In this year’s Summer Movie Preview issue, Entertainment Weekly brought the content to life with 30 action codes to launch mobile engagement that included videos and more. In addition to just reading about the movies, readers could use their smartphones to watch video movie previews (trailers). The campaign brought together material from sponsors and editorial for a comprehensive interactive experience that allowed readers to experience in the preview issue.
QR and Microsoft Tag Up Nearly 300% in 2011
The use of Microsoft Tag and QR Codes has increased dramatically since the beginning of the year and now appear in 62% of the top U.S. magazine titles. The new Nellymoser Action Code Usage Study also reports that An average of 5.6 codes appeared in magazines with at least one code. The following chart illustrates the market growth rates for QR code and Microsoft Tag market:
The following presentation contains highlights from the Nellymoser study of QR codes and Microsoft Tags. Some of the information includes:
- Top advertisers using Microsoft Tags and QR Codes
- Top magazines with Microsoft Tage and QR Codes
- Top uses once the user arrives at the mobile “site”
Welcome to The Barcode Generation
Do you remember the :CueCat? Laptop Magazine called it a “loser” and named it as one of the Worst Gadgets of 2000. PC World listed it at #20 in its list of the 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time, right before the EyeTop Wearable DVD Player and the Apple Pippin. In December 2009, Gizmodo displayed the :CueCat in its gallery as the worst invention of the “2000s” decade.
Of course, I owned a :CueCat.
The :CueCat plugged into a desktop PC. Scan a code, the PC launched a browser, and you went directly to the correct page. The Verizon Yellow Pages included codes. Radio Shack had the codes in catalogs and handed out the :CueCat for free to its customers. (That is where I got mine.) Parade magazine, Forbes magazine and Wired magazine all embraced the :CueCat code. Wired Magazine mailed :CueCat devices to their entire subscription list.
Yet, the CueCat never took off. It was ahead of its time. Unlike today’s 2D Barcodes, to use the device, you had to be sitting next to a running personal computer. At that point, the only value of the device was to make it possible to go to a page without typing in a URL. (A security breach at the :CueCat web site created additional problems for the company.) The product was effectively withdrawn from the market in 2001.
But, even then, I saw the future. What if you could have used the :CueCat with your television set in your living room or when you were away from your PC? Then, barcode scanning would have value. What if the device did not have a usable keyboard? Then, barcode scanning would have value.
It is 10 years later and we have become The Barcode Generation. Nobody is suggesting that mobile phones will go the way of the :CueCat. As a matter of fact, barcode use has grown dramatically in just the past few months.
My interest in consumer use of mobile barcodes started a decade ago, Now, as Executive Vice President of Nellymoser, I am in the thick of it. Our company is working with some of the major companies in the nation that have already had success with Microsoft Tag and QR codes. We are delivering videos, sweepstakes, and more to millions of handheld mobile devices. And that puts us in a great position. We can see the results of various campaigns and see the impact on the market.
In this blog, we will report on three primary areas: (1) Market tends for QR codes and Microsoft Tag based on our own studies and others. (2) Best practices for using QR codes and Tags. We will be matching the results of campaigns with what went into the campaign. And, (3) what leading advertisers and others doing to expand their business via the use of action codes.
We welcome your comments and hope that you enjoy The Barcode Generation.
-RM
