Ever since 3G mobiles came on the scene in 2001, the m-marketing buzz (that’s mobile marketing buzz) hasn’t exactly kept pace with reality. Here’s a quick step back in time from a Sydney Morning Herald article from 2002:
a greater change for the individual than when the telephone first became a part of our everyday life
Ericsson Phones (Late 90’s)
m-commerce will change our shopping experience… It’s also likely to be one of the most effective branding tools we have ever had at our disposal.
Martin Lindstrom, Former BT LookSmart COO (April 2000)
It won’t be long before every train or bus is filled with people reading the newspaper on their phone or hand-held computer.
Kim Yeadon, NSW Information Technology Minister (August 2000)
That’s not to say those prophecies won’t be coming true some day; the question is: when?
Introducing Mobile Codes Technology
Here we are in 2008 and we find Sensis bringing Mobile Codes Technology to new Telstra handsets. Mobile codes or QR (Quick Response) codes may be new in Australia, but they are already in use in retail promotions in Asia and with airlines abroad, including JAL, ANA and Air Canada to name a few.
Cue the m-buzz: QR codes may just be the marketing widget to help mobile advertising make its mark in the Australian market…. So what are they?
Quick Response Codes - a better barcode
QR mobile codes, a form of 2D barcode, were originally created by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994 to track parts in vehicle manufacturing and they look something like this:
QR Codes - a picture worth a thousand words!
With the advent of camera phones, a host of QR coding applications came into being allowing consumers the ability to transfer proofs of purchase or promotional coupons to camera phones.
How does it work? By simply taking a picture of the QR Code off a computer screen or street advertising billboard, a user is able to store the data onto his mobile.
Click on the picture below to see how QR codes might work on your mobile camera phone:
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Cue the m-buzz: QR codes could revolutionise online marketing!
Mobile Codes - a better SMS
QR codes can carry a lot of information. How much? Here’s the breakdown of what you can store:
- Numeric only Max. 7,089 characters
- Alphanumeric Max. 4,296 characters
- Binary (8 bits) Max. 2,953 bytes
- Kanji/Kana Max. 1,817 characters
Just think of it this way, a mobile SMS allows you to send 160 alphanumeric characters. Sensis’ Mobile Codes Technology allows you to store over 25 times that capacity!
Cue the m-buzz: QR codes could help me sell just about anything!
Bridging the gap between traditional and online advertising
QR codes could further bridge the gap between traditional advertising. By allowing consumers to respond directly to advertisements on street billboards, advertisers could more accurately measure a return on ad spend (ROAS) and finally put a sales figure to ‘branding’ initiatives.
Cue the m-buzz: This might actually work… today!
Seen QR codes lately? Used them? Tell us about it by posting on this blog!
Hi
QR code is still misunderstood in Australia marketing on how they actually can be utilized far more effectively as mobile phones become the preferred method of communication and information exchange. Much of what I read in Australia is attempting to push a brand or offer and focuses on the technology of the QR code and the mobile phones.
I live & work in Japan, I use QR codes regularly for a range of services, the main one is to setup and automate many of my travel renewals, ID, flight boarding pass, purchases, membership and purchase discounts at cafes and bars. Sounds mundane and unglamorous for a high-tech application, but it’s the fasted growing retail sales sector in Japan. I find myself exposed to new brands, information and discount vouchers, which I use or refer to friends.
Our company also uses QR codes in business as a support to clients, not a way to push a new product. Our mobile network system analysis’s responses and tracks client retention from all m-marketing which uses QR Code, the retention rate is minimal when QR Codes are used for branding purposes only and often rejected. Our greatest client retention comes from QR Code functions that benefit the customer first and not the brand, which then leads to brand exposure and sales.
QR sounds very interesting but i have heard about some other software called “MyClick” which offers the same service but with real images. What does Telstra Mobile Code offer over this technology which seems like the next generation? I would think from an advertising perspective, real imagery would far surpass these ugly bar codes. I have even read that some of the bug guns like Nike, dont want anything to do with this old school technology.
Do people really think that Bar coding is the way forward? Visual image recogintion is in my eyes.
I appreciate the comment made by Kupa, “…that benefit the customer first and not the brand…”
The thing is that no art director or creative will place a”crossword” puzzle on their creative simple as that. QR codes really have no other purpose then to be used in advertising as a benifit to the consumer.
There is a platform being used in China, Hong Kong and now Australia that does exactly what QR codes does using mobile Internet however you can use the whole ad or logo etc and be directed. This therefore offers a branding opportunity.