QR Codes and Facebook
This morning, I had breakfast at a nearby Denny’s. While I drinking my coffee I noticed a QR code on a bottle of ketchup. However, before I start talking about that, I’d like to mention something briefly about customer service. I worked at this Denny’s for about 3 months in the winter of 2005-2006, and I go to eat there maybe once or twice a year. I was seated and given a menu and a cup of coffee within two and a half minutes,(keep in mind this is on a sunday at 10 AM) and two waiters and a busser remember me by first name and said hello; this is not including the waiter who actually served me. I recognize the fact that this class is about New Media Marketing, but I have the opinion that good customer service goes further than some of the methods we have been discussing. But then again maybe not…Business owners, comments would be appreciated.
Well, back to the topic. I noticed the QR code, so I picked up the bottle and read what it said. “Ketchup Lovers, Unite!” then, there was the code and it gave scan instructions and listed an alternative mainly text messaging. It implied that it would allow the scanner to become friends with Heinz Ketchup on Facebook if they scanned this code. I thought it was actually a pretty good idea. It probably costs the company little, and they’re getting involved with social networking sites, which don’t seem to be going away. Especially, since the company really isn’t giving anything up, but creates at least an image of community. I guess it depends on how much one likes ketchup.
I took this picture from a blog and the author comments also on this issue, including the fact that Heinz has almost 1 million likes.
When QR Codes Go Bad
In this blog, I’ve tryed to maintain a fairly critical stance on QR Codes, although somewhat in their favor. Today, I’ll be commenting on problems with QR Codes. What’s wrong with this picture?
http://www.scanlife.com/blog/2011/06/when-qr-codes-go-wrong/ The picture along with some criticism is taken from the above link.
The problem is too much stuff. The customer (or potential customer) needs to get a clear view of the code, otherwise it may not work. The scanlife blog also mentions qr codes are meant to be square (of course I mean to outside border), so if the marketers get too creative, the potential customer won’t be able to scan it and the code will be useless. Also, another problem is that some marketers “forget” that QR Codes are scanned on a mobile device with limited data capabilities not a home computer. So, when creating a QR Code allow it to lead to a simple web page that won’t take a long time to load. The real point to all these criticism is not meant to sound like I’m putting down various marketers, but rather leading to my next point.
Test your code on multiple devices. In spite of what some marketers and customers may think not all smart phones have the exact same reaction to a QR Code. Similar to how not all web browsers display web pages exactly is the same way.
Another thing is where is placement of QR Codes. Check out this blog entry. http://11thscreen.com/2011/04/creating-more-problems-with-qr-codes-in-trying-to-solve-one/ Personally, I couldn’t imagine myself getting on my knees for that.
Finally, the issue that I have been extremely concerned with since I found out what QR codes actually are. And that is security, just because you don’t hear about it very often does not mean it never happens. Here’s another link that describes some of the things that can go wrong. http://blog.mobilephonesecurity.org/2011/09/qr-codes-and-security-my-take.html
I do understand that marketing is a tough field to be in, and marketers always need to be looking for the new thing that will hopefully give them an edge over their competitors. However, a company cannot exist on marketing that is untested and not well thought out. Does anyone have any stories of bad QR Code experiences or maybe that I’m being over-critical of these companies – well, then please leave a comment.
Do Customers like QR Codes?
Earlier today, I read this article.http://www.responsemagazine.com/direct-response-marketing/news/qr-codes-boast-surprising-buzz-according-nielsen-4299
The writer seems fairly objective, but he poses an interesting statement – Do only marketers care about QR Codes? Well, according to article some people like them and an equal amount of people hate them. This percentage is 11%, which leaves 78% that are indifferent. These results are from a Nielson poll, so I suppose the numbers are probably accurate, but I’m usually on the suspicious side whenever a poll or survey does not give a margin of error. However, the question remains do advertisers care more about QR codes than customers? I think that leads to another question “Do customers like different marketing tools presented to them more than advertisers?” Well, with exception of some coupons and sales, probably not. The one thing that makes QR codes and certain other types of new media marketing, more effective is the simple fact that they do not seem as blatant as most forms of mass marketing. That is to say, they seem more subtle. Of course, the goals of the business are the same, but if the marketing method (in this case QR Codes) is subtle and appears to be a free service then customers will probably be more effective.
I found this in…
I found this interesting article on a relatively new QR code campaign by Taco Bell. You can read the article right here.
http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/software-technology/12346.html
I was very skeptical of the idea of Taco Bell using QR codes because I thought, “who keeps their taco wrappers long enough to scan them?” However, the details do make this sound interesting. While, not every customer is going to notice the QR code wrappers the fact that they lead to an exclusive music video from a band that’s playing the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX does seem attractive especially if the company is targeting the young adult demographic. I also like the fact that the campaign is dynamic, that is the videos are changed weekly. This is good because well, it’s a bad idea to bore customers with the same content. However, it probably is also a bad idea to change the content too quickly because customer might feel rushed or forced to buy. While, of course, increased sales is the name of the game, it is never a good idea to be inconsiderate of the customer. Which, I assume will LOWER sales. So, a good idea, I was actually surprised that Taco Bell came up with this strategy.
Welcome
Hi. Welcome to my blog. I’ve posted a poll earlier and if you have time, please check it out. But I’m curious of what other people in the class think about QR codes. Mainly, so I can give a better presentation on Tuesday. So, here’s an artical do you think the author is right or wrong or somewhere in between? I really want to hear what other people think.
http://smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2012/03/qr-codes-marketing-brilliance-or-a-waste-of-time.html/
What are QR Codes?
QR (quick response) codes are two-dimensional codes made up black modules with a white background. They were originally designed by the automobile industry. Specifically, Toyota’s subsidary Denso Wave in 1994. They were popular in private industry because of their fast readability and large storage capacity compared to regular barcodes (UPC). At first, they were on used in private industry, but with the popularity of “smartphones”, they became used with the public. Essentially because everybody now had a barcode reader in their pocket. (paraphrased from the Wikipedia article on QR codes)
Okay, so that’s great for basic introduction, but I learn better from watching something demonstrated than reading about how it works. So, I’ve included this video link (hope it works):
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