The end goal of a successful campaign should be attracting and retaining the most amount of users with an engaging mobile experience. Let’s quickly contrast the three types of “text vs barcode” options: texting a barcode to a phone number, downloading an app and standard texting.
1) “Texting a barcode to a phone number”. First of all, this only works on AT&T and Verizon according to Jagtag’s own website. Anyone not on AT&T or Verizon’s networks must take the picture and email it to an email address, such as “swimsuit@jagtag.com”. Some users will send the email via MMS, and others will use their Blackberry mail (or Gmail, etc) to send the photo. This means you’ll end up with a database of SOME phone numbers, SOME phone-emails (5555551212@att.com) and some pure emails (jsmith@blackberry.com). So, if you’re looking to enter into an engaging conversation with the user, is it possible to reply via text to the blackberry/other smart phone users that sent the message in via email? Yes, smartphones make up a big (and growing!) portion of the market, but how should we communicate with these users? An email campaign?? EMAIL! That is so, so sexy. We could send the picture (via email, or via mms), but the uploading process is slow. There goes that speed benefit. And what happens if the picture is blurry? Do they have to start all over again?
2) Let’s talk about downloading an app. I’ll start by sharing a story. I’m standing in a Target checking out vacuum cleaners. On the side of one of the boxes was a Scanlife barcode. (Question: who are we promoting?? The BRAND or Scanlife??? If I’m the brand, I’ll be damned if I’m paying to advertise some barcode company!) The Scanlife barcode says “to get info on this product, use the Scanlife app to view more information.” So I launched the app store…..(hang on… it’s loading….) finally got in… searched for barcode scanners…. Bee tag… no, that’s not it… Microsoft tag…nope… and finally, here it is… the Scanlife app. Time to download this new exciting app. I’ll just enter my password in iTunes…. ok, done! It’s downloading. Ok, and now it’s installed. Let me scan the code, hang on, I must get it to focus… hmmm…didn’t work…. let me try again…. THERE! DONE! Ok, now it’s loading a mobile website! (That’s it? Really?) But you’re right… it was fast! After I downloaded one of the MANY non-standard barcode apps (I’ll keep the 10 “most standard” on my phone…. something tells me the average Joe won’t go through this) and focused and re-focused the app 4 times! Worst of all, there’s no tracking back to the phone number. Opportunity lost for the brand!!
3) Now let’s talk about texting. It works on 98%+ of all phones. It’s fast (Cellit’s platform can turn around a message in 3 seconds), you don’t need an app, you don’t need a CAMERA, and you can keep the conversation going via text afterward (we provide 100% trackability). Best of all, EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW TO DO IT! I admit, texting isn’t very sexy, but neither are barcodes. Even if barcodes or text codes were sexy…the public quickly fatigues of gimmicks! It’s not about the barcode or text code. It’s about what can be done AFTER they receive the message. All things being equal, I want more people participating than less. Texting provides the ability to build robust, engaging conversations, while the best case for a barcode campaign is just a link to a mobile site.
At Cellit we refer barcodes as “marketing to marketers.” Marketers eat up the idea, the public not so much. It’s time to take off your “geek” or “marketer” hat and put on that hat you should always have on in the first place: your “consumer” hat!
Very interesting article. I’ve had troubles capturing QR barcodes at various places in the city. If I am within arms reach of the QR bar code, my scanner captures it. If I am further away, I can’t. SMS definitely seems like the way to go.
I sometimes provide a QR code linked to a video I produced or business contact information for my client. But many people still don’t know what these codes are yet, just 6 million people use the codes now. It takes a long time to get the word out. I think the barcodes are sexy and have great potential. I do see your point about the simplicity of texting. Although for me it is a hassle to create a contact in my phone and then text to that contact. I’m seeing many more advertisers using bar codes in their print ads.
Vincent