Flashback moment -- Just over two years ago, I was sitting in the EMAP building in London and explaining the concept of mobile barcodes to two of the managers there...
QR codes get backing from major publishers Source: nma.co.uk | Published: 14 December 2007 00:00
QR codes get backing from major publishersAs publishers and advertisers begin trying out quick response codes to direct people to mobile content, are consumers aware enough of what they involve to use them?
News Group International and Emap last week began using mobile barcodes in a bid to direct users from print ads to mobile sites. Readers of The Sun and Kerrang! are being exposed to the quick response (QR) codes as the publishers attempt to educate both their audience and advertisers about the technology.
The graphical codes allow consumers to link directly to a mobile site by scanning them with their phone's camera. While some believe that QR codes are the future, others remain unsure given the need to download a scanning application. Banner Ad
Despite these reservations, The Sun ran an eight-page supplement titled 'Mobile Mania' in last Wednesday's edition (5th December), which included QR codes throughout the editorial and advertising, along with information about the technology.
Separately, December's issue of Kerrang! includes an ad by Warner Music that features a mobile barcode encouraging users to visit the mobile site of drum & bass act Pendulum.
"We consider ourselves a content provider across three platforms and mobile is central to that," says Ian Samuel, group head of mobile advertising at News International. "It's a great way to get our content to users across different channels. We're staking a claim for using press ads as a rich medium and offering more content directly from the page."
For example, a print story about Amy Winehouse could include a QR code that links to a mobile site with video footage of the singer. But the opportunity to use mobile barcodes for added interaction extends further than print. Pop act the Pet Shop Boys made heavy use of the technology throughout their latest music video, 'Integral', released in October.
Agency The Rumpus Room, which produced the video, included more than 100 codes that directed fans to websites including bbc.co.uk and channel4.com when the video was paused and scanned with a mobile.
"The problem with film is that it can't be changed once it has been made. But QR codes can be used to direct people to dynamic content," says Tom Roope, MD of The Rumpus Room. "They offered us the flexibility of doing a digital project within a film experience."
Adding to ads
As well as boosting the level of editorial interaction, QR codes offer a simple, enticing way for advertisers to reach an audience with rich content.
Both Emap and News International have been approaching their advertising clients with the offer of including a code as part of their print ads. The benefit is that advertisers can persuade readers to interact more deeply using a more interesting and thus more persuasive method.
"Advertisers have been enthused by QR codes because they're an exciting way to offer a point of difference," says Samuel. "They're faster and simpler than SMS, providing a fast track to the mobile internet."
Emap expects entertainment brands that produce content which they can promote via QR codes to be among the first advertisers on board. Its first QR code advertiser, Warner Music, used the technology to get Kerrang! readers to download mobile content supporting the release of Pendulum's new album.
"We're rolling it out as part of a package for advertisers," says Chris Shepperson, head of market for entertainment at Emap. "We have brands that stretch across platforms and QR codes allow people to have a rich experience of an ad."
News International has signed Ladbrokes as one of its first clients. The gambling giant sees QR codes as complementary to SMS as a way of distributing its mobile service.
"QR codes are a backup to shortcodes, which have been revolutionary for us in delivering our WAP address," says Claire Barry, head of new channels at Ladbrokes. "The Sun has a huge readership and will help to educate users."
She sees the codes as a further tool in Ladbrokes' arsenal to boost its conversion rates. These have already jumped this year from 30% to around 70% following a variety of tweaks to the service. And if the QR codes are successful, Ladbrokes may look to distribute them more widely. Race cards at meets and shop windows could be used to display the codes.
Direct access
QR codes hold direct benefits over SMS shortcodes, according to mobile content provider Mobstar Media. Andy Kendrick, head of marketing services, points out that asking consumers to send a text to a shortcode requires them to remember the number whereas, once scanned, QR codes direct a user directly to a mobile site.
"Sending an SMS is the first point in any promotion where you start to lose people. A QR code is a shortcut that takes you right into the activity," says Kendrick. The model is also cheaper as there's no need for an advertiser to pay SMS costs to an operator, he adds.
However, making use of mobile barcodes requires consumers to download the scanning application, which is one of the precise pitfalls the technology is supposed to solve. And even if handsets begin to ship with the software pre-installed, as Nokia does with the N95, consumers still have to navigate to find and open it for the scanner to work.
So while most welcome the publishers' and advertisers' progress, there are fears that they might be running before they can walk.
Thomas Curwen, planning director at Publicis Dialog, who heads a mobile barcode consortium that includes Deutsch Telecom, Hewlett-Packard, KPN, Nokia and Telefonica, welcomes the moves from The Sun and Kerrang!. However, he warns against moving too fast into widespread distribution before the development of a standard system.
"I welcome the idea but am concerned about the fragmentation there is with different readers. There have to be standards in place so all code readers can read all codes," he says.
The move by powerful publishing houses like Emap and News International to sell mobile barcodes to both advertisers and consumers should be applauded. It's likely to become another route for consumers to reach mobile sites, alongside SMS. But until the technology is widely deployed in handsets and consumers are educated about its benefits, take-up could be limited.
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