As a marketer, QR codes were meant to drive engagement with print materials and validate through analytics the appeal of print. For consumers, QR codes gave their smartphones more functionality and returned more relevant information. They were the secret source that put print and digital into the same room. Today's newspapers use QR codes to give more detail behind the story and ads include QR codes to drive prospects to their websites. But are these ugly squares of lines and shapes successfully transforming the business?
This article written in iMedia Connection actually defends QR codes. And while the title of the piece may assume otherwise, consumers are aware of QR codes, how they work, and how they can be of value. The problem is not with the consumer using QR codes, but with the advertiser and marketers relying on them as a tactic. "Instead of placing a QR Code on an advertisement at the last minute, marketers and creatives need to incorporate codes into a campaign during the early stages of development, and they must do so from the consumer's perspective, not their own. Just these few best practices alone can help boost consumer interaction and response rates."
An interesting read, especially as smartphones continue to become the de facto phone in our daily lives. And as phones can more quickly capture and translate these QR codes, engagement will improve as well.
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