Remember waking up Easter morning to the sight of a big basket of candy? And there, right in the middle was a brightly colored box with a clear window framing a giant chocolate bunny. You were filled with wonder as you tore open the box, carefully slide the bunny out and bit into... a HOLLOW chocolate bunny!
QR (Quick Response) marketing codes produce almost the same response. The idea of quickly connecting mobile users to your valuable offer looks great on the outside, then you find out it's just another hollow digital marketing ploy. Don't get me wrong, it's not the technology but the implementation that kills this novel marketing idea.
Developed to eliminate the need for mobile prospects to type your web address, QR codes have become the 'one size-fits-most solution' for marketers who are looking for something new to lure buyers to their valuable offers. The effectiveness of QR codes depend on a very specific deployment. Here's how they work.
The QR code is created to represent a web address, then printed on an ad. The prospect encounters the ad and uses the camera in their mobile device to snap a phone. Reader software is used to translate the image into a URL then the mobile browser displays the web page. All the planets must align to make it work:
- The prospect needs to be away from their computer
- The code must appear in print
- The page displayed must appear clearly within the mobile browser
- The prospect must be able to use the offer immediately.