I've never been a fan of Microsoft's proprietary 2D barcode system. With the latest news that their tag reader and creator will support QR codes, it looks like the writing is on the wall for the multi-coloured blobs. Further evidence of this can be found on Microsoft's latest XBox poster which contains a rather prominent QR code. Here it is in more detail. When scanned, it goes to a Google URL shortner! If Microsoft's own marketing department doesn't have faith in the MS Tag - or their…
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(After Ben Metcalfe's post on the the vb.ly sage). As a mobile Internet consultant, companies often ask me which QR generator to use. There are many worth considering, but I always tell clients to avoid bit.ly. The security of Libya Internet organisations are probably not an immediate concern (you did know that's what .ly stands for, right?). What is worrying is how bit.ly exposes your QR campaigns to your competitors. How Does The Bit.ly QR Generator Work? You can use Bit.ly to shorten…
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If you're attempting a QR Code campaign, WAIT! Call me and I can help you avoid making this sort of disastrous mistake. Southeastern Dotted all around Southeastern's train carriages are posters like these. A fairly small QR code, with a reasonable call to action. Not the best use of QR codes - but fairly inoffensive. But what happens when we scan it? An error page. To make matters worse, it's not even a mobile friendly error page. I don't know how long the site has been broken - but…
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Maplin, the UK technology retailer, is experimenting with QR codes in its Tottenham Court Road store. It's a very mixed bag which deserves equal measures of praise and criticism. Here's a typical product display stand with QR code placed on it. There's no "call to action". Nothing to say what the code is, how I use it, or why I should scan it. Does it lead to a video demo? To a voucher? What? But, that's not the worst of it. Notice how small it is? There's lots of space which could be…
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I think that WP7 is one of the first phone operating systems which natively has a QR scanner built in. It's rather hidden - you have to go in to search (not camera) then click the eye icon. However, it is one of the fastest and most accurate scanners I've ever used. It knocks Android favourite ZXing into a cocked hat simply by by speed alone - it's also very fault tolerant and was able to scan in low light and at strange angles. There's only one problem I have with it - the user interface…
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I was tweeted an interesting link the other day - We Don't Make Demands. They have a set of posters for the "Occupy Movement" which incorporate QRpedia codes. These posters were designed by participants at the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York City. They are in the public domain. You are welcome to print them out and post them in your own location. See all the posters. I love this use of QRpedia - but I have two minor suggestions. QR codes work best with some whitespace around them,…
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QR-jacking is the act of covering up a QR code and replacing it with an alternative - often malicious - code. Your carefully crafted code could be replaced by one which... Points to a rival's site. Calls a premium rate phone number. Redirects the user to a site which EXPOSES THE TRUTH BEHIND... Goes to a non-legitimate site which asks for credit card / personal details. Downloads a virus or other form of malicious content. It's a real threat - thankfully it's usually…
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To whoever is responsible for this QR code marketing monstrosity: go home. Seriously, pack up the tools of your trade, go home, pour yourself a stiff drink, and weep at what you have done. The Poster Here's a fun game for all the family! Play "spot the QR code" on this poster... Bzzzzzt! Time's up! Did ya see it? What? No! How could that be? Let's zoom in... There! Right beside the warnings of "mild peril" lurks the QR code. Tiny, overly dense, and with no call to action. Try…
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When you create a QR code which contains a URL, it is vital that the code is not only as small as possible, but also as user friendly as possible. I'm not a massive fan of short URL services like bit.ly - but for shrinking the text you want to fit in a QR code, they are invaluable. I want to take a look at a particularly interesting example from Nat West Bank. The Poster Despite having the QR too close to the ground (more of that in a later blog post) this seems like quite a good campaign. …
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This is a great video all about the inappropriate use of QR codes. There's one area where I think Scott Stratten is wrong - and that's on the issue of QR codes where there is no signal. It's a common trope to bemoan QR codes on the tube, or on an aeroplane - but I believe it's not a very good argument. Firstly, take a look at the posters on a typical tube train. All of them have phone numbers, SMS activities, or URLs on them - even though there's no way to use them Yet people don't laugh …
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There are Nineteen thousand, five hundred bus stops in London! Each one of them is (eventually) going to be upgraded with a new real time bus countdown signs. If you've got an Internet capable phone, you can get real time information for your bus at http://m.countdown.tfl.gov.uk/. The service has a number of cool features, including geolocation. The great thing, in my opinion, is that each stop has a unique URL. I can bookmark m.countdown.tfl.gov.uk/arrivals/72073 and check the buses as my …
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As regular readers know, I'm a big fan of QR codes. I often castigate advertisers for poor usage, bad placement, and inaccessibility. I can just imagine how the conversation at the offices of Success Appointments went... "Dave, we need a QR code on our advert!" "Righto, Fred!" "It'll be on the tube, so it has to work offline." "How about a VCARD - that way when you scan it, our address will appear on your phone?" "Perfect! But..." "What?" "Can we make it nice…
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