Tagged: qr code

Sky's QR Code Campaign

Congratulations to rawedge for this QR campaign for Sky Atlantic.
Sky Atlantic Newspaper Advert
A simple QR code, pointing to a URL (with source=qr for analytics), a mobile website, and a 3gp video.
Sky HD Mobile site
Almost perfect.

Why Almost?

I'm a nit-picker - but here are a few suggestions to make the campaign better.

  • Make the code bigger. When dealing with newsprint and its fuzzy images, it's always better to make the QR as large as possible - or as large as your advertising team will allows. Larger images are easier to scan.
  • Sky QR Detail
  • A little more whitespace around the code would improve its readability.
  • The text instructions are great - either SMS or type the URL in directly - but the text is fuzzy and indistinct.
  • The video is presented in 4:3 aspect ratio.
  • Sky Atlantic Trailer Video
  • I appreciate that you don't want people watching a stuttering 720p video over EDGE - but I feel that making the video widescreen to suit the majority of phones would have made the video more impressive. As it is, 240 x 192 the image looks a little blurred which perhaps isn't the best advert for HD.
  • Finally, I noticed the campaign appearing in other papers.
  • A QR code in today's Times Newspaper advertising the new... on Twitpic
  • As far as I can see, it's the same code. It would be a good idea to use a different code in each paper so you can see if, for example, Times readers are more likely to scan than Metro readers.

As I said - very minor complaints. Overall, an impressive use of QR codes from Sky. Well done to those involved.

Moo Cards with QR Codes

QR Moo Cards
Click for Full Size

Moo Cards seem to be the darling of the UK tech scene. Cute business cards which you can personalise with whatever you like. Some people are boring and use company logos, others dump their best flickr images on there.

Me? I'm all about phones and QR codes, so.....
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Doctor Who QR Codes

Mobile QR codes are fantastic. They're real-life hyperlinks. Snap them with your phone and go direct to a website. What could be better?

The BBC, however, need a few lessons in how to optimise the experience.
As part of their Prisoner Zero page - the BBC have an awesome "Wanted Poster". Here's the teaser image.

Prisoner Zero - QR Code
Prisoner Zero - QR Code

Let's take a look at the full QR code. This is about the size it would be if the poster were printed on A4.

QR Code
QR Code

There are three problems with this QR code which reduce its functionality and usability.

Firstly, the contents of the QR are

MECARD:N:Doctor Who;URL:http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/;;

Aside from the fact the character is named "The Doctor", this is a rather large string to place in a QR code.  The longer the string, the more complex the code, the harder it is for a phone to decode it.

Secondly, QR codes are primarily used on mobile phones.  This is reinforced by the use of "MECARD" - a method to add someone to your address book.  Yet the URL the BBC point to isn't suitable for mobile!

This is crazy. There's a wonderful mobile friendly version of the Doctor Who site - http://bbc.mobi/drwho - why not point to that? People will be scanning this code on their mobile and then being directed to the BBC's desktop site. Madness!

Finally, the colouring.  While QR codes can work in any colour, they're easier to scan if the contrast is high.  That usually means black squares on a white background.  It's not so important if you've got a multi-megapixel camera with auto-focus and all sorts of other technology.  However, the primary audience for Doctor Who is children and teenagers. Not the sort of demographic to have awesome camera phones.

Fixing The QR Code

Using my QR Code generator, I've created a faster, simpler, and more useful QR Code.

http://bbc.mobi/drwho
http://bbc.mobi/drwho

Have a scan - it takes you directly to the mobile site.

I'm a big fan of QR Codes, but they have to be used sensibly.  Remember to keep your URLs short and point them at mobile friendly sites.

Doctor Who and Mobile Phones

It shouldn't come as a surprise to any reader of this blog that I'm a phone geek. And a Doctor Who geek.  So, image my utter nerdgasm when we got to see the 11th Doctor using a mobile he'd nicked.  The burning question is which phone?

Touchscreen
Touchscreen

It's quite hard to see throughout the episode. It just looks like a standard touchscreen device in a rubber casing.  I had wondered if the props team had created a dummy phone to be used.

What Phone?
What Phone?

Annoyingly, the phone is almost always out of focus.

Except for this shot.

BlackBerry Storm
BlackBerry Storm

Aha! That's the BlackBerry Operating System.  That means it can only be a BlackBerry Storm or Storm2!

The Storm2 doesn't have separate buttons on the screen - so this must be an original Storm.  The BBC have taken the logo button off the front to prevent accusations of bias or commercial influence, no doubt.

As an aside, look how the Doctor sends the photos - MMS!

MMS
MMS

Better hope those aliens don't have iPhones!

Tweeting via QR

BBH Labs - a marketing agency's "Skunkworks" - recently blogged about using QR Codes to send messages via Twitter.
There approach was interesting, but as I commented, there are ways to improve it.

Tweet Me Via QR

If you scan in the above QR code, it will take you to Twitter and pre-populate your status with "@edent". You can, of course, set it to be any message you like.

There are two key things to remember with QR codes.

  1. Keep the information in them short to ensure readability.  The more characters you use, the larger the code and the harder it is to scan.  You can use URL shortners to do this if you have a long message.
  2. Make it mobile. QR codes are scanned by mobile phones. The information is looked at on a phone screen.  You should always direct people to the mobile version of your site.  In this case - m.twitter.com