted out a link to an article that I thought was interesting. It was in Ad Age and it addressed the opinion held by some online that the QR code is fading away, suffering from a lack of effectiveness.
B.L. Ochman writes that the codes are not dying away, they are just being used badly. Here's a link to the article: http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/qr-codes-dead-badly/230639/
She mentions the classic example of some agency who put a QR code up on a billboard. That's just indefensibly dumb. Who is going to stop the car in traffic to scan in a code? Clearly someone wasn't thinking.
She also mentioned the idea of using them in television commercials. It's easy to see her point there too. But after I tweeted out the link I received a message through Twitter from a bright, young friend of mine, Brandon.
Let me make an important point here: A marketing professional can never have too many bright, young friends. You just can't.
Brandon simply said that he thought the use of a QR code in television might actually work. He rhetorically asked: "Who doesn't have a dvr these days?" The answer is, probably more people than he thinks. But take his question one step further and ask, how many people who have a smart phone (and are able to scan QR codes) do not have a dvr? The answer to that question is probably extremely few.
So the young man made a good point. I started thinking about it. The tv spot would probably have to explain what existed behind the code, something very cool, so much of something very cool that it wouldn't fit in a 30-second spot, some very cool content or information that would really motivate the viewer to play along. What about a 3-minute movie trailer for an upcoming blockbuster? What about a complete music video of an awesome artist selling a cd or concert tickets? What about a completely tricked-out mobile site with video and pictures of some outstanding vacation get-away?
The spot would have to tell people what they would get by scanning the code. Tease them. Hook them. It would also have to tell viewers to pause the commercial with their dvr and how to prepare their phone to scan the code.
Did you read what I just wrote? Advertisers are scared silly that people will use dvr's to skip over their commercials. Here we have an idea that tells viewers to use their dvr's to pause the commercial! That's really cool. The pay-off has to be great. But that is one really cool idea. Talk about interactivity. Talk about engaging the consumer.
I love this idea and it leads me to a second point. I tweeted. Brandon responded. After the briefest of interactions, a great idea was born. People talk about social media, how fun it is, how it helps them stay in touch with friends and family, helps them network professionally, helps them share ideas. It can also be used to CREATE ideas. The brainstorming capabilities of the social media are endless.
What great fun!
B.L. Ochman writes that the codes are not dying away, they are just being used badly. Here's a link to the article: http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/qr-codes-dead-badly/230639/
She mentions the classic example of some agency who put a QR code up on a billboard. That's just indefensibly dumb. Who is going to stop the car in traffic to scan in a code? Clearly someone wasn't thinking.
She also mentioned the idea of using them in television commercials. It's easy to see her point there too. But after I tweeted out the link I received a message through Twitter from a bright, young friend of mine, Brandon.
Let me make an important point here: A marketing professional can never have too many bright, young friends. You just can't.
Brandon simply said that he thought the use of a QR code in television might actually work. He rhetorically asked: "Who doesn't have a dvr these days?" The answer is, probably more people than he thinks. But take his question one step further and ask, how many people who have a smart phone (and are able to scan QR codes) do not have a dvr? The answer to that question is probably extremely few.
So the young man made a good point. I started thinking about it. The tv spot would probably have to explain what existed behind the code, something very cool, so much of something very cool that it wouldn't fit in a 30-second spot, some very cool content or information that would really motivate the viewer to play along. What about a 3-minute movie trailer for an upcoming blockbuster? What about a complete music video of an awesome artist selling a cd or concert tickets? What about a completely tricked-out mobile site with video and pictures of some outstanding vacation get-away?
The spot would have to tell people what they would get by scanning the code. Tease them. Hook them. It would also have to tell viewers to pause the commercial with their dvr and how to prepare their phone to scan the code.
Did you read what I just wrote? Advertisers are scared silly that people will use dvr's to skip over their commercials. Here we have an idea that tells viewers to use their dvr's to pause the commercial! That's really cool. The pay-off has to be great. But that is one really cool idea. Talk about interactivity. Talk about engaging the consumer.
I love this idea and it leads me to a second point. I tweeted. Brandon responded. After the briefest of interactions, a great idea was born. People talk about social media, how fun it is, how it helps them stay in touch with friends and family, helps them network professionally, helps them share ideas. It can also be used to CREATE ideas. The brainstorming capabilities of the social media are endless.
What great fun!
