Go on then.. scan it. The truth is most people won’t. The truth is most people wont even take their phone out of their pocket. The truth is that even if the viewer already has a scanning app on their phone, they won’t see enough value in the black and white dots you’ve presented them with to bother.
A leading edge distraction?
At what point does the functionality of being able to direct a viewer to a website/email address/sms become a distraction from the core brand message? In my view, it’s at the point where it detracts from the possibility of a sale. I’ve seen QR codes used to great effect by estate agents on the property pages of newspapers. I get it – selling houses is a visual business. We need big pictures first with the top level detail but ultimately the buyer is going to want to know everything about their purchase. So lets give them a link to the detail. We also have a lot of houses to sell. Lets get them all in there on to the half page we’ve bought.
If you’ll excuse the pun, the lack of visual ‘Real Estate’ in these adverts counterbalances the addition of a QR code. Similarly, instead of making your potential buyer trawl through the listings of houses on your website to find the one they saw in the paper, you provide a direct link to everything else your lead wants to know. Simply – Would I take my phone out and scan a code ahead of perfoming the same search task on a website that I’ve just done in the paper? Yes I would. If it meant I had to download an app to do it? Well it’s still at best a maybe.
Calvin Klein tried to offer such an incentive in a cheeky way (below) but ultimately it’s still a sell, a brand proposition rather than a solution or engagement strategy. What’s more if they’re not using it already, you’re dictating rules of engagement to your market – It should be the other way around!
Is it just a case of a Tech Vanguard engagement with new toys has led to wholesale adoption in the mainstream? Yes brands, more than ever, are trying to be seen as leaders in new digital spheres. But how many really understand the medium and how many are just there for the ride – early adopters (and spenders!) on every digital zeitgeist to come their way? My guess is quite a few.
Digital marketing is a valuable tool. Adoption of QR codes in mainstream brand collateral (The same goes for Gowalla, Four Square and even Twitter and iPhone apps to a degree) are a symptom of the Digital/Social goldrush many are now labouring under. It’s simple folks, if people aren’t using it, it’s not a marketing channel – no matter how cool it is.
