Canada lags far behind in adopting QR Codes
Barcodes are one dimensional, while QR codes (quick response) codes are two-dimensional. Data can be read, not just in a line, but also up and own.
Japan has been using QR codes for almost a decade. Bus stops, print advertising, store windows, almost everything you can imagine, carries a QR code.
About a year ago, Google launched a QR initiative at the local level.
Over one million businesses in the U.S. have listed themselves with Google, according to Michaela Prescott, head of geomarketing at Google.
The idea is to give those businesses a set of metrics from which they can make business decisions about expanding delivery areas, advertising in certain areas, or what people are looking for in a local pizza joint.
QR codes on products or advertising can bring detailed information directly to the smartphone, or redirect the buyer via the smartphpone to a website for far greater information about the specific product than simply price.
“There is no issue in terms of Mobile Fringe incorporating QR codes into our mobile marketing apps,” says Steve Sorge, CEO of Mobile Fringe. “It makes a ton of sense. Trouble is, most Canadians have little knowledge of QR codes.”
There has been little said in Canadian media. Advertisers seem wary. To make matters worse, most smartphones cannot read a QR code unless additional software is downloaded and installed (some Android phones have this software pre-installed).
The National Post has been a Canadian pioneer featuring QR code ads along with instructions: Step I, download the software, in this case Scanlife. Step 2, take a photo of the image using your smartphone. Step 3 information retrieved will direct the viewer to a website for additional relevant content.
In June of this year, the Canadian Tourism Commission stepped into the QR game, though this QR initiative was aimed at US citizens, not Canadians.
Travel ads were placed in newspapers including the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times. The ads were a paper version of an online travel blog with QR codes linking to mobile videos allowing readers to view hundreds of videos from destinations across Canada.
Unilever has just launched what is described as the largest mobile bar code campaign in the US. The ads focus on men’s grooming brand Axe, featuring a line of deodorant body-sprays, deodorant and hair care products.
“2D bar codes are a great way to instantly connect a brand with a mobile consumer,” said Neil Strother, Kirkland, WA-based practice director of ABI Research. “One caution is that the technology has to work well and you have to quickly educate the consumer how to use it.”
Mobile Fringe is confident more Canadian media, like the National Post, will experiment with QR codes, but is it too little too late? Look for our second post on this subject in the coming week
We’d like feedback from you.
- Have you heard of QR codes?
- Why is Canada so far behind other nations?
- Will QR codes break through into the Canadian marketplace?
“Mobile communications are becoming an increasingly important channel for keeping consumers connected with major retail destinations,” said Kurt Ivey, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications of Madison Marquette. “We expect this new application to drive additional shopper visits through increased awareness of special events and promotions.”
