Posts tagged branding
1 note &
Mind Your Q’s and R’s
Rules of Engagement for QR Codes
Forget Foursquare v. Gowalla (RIP!), the latest social media divide centers on QR codes. The checkered squares invaded social marketing this year, popping up in GoDaddy.com’s Super Bowl ads, Rock the Vote’s SXSW tees, and cheeky Victoria’s Secret promos. The jury’s still out on their staying power, though, and social media gurus have emerged swinging on both sides.
My verdict? While QR codes’ utter ubiquity of late dilutes their impact, their ability to bring timely, relevant info to mobile web users is a gold mine for socially savvy brands. Below, some of the best practices I’ve seen:
- Create content users can’t find on their own. Plenty of this year’s Super Bowl spots featured QR codes emblazoned on screen, but no one at my party bolted to the TV with a scanner app. Why not? While we’re big enough social media nerds to justify crouching by the TV with our iPhones, the codes often linked to the brand’s main page, which we can access much more easily by typing in a URL or Googling. The exception to the rule? GoDaddy’s Super Bowl spot, which landed a Hail Mary by enticing viewers to “See more now!” and scan the code, linking to a video continuing the commercial’s storyline.
- Behold the power of print. TV is not an ideal medium for QR codes. Who has their QR scanner at the ready for every commercial break? Truth is, nearly half of all QR codes in 2011 were scanned from a printed magazine or newspaper. The brilliance of the QR code is that it links users to content when they can’t access a computer for more info. Austin’s Capital Metro expertly posted QR code posters at bus stops linking to pick-up times, schedules, and route maps during SXSW 2012, offering attendees easy access to public transport info.
- Know your users. QR code generators like SmartyTags and delivr include analytics with insights on QR users, from consumer demographics to preferred mobile devices to popular QR code sources. Armed with that knowledge, brands can personalize the user’s experience - offering newspaper or magazine consumers information on a local retailer, or linking to a web-only coupon from a QR code on an in-store product.
Registering to vote via “Rock the Vote” tees at SXSW 2012
QR’s are here to stay, but the novelty has worn off. It’s time to streamline how brands incorporate QR into their marketing instead of saturating the media with the new “it” tool.
