Setting the Bar for QR
So, you’re in a burger-joint. You just sat down with your delicious beef on a bun – or black bean patty – and your basket-o-fries. You reach for the plastic, “no-mess-cap” ketchup bottle and notice a QR code plastered on the back.
For those of you who are not familiar, QR code stands for Quick Response code and offers fast readability with comparatively large storage capacity.
Do you:
A) Pull out your smart phone and bring up your QR code-reader app while thinking, “Sweet! I’ve been wanting to know more about Heinz Ketchup!”
B) Roll your eyes and curse it under your breath while squeezing a mountain of ketchup on your plate, or
C) Think to yourself, “There it is AGAIN! What does it mean?! It’s like someone’s trying to tell me something…”
When it comes to opinions of QR codes, both ends of the spectrum are highly populated. On one end, you have the people who think QR codes are the dumbest, most useless thing since the invention of the Shake Weight. On the other end are all the people who are obsessed – they eat, sleep, breathe, and constantly construct QR codes. And filling the gap are the people who don’t know and/or don’t care either way.
Well here’s how we see it:
A QR Code works best, first and foremost, when your target audience is a demographic that possess smart phones (because obviously, without the app to scan the code, the point is moot). An example of a good way to use a QR code would be guerrilla marketing, such as; making t-shirts, using it for promotional events, campaigns, etc. An example of a poor way to use a QR code is to plaster it over everything within your grasp, including putting one on your website when it already directs the person who scanned it to your website… or our personal favorite, putting one on your mobile site. Ahem, if a person is using their smart phone to access your mobile site, how are they going to use their code scanner? And more importantly, why would they need to if they’re already there?
Whether you love, hate, or are indifferent to QR codes, there’s no denying that they got your attention in some way or another, therefore serving their purpose. A QR code can be a great marketing tool when used correctly and sparingly. Need help with your QR codes? We’d be delighted to assist you!
Tags: code scanner, guerrilla marketing, qr code reader, qr codes, quick response code