Saturday, February 26, 2011

Scan To Win a Tissot Swiss Watch in New York City



Tissot Swiss Watches has launched a "Scan To Win" QR code campaign with their retail partner Diamonds and Dials in New York City, powered by TAPPINN. The store is located at the crowded intersection of 34th st. and Broadway in Herald Square across the street from Macy's. The QR code is located on a 3ft X 7Ft sign outside of the store and resolves to a mobile landing page entry form where people can enter their name, email and state to win a Tissot PRS 330. In the history of retail signage, I would argue that there hasn't been a more interactive sign. Tissot isn't new to awesome QR code campaigns. Click here for more.


Thursday, February 24, 2011

Macy's QR Codes Give Backstage Access To Shoppers



Macy's Backstage Pass is a new mobile initiative that will utilize QR codes and SMS within Macy's stores . Backstage Pass will provide shoppers with essential tips, latest trends, advice and inspiration straight from their favorite style icons all from their phone. Shoppers can scan QR codes or send a text to receive videos from celebrity designers and fashion experts giving backstage access into what inspires them.





Friday, February 18, 2011

The App Factor Will Drive QR Code Scans Into The Future

image via QRarts

While the mobile web continues to grow at a staggering rate, and web-enabled smartphone devices steadily speed up, the mobile tagging world is organically growing into a beast. From the outside, the segment looks splintered to many. Proprietary 2-D codes, 1D UPC codes, open QR codes, app readers, content offerings, direct vs. indirect, micro sites and analytics all dominate discussions amongst advertisers looking to incorporate mobile web content and offerings via mobile codes into their print. Everyone is looking for ONE standard 2-D code or ONE standard app for 2-D codes, but in a world of over a half million apps, is that even practical? People are scanning! The more apps scanning codes the better, this will only breed innovation. Here’s my take.

QR Code mobile apps can dramatically drive QR code scans and increase the code's connotative value by offering rewards and incentives to app users who scan codes, encouraging them to be more active with their scanning habits. This can increase the value of the code outside of the original ad offering. If this concept can be accepted enough it will help the entire industry. This is how multiple winners can emerge (code, apps, brand, user). You heard it here first! There is a real opportunity to add a NEW layer of value to the QR code scanning transaction that NOBODY in 2-D barcode land has exposed, YET….Leave it to the Captain of The QR Code Galaxy, yours truly.

To this day, out of all 2-D and QR code reader apps, NOT ONE is offering anything other than simple scanning function to drive user scans. By that I mean, QR code reader apps have a sole function to scan QR codes and track scan history, that’s about it. With the exception of certain sharing features, apps haven’t participated in the “scan value” much at all. Up to this point, everything has hinged on the advertiser to deliver. Some have succeeded, lots have failed.

Stickybits and Shopkick have introduced an early model that rewards users for scanning specific product 1D UPC codes. This is part of a larger location based shopping app. The promotions encourage scans by offering rewards via credits as currency (i.e. kick bucks) and notify users of new scan promotions, often offering special incentives to scan certain products.

The same model can naturally transfer over to the 2-D code world. The next “killer” app to scan QR codes in the future will be offering “killer” incentives to scan codes in the wild. Get it? Also, this will allow many co-existing scan apps and 2-D codes because of the mass niche universe we live in. Again, 500,000 apps we’re talking about. The QR code and content that’s behind the code will still carry the same weight but there will be an X factor driving the scan coming from a variety of different apps. Imagine receiving an email from a QR code reader app telling you the month’s different magazines to pick up and scan ads within to redeem app rewards, not to mention what the advertiser is actually offering. It’s this kind of collaboration that will fly. The success of levels and badges like Foursquare and Stickybits have incorporated should be an indicator to QR code readers that people like to be acknowledged for usage.  Incorporating these types of incentives into QR code scanning can only help everyone by adding another dimension of value to the QR code scanning experience with your mobile smartphone. 

The market may seem fractured to many but recently it has become crystal clear to me. I believe it’s meant to be fractured, for innovation purposes, it needs to be. I believe there WILL be multiple types of adopted mainstream 2-D barcodes and hundreds of apps that scan them, as well as other emerging technologies, to transmit physical to digital value via the mobile web and encourage advertising engagements. So why wouldn't we see an NFC (RFID) advertisement poster with image recognition, augmented reality, QR codes AND Microsoft TAG.. all on the SAME poster?? This space is going to be THAT huge! Due to its openness, the QR code itself will be universally recognized, but consumers WILL be able to decipher them from other proprietary 2-D codes, associating 3rd party value by the app they use to scan. The evolution of the QR code reader app will not only drive scanning dramatically by offering incentives and rewards, it will also drive overall mobile web usage as an everyday part of our lives. There are over 70 apps that scan QR codes but pretty much all of them lack identity, they lack a cool factor that delivers value on its own. After this, I’m sure a few can rise to the challenge.





Friday, February 4, 2011

VIBE Magazine QR Code Cover Doesn't Scan

VIBE Magazine had gone 'digital' by inserting QR codes and exclusive mobile web content within its pages. The Hip Hop music industry publication has been using QR codes in the past 3 issues but this one graced the cover. Too bad it has some MAJOR scanning issues with almost every popular QR code reader.....:( Someone didn't TEST. Wow...... To clarify the cause of the problem, generating the code without http://  will just display text for most readers and NOT open the link in the browser.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Lupe Fiasco QR Code With Video by Red Laser

Lupe Fiasco is using QR Codes to promote sales of his new album on the mobile web. This was posted on his official site. The landing page could have used some sample audio clips IMO but another great QR code m-commerce example from the music industry in 2011. The VIDEO by Red Laser is AMAZING!!