The Case of the Unfriendly QR Code

Surfing around Facebook this evening, I was invited to “Like” a page that, as Facebook often does, has nothing to do with my interests I’ve expressed in my profile or other Pages I’ve liked. The page was for the Washington Redskins — I am not a football fan (baseball is my game). Nevertheless, the Page thumbnail caught my eye, so I clicked it to give it some consideration before I dismissed the invitation entirely.

What caught my attention was the QR code incorporated into the main image of the page. The text in the image implies that the visitor can scan the QR code to get more information about club seats. However. its not very clear what is offered if/when the visitor scans it. There’s a website listed in the image, apparently to get the scanner app on one’s phone. But again, not very clear, especially to someone who is experiencing a QR code for the first time.

There are a few flaws in the use of this QR code application. To not overly pick on the Redskins, I’ll try to be gentle(!):

1. On or near the QR code, there is no indication of what is gained by scanning the QR code. To be user-friendly, you need to clearly specify that there will be a unique or exclusive value gained by scanning the code. The sheer novelty of scanning a QR code just to see how it works will only take you so far. And if you disappoint the person scanning it, by offering little more than the novelty of scanning it, you’ve risked losing some respect and loyalty.

2. The QR code itself has to be one that is scannable by the most common and popular scanner apps. I scanned this particular code with my Droid, neither the app that came with the Droid, nor the Neoreader app I downloaded to my phone a few months ago, could read this QR code. If your code can’t be read on the first try, very few people will be persistent enough to keep trying. The Redskins page has a QR code reader site listed on the image, yet when I go there I discover that it’s ONLY for iPhones and iPod Touches. Ouch! Kind of useless for my Droid!

3. At this point, while I appreciate the effort of the Redskins using a QR code on their Facebook page, it’s really too much work to get the user experience that they are trying to offer. So, for the average visitor to their Facebook page, it’s a point of frustration that we (I) can’t see what is offered. There’s no alternate way to get the experience, or find the destination, of the QR code. That’s their third flaw: Not giving people a way to experience the QR code, even if, going in, they need to download a reader, is not being fan friendly.

The bottom line with QR codes, for those advertisers and marketers using them in the U.S. (we are lagging behind other countries in the effective use of QR codes), is that most have a long way to go in learning how to most effectively use them. There’s many great examples of QR code marketing, but this particular case is exemplary of an unfriendly QR code. Marketers need to test and re-test the QR code experience themselves before they make it live to their audience. That testing, and looking at the experience from the user’s point of view, would help them catch some of the flaws like the ones seen in this example.

QR Codes: 3 Questions to Ask Any QR Code Marketing Provider

In the United States, we are currently in the infancy stage of adopting QR Codes as a marketing channel. QR codes have been huge in Japan and Europe, and they were deemed the marketing trend of the year in the U.K. in 2009. Many have predicted QR Codes will be the marketing trend in the U.S. in 2011. Many, still, have been pleasantly surprised how they have taken off in the U.S. in the first part of 2010. So, the momentum is undeniable, and marketers should take note of the growing popularity.

QR Codes are not just becoming popular because of the novelty and mystery of the first-time views of those funny-looking graphics that look more like a Rorshark test than any barcode you’d see on a package of Corn Flakes. At least people are asking questions about what QR Codes can do, and more importantly, how can they help us market better than we are with our existing tools.

This question popped up my office this week as I was developing a direct mail piece to promote our QR Code expertise. “Expertise?” How can one be an expert in something like a QR Code? Isn’t it just like a graphical representation of a hyperlink? Scan the code with your smartphone, and be taken to the QR Code owner’s pre-determined website or message? What more is there to it?

You need to ask any provider of QR Code marketing strategies 3 questions, in order to understand if they can provide more than just a mobile link.

3 Questions to Know if Your Marketing Provider has QR Code Expertise:

1. How have you used QR Codes to help businesses reach their consumers? Can you demonstrate real examples?

2. Can you measure the activity that comes from a QR Code scan? What data points can you collect?

3. How have you linked and integrated QR Code marketing to other marketing mediums, i.e. QR Codes to direct mail, marketing collateral, event material, etc.”

As we move closer to 2011, you’ll see QR Codes really take off, so it’s far better for you to discover how your business can benefit from this tool now. Good luck!