QR codes go big

October 7, 2011

QR codes have been growing in popularity for some time. Now they’re getting even bigger. Thousands of square feet bigger, that is.

We recently ran across articles titled Largest. QR Code. Ever. But Why? and Rooftop QR Codes Aim to Infiltrate Google Maps. It seems that creating huge QR codes which can only be fully seen from the air is the latest craze in QR code marketing. In the first story, a new social networking platform called Skanz painted a huge QR code as a publicity stunt. But the second article discusses a new service called Blue Marble which aims to use Google Earth and Google Maps as a marketing platform by installing huge QR codes on building rooftops.

While these sound like interesting gimmicks, we have to wonder about the effectiveness of rooftop QR code advertising. What do you think? Are these companies taking QR codes just a little too far?

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QR Design Gets Jiggy!

August 18, 2011

We showed how companies are breaking ground with QR code design, taking ordinary crossword puzzle black squares and creating impressive and innovative designs. People are even creating them via carefully planted crops in Farmville and houses in MyTown. We just can’t get enough of these great ideas and hope you want more, too!

Say what you will about QR technology and the next step in digital communications, but while QR codes are here and now, why not make the best of them? Still, the more designed they are, the better printing you need for clear, quality and assured scanning. Whether direct mail or large format printing for the side of your building, we can use our skills to provide everything you need. Give us a call and well treat your QR A-OK, ASAP!

2 Comments | QR Codes | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by R and R Images

Designed QR codes

July 13, 2011

For the past few years, barcode art has been all the rage in Japan and Europe. While it never caught on in America, QR codes are becoming more useful for businesses of all sizes. If you don’t have one on your business card, as your online avatar or on the side of your building, you just ain’t with it. When you scan a QR code with your iPhone, Android or other camera-enabled smartphone, you can link to digital content on the web or activate a number of phone functions including email, IM and SMS.

There are detractors that say QR codes are just a fad, soon to be replaced by Augmented Reality codes but until you have the funding to create the animation needed, stick with easy QRs. One of the hidden secrets in a QR code is that there’s a 30% correction factor. That means that each code can be missing a third of the code blocks and still work with a QR reader. Different colors can also be used and that creates some unique design challenges and possibilities.

With the saturation of smart phones, QRs should be on every hangtag, label and advertisement, allowing for up-to-date information to be available to consumers. Whether it’s a website or video, QRs are not only useful, they can be part of your packaging design.

So when you get on board with this technology, give R and R Images a call so we can plan QR images for all your business needs. From packaging, to direct mail to large format printing (giant QR codes for the side of your building!), we have the technology, the strategy and the creativity you need.

1 Comment | Mobile marketing, QR Codes | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
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The case against QR codes

June 2, 2011

Press coverage of QR codes is everywhere in marketing circles. Everyone has an opinion as to how QR codes can be put on mailers, posters and everything else to increase engagement. Bridging the online and offline worlds via QR codes seems to be the Holy Grail at the moment.

We’re going to play devil’s advocate for a moment and make the case against QR codes. Keep in mind that we here at R and R Images aren’t anti-QR. Quite the opposite is true. We appreciate the value they can offer. We understand how to use them well in direct mail. But, despite all the hype, QR codes still have a few downsides. We want to point those out, not to discourage advertisers from using QR codes, but rather to encourage marketing solution providers and clients alike to find innovative ways to overcome the drawbacks.

So, without further delay, here is our list of four arguments against QR codes:

  1. End-user education - Everyone recognizes a URL, a phone number or a physical address. Not everyone knows what a QR code is or what to do with it.
  2. Connectivity - A QR code is meant to be scanned by a smartphone with a data connection. While smartphone usage is rapidly rising in the industrialized world, a significant portion of the people who see a QR code still don’t have a phone capable of scanning it. Also, cellular data connectivity can still be tenuous in locations such as subways or airports. Do you want to create a poster with a QR code on it, only to find out that it’s located in a subway station where many users have no bars on their phone?
  3. Support from platform suppliers - None of the large mobile platform providers include native support for QR code scanning. Neither Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android nor RIM’s BlackBerry platforms have a QR code scanning application built in, despite the fact that cameras are now standard equipment in phones. Users still need to take the initiative to download and install a scanning app. To make matters worse, each platform has a plethora of apps. To scan a QR code, a user has to not only install an application, but needs to make a decision about which to install. Doesn’t sound like a very easy way to market to consumers, does it?
  4. Multiple standards - The term “QR codes” is used somewhat generically, like “Xerox” or “Kleenex”, but the truth is that there are several standards for 2D barcodes and QR codes are only one of those. BeeTagg, Microsoft Tags and Data Matrix codes are all available and supported by various companies. To further complicate the issue, not every scanning application supports all standards.
There it is: our case against QR codes. Can all of these downsides be overcome? Certainly. Will they require some creative thinking by marketing solution providers such as ourselves, and by our clients? Of course. The challenges don’t mean that QR codes shouldn’t be used; they’re signs that great opportunity lies waiting for those with innovative solutions.

2 Comments | QR Codes, Today's hot topics | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
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Direct mail has value, but don’t forget the mobile side

April 29, 2011

Debbie Simpson of Multi-Craft recently wrote an article on the continuing value of direct mail when targeted to opt-in lists. She makes some excellent points about the strength of leads generated through opt-in lists, the large percentage of people who prefer to receive direct mail over email and the less diluted nature of direct mail as compared to email.

The most interesting statistic in her article is the fact that 33% of consumers go online to respond to direct mail, and the number goes up 20% to 30% if pURLs are used. But let’s take that one step further: how many respondents are responding via a mobile device?

Direct mail and mobile icons

Mobile is the fastest growing channel by far, and it doesn’t take much to find journalists, bloggers and industry analysts talking about it. Mobile Marketer wrote about mobile on the cusp of becoming the most dominant medium for both consumers and marketers. People are increasingly relying on their smartphones and tablets to go online for nearly any task they used to do on a laptop or desktop computer.

Ms. Simpson’s article didn’t include statistics for the number of consumers who respond via mobile device, but the implications for direct mail campaigns are very clear. Any direct mail contact with a consumer must lead to a mobile-friendly pURL or landing page. QR codes aren’t an absolute requirement, but they greatly reduce the effort required for a mobile device user to go from an offline mailer to an online page.

Mobile isn’t just here to stay, it’s here to dominate. When creating an integrated marketing strategy, pay attention to how mobile affects all aspects of it.

Leave a Comment » | Direct marketing, Mobile marketing | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
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