It’s a sign of the times: with technology infiltrating every aspect of human existence, marketers must push the creative envelope to be seen amidst the noise.
One of the trends has been a swing back to the physical, where an in-person presence is combined with a digital element to expand the engagement. Long used as part of sponsorship activations at events, cities are now getting in on the game to promote their locales.
First, Taiwan brought together a massive amount of people to form a giant QR code. Now, Rio de Janeiro has employed artisans to create in-ground QR codes to promote the city.
In order to maintain the city’s aesthetic, specialist stonemasons were selected to install the QR code. Euronews quoted one mason, Gediao Jorge, talking about the intensive nature of the project:
 “It was a challenge. I’ve built Portuguese pavements like these for 27 years now, but this was the biggest challenge of my career.”
The city eventually plans to install 30 codes throughout the city, making this perhaps the most integrated example of QR codes in a large urban area.
Finally, the QR code is closer to where it belongs: in the ground. The technology just has not proven itself to be the cure-all that many have been touting it as for years.
According to a comScore report, 1 in 3 QR scanners are in the $100k+ income bracket and yet only 6.2 percent of the mobile audience scanned a code. Granted, this data is not the freshest and is derived from the US and so may not reflect uptake in Brazil of these codes.
Nonetheless, this technology has a long way to go to be widely accepted by the public even though it’s loved by marketers.
Mark Donavan, comScore SVP of mobile, noted in the same report:
“QR codes demonstrate just one of the ways in which mobile marketing can effectively be integrated into existing media and marketing campaigns to help reach desired consumer segments.
For marketers, understanding which consumer segments scan QR codes, the source and location of these scans, and the resulting information delivered, is crucial in developing and deploying campaigns that successfully utilize QR codes to further brand engagement.”
It’s unknown whether placing QR codes in high-traffic areas will encourage consumers to be more open to the QR code.
At the moment, while marketer interest at driving real-world traffic online is strong (see slides below), there is simply just not much evidence of widespread consumer acceptance of this marketing channel to justify its integration so visibly in a city like Rio.
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About Nick Vivion
The value of QR codes continue to make sense but the user requirement piece is the hold back. I believe that QR codes have definitive value as we move from a physical artifact based society to a largely pure electronic one.
For tickets of any sort – the ability to generate secure codes and then make them readable is absolutely essential. But there is an inherent obstacle. One time usage services. This will be overcome. Once we get usage going… it will be better than other possibilities.
I liken the battle of NFC vs QR Codes as similar to the debate in the 1980s of ATB electronic swipe based expensive machines to issue and read tickets vs the much simpler 2D Bar codes that eventually won the day and are used.
So all you NFC loving nutcases out there… think carefully. The cost of NFC deployment will be HUGE. Someone has to pay. The cost of QR codes deployment for the same tasks is much less. And its deploy-able on today’s hardware.
Will the travel industry get all tech luvvie and make the same mistake again? Airlines – please dont listen to Apple! Go QR. Save money , Save the planet!
Cheers
Path of least resistance generally wins, but it still remains to be seen if consumers even want QR codes. Do you think there’s an interest on the consumer side?
Surely the biggest challenge to using QR codes for tourist information are roaming charges.
The town of Mougins in the South of France uses QR codes across the old village to explain the history of the village. I understand the benefits of using QR codes to present up-to-date information in places where information changes, but is it really worth loosing out on all those people who don’t have a French phone just to explain the history of a street/building.
Maybe QR codes should be accompanied by free WiFi access?
Very good point – doesn’t matter what technology you have implemented if the end user can’t take advantage due to WiFi or some other obstacle!
N