By: Jack Emery, Vice President of Business Development
Challenge 2: Creating a great consumer experience.
The principal is simple – if you are going to ask someone to pull out their phone, launch an app, and then take a photo of a code you better give them Something Special. The Something Special could be a cool video using a standard player that all smartphones can play… I recommend posting it on YouTube. The Something Special could be a game or a discount/coupon or additional content that can only be accessed through the code. If you simply send them to a product page, or you just regurgitate information on the printed sign/advertisement, all you’re doing is hurting your chance of getting them to engage again in the future via a code – whether it be a QR code / MSTag / SnapTag / TagOfTheFutureThatIJustMadeUp. The other thing I implore my fellow marketers to do is please think about making it a great experience, otherwise, you may be ruining it for the rest of us.
I have seen QR codes that just take people to a company’s home page. I have seen codes that ask survey questions but don’t offer anything to the user in return like a gift, discount, or interesting experience. And I have seen QR codes where they should never be – and yes this is a usability discussion. In Cincinnati, OH I have seen a billboard along I-71 with a QR code… I have only seen it briefly, but I have glimpsed it over and over… why have I never checked it out on my smart phone? I have never been moving at less than 65 miles per hour as I zoomed past it.
The best marketers always know how to think like their target audience, and how to live the experience before it ever enters the marketplace. The conception and creative phase of developing a campaign is all about thinking like the consumer to drive behavior and pique interest. If you choose a tag format based on self-serving motivations like better analytics or a prettier look, you’re not thinking about your consumer. If you choose to slap a QR code on every piece of marketing without thinking about its destination or use then you’re failing your company, your consumer, and the rest of us. Lets think carefully and focus on creating experiences for the consumer that allow us to leverage this technology in a way that is exciting, engaging, and useful for everyone. If we don’t use them correctly and innovatively then the consumer will stop engaging with them.
Below are some links to some interesting examples of QR codes from a creative or usage standpoint.
Calvin Klein – Get Uncensored – Calvin Klein X Campaign
QR Code on a real estate listing
QR Code at Macys to extend the retail experience
Great Creative Execution – HBO True Blood Season 3 Video Preview