QR codes, what the hell... are they???
I’ve seen QR codes before, but I haven’t really thought about what the hell they were for. Now my friend Craig Agranoff is standing in front of me with one of those strange codes on his T-shirt, and suddenly it becomes much more concrete. With a phone and the right reader, you can scan the code and be taken straight to his website.
I’m at a social media and marketing conference in May 2010. It’s break time, so the room is empty when I catch up with Craig. He’s one of my very good friends and is speaking at the conference himself. I think it’s an obvious chance to get him to explain what he’s wearing.
QR codes can take people straight to a website
Craig explains that you need a scanner or reader on your phone that can read the code. It could be an iPhone or another smartphone with a camera and the necessary software. In his example, it opens the browser and takes you straight to his website.
I ask whether that means I can simply point my phone at his T-shirt, scan it and reach the site. Yes, he says. Then he asks a very good question: Why should he give me an ordinary business card if he could instead give me a sticker that takes me to the information?
It’s that link between something physical and something online that makes it interesting to me. The code can be on a T-shirt, a sticker or a business card. When people scan it, they can move on without typing the address themselves. You’ll find more of my experiences with online marketing in E-pusher.
Curiosity can make people respond
Craig also sees the code as a way to provoke a response. People see it and think: What’s that thing? What’s behind it? That curiosity can get them to scan it and visit a website.
As he says, people don’t know in advance what will appear. Perhaps it’s a free pizza. He also mentions a website with naked women as a slightly cheeky example of how the content could be anything. The point is that the unknown can make people want to find out more.
That applies to both businesses and individuals. Craig describes it as a way to send traffic straight to the page you want people to see. It’s his enthusiasm and his ideas for using it here in 2010 that come through in our conversation.
A sticker in the restaurant window
I also ask about Google. Craig says Google has started using the codes for local marketing and will send out stickers that restaurants and other shops can put in their windows.
His example is someone walking past a restaurant, scanning the code and getting the reviews on their phone. Then they can see what others have said about the place. That’s a pretty bloody interesting use: You’re already standing outside the business and can immediately find out more.
I’ve previously seen the codes in connection with augmented reality, but this makes their use easier for me to understand. A code outside the shop can connect the passer-by with information and star ratings online.
From location-based marketing to business cards
Craig will be speaking at the conference about location-based marketing. He mentions services such as Foursquare and other tools that let people check in. In the US, they’re used to draw attention to places, bring people there and offer discounts along the way. I tell him Foursquare is also gaining ground in Denmark.
When we return to QR codes, Craig makes a bold prediction: He thinks lots of people, including in Denmark, will have a code on their business card so others can easily find information about them. He also says the codes are easy and free to make. You can search for a free QR code generator; you still have to pay for the printing itself.
Here in May 2010, I don’t know how big it’ll become. But I think it’s exciting to see something I’d previously just noticed as a strange square turn into a concrete way to connect a person or a shop with the internet. Thanks to Craig for explaining it.
My friend Craig Agranoff is always ahead of the curve with everything to do with the internet and that sort of thing. Hear what he has to say about QR codes, which even Google is now handing out to local shops. Best wishes, Martin
Lyder spændende.
Lavede en søgning som anbefalet af Craig, og fandt denne med det samme:
http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
Super. Nu er vi helt fremme på noderne. Tak. 🙂