Transcript
Page 1: Trends- QR Codes, Microsof Tag and Mobile Barcodes

QR  Codes,  Microso.  Tag  and  Mobile  Barcodes    Integra8ng  Communica8on  Across  Pla=orms  

Laura  Wilson,  November  2010  Georgetown  University  

Page 2: Trends- QR Codes, Microsof Tag and Mobile Barcodes

WHAT  IS  A  QR  CODE?  

  QR  Codes  or  “Quick  Response”  Codes  are  2-­‐D  Scannable  Bar  Codes  readable  by  QR  scanners,  mobile  phones  with  cameras,  and  smart  phones.  

  QR  Codes  were  created  in    Japan  in  1994  by  Denso-­‐Wave  a  subsidiary  of  Toyota.  

  QR  Codes  can  hold  a  maximum  of  4,296  alphanumeric  characters  

  QR  Code  holds  a  considerably  greater  volume  of  informa8on  than  a  bar  code.  

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HOW  DO  QR  CODES  WORK?  

  In  its  simplest  sense  it  is  a  “print  based  hypertext  link.”  

  Any  kind  of  data  can  be  translated                into  a  QR  code  by  a  QR  code  generator.  

   The  size  of  a  QR  Code  depends  on  a  module  size  (colored  and  white  dots)  and  a  symbol  version  (data  capacity).    

  In  order  to  read  a  QR  Code  you  must  have  a  QR  code  scanner,  a  mobile  phone  with  a  camera  or  a  smart  phone.    

Anatomy  of  a  QR  Code  

Image  Source:  Wikipedia  

Image  Source:  TVP  Graphics  Inc.    

Page 4: Trends- QR Codes, Microsof Tag and Mobile Barcodes

WHAT  ARE  QR  CODES  AND  MOBILE  TAGS  USED  FOR?  

  Download  data  from  the  code  itself:  ex.    vcard  

  Transport  users  from  printed  material  to  websites,  video,  audio  

  Prompt  an  ac8on:  email,  SMS  text,  phone  call  

  Prompt  social  media  interac8on:  Tweet,  Facebook  status  update,  Foursquare  check-­‐in  

  Provide  e-­‐coupons  to  consumers  to  increase  conversion,  loyalty  and  repeat  purchases.  

  Convey  a  sense  of  exclusivity  via  direct  mail  campaigns,  with  QR  codes  leading  to  personalized  URLs  

  Facilita8ng  e-­‐commerce  and    on-­‐the-­‐move  impulse  transac8ons.  

  Facilitate  charitable  giving  and  increase  impulse  dona8ons.  

  Enable  mobile  8cke8ng  and  8me-­‐efficient  8cket  processing.  

  Provide  a  forum  contest  orpromo8onal  entry.  

…  and  anything  else  you  can  dream  of!  

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SOME  EXAMPLES  IN  THE  WILD  

Email  Me  for  a  copy  of  this  presenta8on  

QR  Codes  in  the  Wild  www.flickr.com/groups/qrcodes  

Tweet  @LauraEWilson  

Page 6: Trends- QR Codes, Microsof Tag and Mobile Barcodes

QR  CODES  vs.  MICROSOFT  TAG   MS  Tag  using  High  Capacity  Color  Barcode  (HCCB)  technology,  which  makes  it  able  to  encode  more  informa8on  into  rela8vely  small  area.  

 QR  Codes  are  open  sourced  and  the  informa8on  is  contained  inside  the  actual  code.  The  code  can  be  read  without  an  internet  connec8on.  

   MS  Tag  is  a  proprietary  code  and  users  must  use  Microso.  Tag  reader  to  read  it.  Tag  only  contains  an  ID  which  links  to  Microso.’s  server.  

 Microso.  Tags  can  be  edited;  QR  Codes  can  not—they  have  to  be  recreated.  

 Because  MS  Tag  can  be  dependant  on  the  color  scales  it  is  more  MS  Tag  is  much  more  sensi8ve  to  the  quality  of  color  plates.  

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MOBILE  APPS  vs.  “SNAP  AND  SEND”  

Image  Source:  Mobile  Marke2ng  Watch  

Page 8: Trends- QR Codes, Microsof Tag and Mobile Barcodes

MARKETSHARE  OF  MOBILE  TAGS  

  Microso.  Tag  currently  dominates  the  publishing  industry  in  the  US.  

  QR  Codes  are  s8ll  the  defacto  standard  and  are  much  more  commonly  used  on  other  mediums.  

  One  reason  Microso.  Tag  will  never  

 completely  kill  QR  codes  is  because  Tag  

 is  not  as  robust  and  can  not  be  easily  printed  on  anything  other  than  paper.  

Source:Nellymoser  Mobile  Ac8on  Code  usage  study  

Page 9: Trends- QR Codes, Microsof Tag and Mobile Barcodes

PEOPLE  ARE  SEARCHING  FOR  QR  CODES  

Source:  Google  Insights,  November  2010  

SXSW?  

CK  Campaign?  

Nov.  2010  All  8me  high  for  searches  on  QR  Codes  

Page 10: Trends- QR Codes, Microsof Tag and Mobile Barcodes

MICROSOFT  TAG  BY  THE  NUMBERS            

   In  October  2010  Microso.  announced  1  billion  Tags  have  been  printed  in  the  past  four  months,  bringing  the  total  to  2  billion  Tags  printed  since  its  January  2009  launch.  

   The  number  of  Tags  scanned  increased  by  four  fold  since  emerging  from  beta  in  May.  

  Since  August,  Tag  has  been  used  in  more  than  100  million  magazine  issues.  

   In  the  largest  known  barcode  campaign  to  date,  Allure  had  450,000  scans,  using  Microso.  Tag  for  its  annual  Free  Stuff  Giveaway  issue  in  August.  

Source:  Microso.  Press  Release  October  2010  

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MOBILE  BARCODE  SCANNING  STATS  

 Growth  has  been  exponen8al  from  January  2010,  with  traffic  up  over  700%.    

 Star8ng  in  July  2010,  there  were  more  scans  in  a  single  month  than  all  of  2009  combined.  

   The  last  3  months  have  seen  the  steepest  increase  which  points  to  accelerated  growth  for  the  fourth  quarter  and  beyond.  

Image  Source:  Mobile  Barcode  Trend  Report  October  2010,  Scanlife  

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DEMOGRAPHICS  OF  MOBILE  BARCODE  USERS  

Source:  Mobile  Barcode  Trend  Report  October  2010,  Scanlife  

Page 13: Trends- QR Codes, Microsof Tag and Mobile Barcodes

TECHNOLOGY  ADOPTION  LIFECYCLE  

I  would  argue  that  Mobile  Tags  are  s8ll  here  

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BUT  THERE  IS  LOTS  OF  POTENTIAL  

 76%  of  cell  phone  users  are  taking  pictures  with  their  cell  phones.  

 38%  are  accessing  the  internet  

 Currently  there  are  54.5  million  mobile  Internet  users  in  the  United  States,  represen8ng  25  percent  of  online  users.  

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DEMOGRAPHICS  OF  SMARTPHONE  APP  USERS  

Source:  ComScore  MobiLens,  October  2010  

 28%  of  the  U.S.  cell  phone  users  have  smart  phones,  according  to  Nielsen  (11/1/10)  

 41%  of  the  U.S.  recent  acquires  of  cellular  are  geIng  smart  phones,  according  to  Nielsen  (11/1/10)  

…there  are  millions  of  untapped  potenKal  users  of  mobile  tags!  

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WHO  ARE  SOME  OF  THE  EARLY  ADOPTERS?  

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WHY  SHOULD  WE  USE  MOBILE  TAGS?  

   Can  give  instant  informa8on.  

   Interac8ve;  Engages  users  in  tradi8onally  sta8c  mediums.  

 We  really  want  to  engage  consumers  on  their  mobile  phone.  

   Mobile  search  is  difficult  to  op8mize  for  because  you  can’t  use  “regular”  keyword  research.  Now  we  can  direct  them  and  eliminate  the  need  to  “search”  on  their  own.    

   Marketers/communicators  can  measure  it  “live.”  

 Possibility  of  sophis8cated  analy8cs  about  consumer  behavior.  

 Free  to  create  (and  minimal  expense  to  implement).  

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ARE  THEY  REALLY  EFFECTIVE?  

   There  is  lots  of  talk  and  not  a  lot  of  proof  (yet)  outside  of  Japan.  

 Mobile  tagging  is  s8ll  in  it’s  infancy  in  the  US  and  there  is  not  a  significant  amount  of  data  out  there  made  available  to  the  public.  

 This  is  the  first  8me  we  have  had  a  tangible  and  measurable  link  from  something  in  the  “real  world”  to  your  mobile  phone.  

 Emarketer  reported  a  Chevy  case  study  of  their  use  of  QR  codes  at  SXSWi  in  March  2010–  only  2%  reach  at  one  of  the  most  tech  focused  conferences  in  the  country.  

 October  2010  CTIA    Wireless  panel  says  that  they  are  “Not  hot  today.”  

 In  two  magazines…Real  Simple  (December  2010  issue)  and  Time  magazine  (this  week’s  issue)  I  found  17  mobile  tagging  campaigns.  But  are  people  using  them?  

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A  RECENT  EXAMPLE  

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BUT…ARE  THEY  REALLY  EFFECTIVE?   CK’s  campaign  is  probably  one  of  the  most  well  known  in  the  US  to  date.  

 Generated  a  lot  of  press  coverage.  

 Generated  buzz  on  social  media,  blogs  etc.  

 More  people  probably  saw  video  online  than  through  actual  interac8on  on  smart  phone.  

 Was  this  campaign  really  valuable  for  the  user?  

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WHAT  ARE  PEOPLE  SAYING?  

Posi8ve  Reac8ons  

Nega8ve  Reac8ons  

“I  don’t  have  to  remember  

URLS  anymore.”  

“I’m  not  taking  out  my  phone  to  take  pictures  of  adver8sements.”  

“My  phone  isn’t  

compa8ble.”  

“I  tried  it  once  and…”  

“They  o.en  don’t  work.”  

“I  get  instant  informa8on.”  

“I  get  great  deals.”  

“I  don’t  have  to  look  it  up  on  my  own.”  

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OPPORTUNITIES  SPEFICALLY  FOR  COMMUNICATORS  IN  NON-­‐PROFITS  

 Get  instant  feedback  and  ask  people  to  vote  their  opinion  on  a  cause,  campaign,  issue.  

 Give  “preloaded”  ways  to  contact  your  local  and  federal  representa8ves  about  an  issue.  

 Facilitate  an  instant  and  impulse  contribu8on  to  a  cause  or  campaign.  

   Remind  people  to  share  the  informa8on  instantly—preloaded  tweet,  Facebook  status  update  etc.  

 Download  a  special  mobile  applica8on  

 Subscribe  to  mobile  push  no8fica8ons  for  updates  on  the  cause/campaign  

 Help  people  find  other  ac8vists  &  supporters–  create  community  

Page 23: Trends- QR Codes, Microsof Tag and Mobile Barcodes

THERE  ARE  STILL  LOTS  OF  CHALLENGES  

 There  s8ll  is  not  widespread  use  of  smart  phones  (yet)  

 There  is  consumer  confusion  about  various  mobile  tags  

 No  universal  reader  that  reads  all  types  of  codes/tags  

 Lack  of  preinstalled  readers—consumers  have  to  seek  it  out  

 Failed  scans  hurts  consumer  adop8on  of  this  technology  

 Difficult  to  con8nuously  show  the  value  of  the  interac8on  

 Consumers  who  use  it  may  become  jaded  because  of  marketers/communicators  “abuse”  of  it  

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5  DEADLY  SINS  OF  MOBILE  TAGGING  CAMPAIGNS  

"Just  because  you  can,  doesn't  mean  you  should."  

①  Not  considering  if  the  consumer  actually  wants  or  needs  this  informa8on  on  their  mobile  device.  

②  Sending  the  consumer  to  a  generic  homepage–  not  targeted,  special,  unique  content  

③  Assuming  audience  has  a  smart  phone  and  knows  what  a  mobile  tag  is  

④  Boring,  uninteres8ng  content—if  it’s  boring  on  a  desktop  it’s  worse  on  a  mobile  phone.  

⑤  Relying  on  this  tac8c  rather  than  using  it  as  a  part  of  a  comprehensive  mobile  strategy  

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What  Makes  a  Good    Mobile    Tagging  Campaign?  

 Targets  a  tech  savvy  early  adopter/influencer  audience.  

   Gives  instruc8ons  to  the  consumer  and  gives  other  op8ons  when  possible  (SMS  text  for  example).  

 For  a  QR  Code—keep  URL  short  (it  reduces  chance  for  error  in  code)  

 Drive  the  consumer  to  relevant,  targeted  content  or  a  unique  experience  

   If  sending  to  a  website  it  must  be  op8mized  for  mobile  users.  

 It  is  easy  for  content  to  be  shared  on  social  networks.  

 Ul8mately  the  mobile  experience  was  worth  the  users  8me  and  effort.  

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QUESTIONS?  


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