For those of you who aren’t advertising/social media nerds like myself, the term “QR code” may evoke mental images of a robot from Star Wars. QR (standing for “Quick Response”) codes, reminiscent of BBM barcodes for BlackBerry users, are a recent trend in advertising that you may have noticed on a variety of products or on various advertisements. When scanned by a smart phone, the QR code takes the viewer to a webpage. So in a sense, it’s like a pictorial URL for your smart phone. 

Aside from the most typical use, which is to lead the viewer to a product’s webpage, QR codes have also been used by U.S. Army garrisons as part of their media campaign, as guides to tourist attractions in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, and by Jimmy Fallon on his show to allow viewers access to a music video of the band performing on his show. However, I have some reservations regarding the effectiveness of this new marketing tool. Despite their prevalence, I feel that every day consumer does not really know what they are, let alone put them to use. Even my co-workers in the advertising field tell me that they seldom access these codes. 

Perhaps one of the greatest downfalls of QR codes is that presently all smart phones require the user to manually download an app in order to read them. Many tech-savvy members of Generation Y, at whom the QR codes are targeted, are most likely too busy on Facebook, Twitter, and Angry Birds to take extra effort to download an application when they don’t know what QR codes actually do. Furthermore, many of the companies and individuals using QR codes do not do so in a very intelligent manner; for example, leading to a webpage formatted for desktop viewing when the codes are read on phones.

In my humble opinion, I think that while QR codes do open many possibilities for marketers and advertisers, it is still a little too early for them to be able to produce strong ROI. As the general populace continues to educate themselves on recent technological advances and as marketers become more adept at utilizing them, QR codes may become more effective and be used even more prolifically than they are today. 

For an interesting article on why QR codes WILL go mainstream, check out this op-ed piece at Mashable.

  2:33 am  |   March 10 2011  

In an attempt to break my bad habit of continuously consuming canned soups and frozen dinners, I decided to actually cook something today. On the way to a healthier tomorrow with a lunch of brown rice, cajun andouille sausages and asparagus. 

  1:30 am  |   January 31 2011  

My desire to blog can be likened to some people’s desire to work out. Many people like the idea of working out (or rather the results thereof), but rarely, if ever, make time to do it. Then, every once in a while, whether it’s to fit into that next size down, or to impress that special someone, or because they’re feeling guilty caressing their excess baggage while someone with an enviable beach bod walks by, they finally make a couple of arduous trips to the gym. However, more often than not it isn’t long before they trade in the gym for Grey Goose, the dumbbells for Dreyer’s, and the ellipticals for extra value meals. 

But this time, things are going to be different! With the zeal and perseverance of a sumo wrestler with aspirations of becoming a Calvin Klein underwear model, I hope to become a regular blogger. While blogging might not give me a six pack or bulging biceps, it allows me to express myself creatively and prevent whatever writing ability I possess from atrophying any more than it already has. So with that said, here’s to new beginnings!

  3:55 am  |   November 3 2010