Darren Herman

I’ve been wrestling with QR codes lately as both a consumer and advertising agency executive.  I’m a bit scared they will go the way of RSS feeds.  Let me explain a bit.

I don’t know what to do with a QR code, and I don’t think mainstream America does either.  I’m being a little dramatic here, but you get the idea.  Do you need a specific QR reader?  Do you need to text the code somewhere?  Do you cut it out and mail it somewhere?

A QR code is a good idea – append a unique image to a print, billboard, or other campaign and entice the user to scan it in for some form of value exchange (ideally).  The brand that is using the QR code can now measure response of that particular media vehicle.

I’ve seen far too many pieces of creative that have a QR code on them, but do not have a call to action or instructions for the user to figure out what to do with it.  It’s almost like an orange RSS icon that sits next to content on the web without any instructions.   While I imagine that the “Techcrunch-crowd” knows what RSS is, I’d gather that most Americans don’t know how to setup feeds and readers and the utility and value of RSS is not being recognized fully by the masses because of this.

I’m worried that QR codes might go the way of RSS feeds. Without education to consumers about what to do with them, they are worthless – they take up space on our marketing collateral and are generally pretty ugly.

So who will educate?  Will we see the creation of a trade association to take out a broad-reaching QR awareness and education campaign?   Or, will we see brands who utilize these codes educate their audiences on their marketing collateral.

I do not know where this will net out, but it needs to be figured out.

Marketing measurement is here to stay and this is one way that we can further prove ROI.