Papa John's Got It Right

There are many examples of poorly executed 2D barcode campaigns out there. Most of the time, the focus is on these poor examples. However, there are well executed campaigns which never get any of the spotlight.

Let’s change that…

The other day I was at my friends’ house, and we ordered pizza. When we picked it up, I was excited because not only was I very hungry, I was intrigued by what was on the box.

There a barcode on the box, but there was also a reason to scan it. The biggest complaint about barcode campaigns is there is never a reason to scan the code.

Right on the box I had a reason to scan. “What makes Papa John’s better? Scan this code to hear John tell you our Quality story.

Since the documentaries Food Inc and Food Matters, there has been a shift in wanting to know more about our foods’ origins. Papa John’s took note of that and gave consumers the information.

The next biggest complaint I hear about barcodes is the poor experience. This experience was great. I took my phone out, opened the reader, scanned the code and watched the video. Four easy steps.

Of all the barcodes I’ve seen, I will have to give this one an A+!

Why DQ's QR Campaign Failed Me

This morning I came across an article about Dairy Queen using QR Codes in their fundraising effort this year. I got excited! What I hoped for was to scan the code and be able to donate right from my phone.

That’s not what happened, and it aggravated me.

Many times, when you scan a code you get taken to the standard company site. I wasn’t even taken there! (Frustration level rises.)

Here’s what happened:

1. I scanned the QR Code.
2. The screen that came up stated that the code only worked when scanned with a specific reader.
   (At this point, I should have given up. But what’s one more free app on my iPhone?)
3. I download a new reader to my iPhone.
4. I re-scan the QR Code.
5. I’m taken to a screen that says, “You have to register or sign in to proceed.”
6. I abandon the code.

I did abandon the code my first time, but as today progressed, I became interested in how many steps it would take to actually be able to donate. Here’s how it went the second time:
Starting at step 4:

1. Scan the QR Code
2. Create an account
3. Dairy Queen mobile page through Mobio loads
4. Scroll to find the donate button. (4 links down, by the way)
5. Loads new page, which again you have to scroll to see the options.
6. New page loads, once again says I have to register.
7. This step includes putting my credit card information in. The credit card information isn’t on the Children’s Miracle Network page, but it’s for the reader application.

This is where I stopped. I don’t like using my credit card when it takes me 12 steps to get what I want to accomplish.

Here’s how the process should have went:

1. Scan code
2. Donation page loads. Select donation amount.
3. Enter payment information
4. Thank you page loads.

Four steps are all that’s needed for a donation campaign. With the Dairy Queen campaign there were three times as many steps.

When designing QR Code campaigns, you must think about your user. How many steps can you have before you start losing their attention? The most important step in any campaign is to test it. Have others outside your team use the code. Watch them through the process. If they struggle, then change the process.

As with everything KISS.

QR code is to 2D barcode as Kleenex is to tissue?

As products begin to penetrate the marketplace, there comes a point with some products that a specific name dominates. For example, Kleenex tissue. Kleenex is a specific type of tissue, but when you need to blow your nose you typically ask for a Kleenex and not a tissue.

Sometimes it depends on the location you are in as to what name takes over. When traveling in the southern part of the United States and ordering a soda, you may ask for a coke. Many times the waiter/waitress will ask “What kind?” While in northern parts of the country you will receive a Coca-Cola. Coke in the south is equivalent to soda and not a specific brand.

This is starting to happen in the 2D barcode marketplace. There are many different types of 2D barcodes. Some barcodes are proprietary and are specific to products from that company and only work with the company’s barcode reader.

Take a look at the barcodes below*:

These barcodes have one thing in common, and that is they are 2D barcodes. But many would call them QR codes.

Recently, there has been a transition to calling all 2D barcodes QR codes. One prominent example of this is the recent news article about a man getting a “QR code” tattooed on his chest.

In an article on 2d-code.co.uk, the tattoo artist, Karl, said the tattoo was not a QR code but an EZ code which would hold up better through the years as the tattoo fades.

When the news article broke almost every online tech site had a story about the tattoo and called it a QR code. Was this the final push needed to make QR codes the generic name for all 2D barcodes? I believe it was.

A lot of time has been spent educating people what 2D barcodes are. As marketers continue to grow their use of 2D barcodes in advertising, I believe the term QR codes will be used more than 2D barcodes. I say this primarily because 1D barcodes are known as barcodes. Introducing a new type of barcode with a different purpose and essentially naming it barcodes 2.0 was not going to with stand the tests of time.

Two-D barcodes look very similar, with the exception of some proprietary codes such as Microsoft Tag. Since there isn’t a differentiating look to them they will merge into the one name. While fundamentally they are 2D barcodes, pretty soon everyone will know 2D barcodes as QR codes.

_______

*These barcodes were chosen at random through a Google search.

Tipping Point: Mobile Barcodes

With any new product or service there is a tipping point. A tipping point when it takes off. Before the tipping point, many people will say the product or service will not take off. They say it will die off. Some will even ask what the point of supporting the product since it’s not going to take off.

Depending on location, different products will tip and others won’t. Let’s take Groupon for example. Groupon each day features a coupon for a discounted service or product. Each day the coupon has a tipping point. Groupon calls this tipping point “on.” Sometimes the deal tips quickly and other times it does not.

Once the deal tips, it takes off. In 2010, on average there were 543 sales per groupon daily. When the deal tips, many more people rush and buy. However, there are times when a product is dependent on another product tipping before it tips. Two dimensional barcodes are an example.

For 2D barcodes to tip, they are dependent on smartphones tipping first.

2D barcodes originated in Japan in 1993. Japan had a greater number of smartphones the past several years than the United States. Since Japan reached the tipping point of smartphones, 2D barcodes were able to tip quicker there than they have been in the US.
Smartphones are now starting to permeate the mobile phone market in the US. Over the past three months 55% of mobile consumers purchased a smartphone. For the first time, smartphones have overtaken feature phones in sales.

With smartphones now being sold more than feature phones, I believe we have reached the tipping point of smartphones and soon will see 2D barcodes take off.

The tipping point of a product coincides with the product life cycle.

When the product hits the maturity stage, it begins to tip. 2D barcodes are still in their growth but will shortly mature.

Even though Google ended its support for support for QR codes in Google Places in March, Google made a move this week back into 2D barcodes with acquiring Punchd.As Google moves back into the mobile barcode arena will this cause an increase in 2D barcodes? I believe so.

There are even cities becoming coded. Asheville, North Carolina is making a move to get every business a mobile barcode.

My suggestion, don’t wait until everyone is doing it to get on board. Start now so you will be prepared and ahead of the curve. When creating your mobile barcode, make sure you have mobile content to send your user to. Websites are complex enough when looking at them on a computer. Don’t make your consumer view your website on a screen that is less than a quarter the size.

Social Media is more than updates

Many believe posting updates to Facebook and Twitter is Social Media. If this is true then traditional broadcasting would still be just as effective. We no longer want one to many communications. We crave engagement.

This crave for engagement might be because we are becoming more connected online causing our real life connections to become less.

When we become connected online we begin to create a community.

Dictionary.com define community as

a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists

Community is what makes Social Media successful. While some follow Kanye West on Twitter for his amusing tweets and others "Like" brands on Facebook for their coupons, the successful brands are ones who listen and contribute.

For example, Oreo runs weekly campaigns on Facebook for their Fan of the week. Once the fan is chosen their picture appears in the Fan Page Profile icon.

Then there are those who don't respond to consumers or are defensive and negative. These tend to harm the community.

For example, in March 2010 Nestle came under attack on their Facebook page for using Palm Oil from a company which harvests in rain forests of endangered animals. The administrators for the page caused arguments and frustrated users trying to voice their opinions.

So how should you approach Social Media? The same way you approach the communities you are a part of offline.

1. Listen - You have twice as many ears as mouths for a reason. Listen first, then speak.
2. Think - Sometimes I wish the distance from our brains to our mouths were further. Maybe then we'd remember to think before we spoke.
3. Contribute - Add to the conversation and be helpful. Don't be defensive. Accept that you might be wrong and be open to other opinions.

50 List: Ride in a Limo

I've always thought it would be amazing to ride in a limo. Many of my friends were able to ride in a limo to prom or other high school dances, but I never had that chance.

I thought maybe I would ride in a limo for the first time to my wedding. However, this past week I was able to ride in a limo for the first time! I was in Vegas for a conference. I met several friends at the airport and we split a limo from the airport to the hotel. We had a blast!!

I can't wait until the next time I get to ride in a limo!

How one bad campaign can ruin you forever

Recently, GameRadar.com posted an article about The 8 Most Embarrassing Ads For Gaming Colleges. Out of the 8, our university as well as 3 of our competitors made the list. In the first paragraph they insult gaming schools by saying, "Video game design is the new gun repair, a cash-grabbing "live your dreams" scam which takes urges that really shouldn't be encouraged and convinces people who watch daytime TV that, despite what they're doing at that moment, that they could have a career." 

Many students who graduate go on to work for companies such as Blizzard, THQ, Rainbow Studios and more.

But let's move past that...

These ad campaigns are several years old. The latest date for ours that we have come up with is 2006. A lot of things change in 4 years, including how colleges advertise.

The article goes on to personally attack people who were "quoted" in the ads without a full understanding. Unfortunately, sometimes marketing companies do stupid things such as making up a quote and attributing it to someone who never said it. Did you ever think that things happen in someone's life that cause them to change career paths?

So a word of advice for colleges and universities, your campaigns never die with the internet now. When you end a campaign that was bad it could possibly come back years later to haunt you.