Top 14 Things Marketers Need to Know About QR Codes

I recently spoke at SES New York on best practices for mobile marketing with QR codes. Here's a follow-up crash course on tools, tactics, and best practices to confidently help you jumpstart a 2D barcode marketing campaign.

1. A QR Code is a 2D Barcode

QR codes are an encoded barcode image resembling a square-like maze. Unlike a 1-dimensional UPC code, a 2-dimensional barcode stores data in both directions and can be scanned vertically or horizontally to be decoded.

2. 2D Barcodes Can Store a Variety of Data

A traditional 1D barcode (UPC/EAN) stores up to 30 numbers, while a 2D barcode (QR) can store up to 7,089 numbers. The additional storage capacity accommodates a variety of data beyond numbers:

• Text
• Hyperlink
• Telephone number (Phone call)
• SMS/MMS message
• Email (Send message)
• Contact entry (vCard or meCard)
• Calendar entry (vCalendar)

Storing a hyperlink presents a myriad of possibilities beyond just loading a web page -- play a video, download a mobile app, check-in on Foursquare, update a Twitter status, "Like" a Facebook page, display map directions, and more.

3. Read/Decode a 2D Barcode by Scanning it With a Smartphone

(A 2D barcode reader app is required to decode the encoded data.)

4. 2D Barcodes Can be Placed in and on Nearly Any Location

Once the barcode image is created, it can be printed on nearly any surface and location -- newspapers, TV ads, billboards, temporary tattoos, product packaging, clothing labels, cake frosting, and more. This enables you to drive traffic, interaction, and conversion from anywhere. 2D barcodes excel at bringing non-digital media to life.

Note: Use caution placing barcodes online. They should always enhance the user experience. If a user could click a hyperlink, don't make them scan a code to complete the same task.

Bear in mind the location must be easily scannable. Plastic frames and packaging can reflect light. Lighting can cast shadows, and hillsides and subways can kill Wi-Fi access. Consider all contextual factors that could impact the scanning experience.

5. Mobile Barcode Scanning is on the Rise

• 2D barcode scanning outnumbered 1D (UPC) scans in Q1 2011.
  - ScanLife's Q1 2011 Trend Report
• Mobile barcode scanning grew 1,600 percent in the year 2010.
  - ScanLife's 2010 Trend Report (PDF)
• QR barcode scanning was up 1,200 percent in the second half of 2010.
  - Mobio's Naked Facts Report
• 22 percent of the Fortune 50 have already used mobile barcodes.
  - Burson-Marsteller Report

QR codes can be used for nearly any function (logistics, advertising, customer service, etc.) for B2B and B2C across a variety of industries:

• Best Buy uses QR codes on in-store price tags for quick access to online reviews.
• Golf Digest uses Microsoft Tag in their magazine to accompany tips with interactive video.
• Real estate agents use 2D barcodes on "for sale" signs providing prospective buyers access to virtual tours.
• Libraries are using QR codes to facilitate learning via interactive scavenger hunts.

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Google AdWords Enable Tablet Specific Targeting

by Jonathan Allen

Hot on the heels of Google IO's Android keynote presentation, Google AdWords has enabled a new setting in their interface which makes a distinction between targeting ads to tablet devices and smartphones.

The settings tab of your AdWords account now has a new targeting option called "Tablets with full browsers", which appears under targeting "Mobile devices with full browsers".

The provision has been made to distinguishing between iOS and Android tablet devices, but initially the new tablet setting only allows you to target iPads only, but Google AdWords promises that new tablets will be available over the coming months. You can also target by mobile network operator. The full range of settings can be seen below:

As usual, Google has implemented this system to enable you to target the maximum range of devices, by making the standard text and image ad units work instantly on every device. However this means your ads will automatically be opted in to targeting "tablets with full browsers".

Those of you who want more control over where your ads appear will need to adjust your campaign settings now.

Here are some opt-in/opt-out scenarios you can use to run a quick audit of your campaign settings:

1. If your campaigns are opted out of mobile, they will still start showing on tablet devices unless you specifically opt out of tablets aswell.
2. If your campaigns are targeting desktop and mobile, they will now show on desktop, mobile and tablet devices.
3. If your campaigns are specifically opted-out of targeting the iPad, they will remain opted-out of targeting Tablet devices altogether.
4. If your campaigns are opted-into targeting tablets, they will initially only target iPadss. However, as your ads will eventually begin showing on other tablets in addition to the iPad, unless you specifically target by operating system.

New Behaviors & Opportunity

The timing of this announcement coincides with Google I/O's Android Keynote presentation today in which they announced that the next versions of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, will feature many of the innovations from Honeycomb 3.1, their tablet specific operating system. Android is now installed on over 100 million devices worldwide so we can expect the share of non-ipad tablets to grow over the next few years.

Yesterday we spoke to Surojit Chatterjee, Google Mobile Ads Product Manager and asked him what the motivation was to create this new targeting distinction. He replied that "the distinction between mobile and tablets is worth making because traditionally mobile usage tends to be the direct compliment of desktop usage, happening outside of work hours or lunchbreak periods, whereas tablets may be used simulteanously with home activities, such as watching TV. The instant on nature of a tablet (similar to mobile), means that quick or instant information needs are often addressed on tablets, whilst doing other things."

This backs up recent findings from the Google AdMob report. It's also interesting to note that search behavior changes have also been identified to happen on tablets - users tend to go visit more pages and don't always click the top result.

However, the biggest behavior change is the simultaneous usage of tablets and that people are reporting to spend more time using them now than they do on traditional home recreation activities such as reading a book, listening to radio or watching TV.

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