Over the past few years, "QR codes" -- those square, mobile barcodes -- have started to show up in some U.S. advertising.
Enough already.
While QR codes are cute and novel, and may be big in Japan, they're not the future of advertising here. So it's time to drop them. Even Google is.
For the uninitiated, mobile barcodes work with the camera in your smartphone, and generally tell your phone to take you to a web address. You take a picture of the barcode, and the barcode reader software does its thing. In theory, they are supposed to be a shortcut, so you don't have to type anything in.
But in practice, they don't often work out that way. Mobile barcodes can be confusing and can waste time. And as mobile technology progresses, they probably aren't even necessary.
Most people, before scanning their first barcode, have to download scanning apps manually and figure out how to use them. Then, each time there's a barcode to scan, they have to make sure they're using the right scanning app for the right barcode. That's because different types of barcodes, like Microsoft's "Tag" codes, don't always work in all the same apps.
And then there are the inevitable delays in finding the barcode app in your phone, waiting for the camera to prepare itself to shoot photos, getting the right distance and focus on the barcode, and hoping the mobile data network responds to your query quickly enough to be worthwhile.
That's just on the user's end.
Then there's the complexity of creating and managing mobile barcodes on the advertiser's end. And making sure different types of phones get the right kind of content. And the space the barcode takes up in the ad. And the decision about how much space in the ad to devote to instructing people what to do with the barcode, etc.
By that time, you've spent more time teaching people what to do with the barcode than the time they'd spend doing whatever it is you want them to do. All that for what?
Is this really still a shortcut?
So, what could be better? There are several options.
The simplest could be just to ask people to do what the barcode was going to take them to, anyway. "Go to Facebook.com/mybrand." Or "follow us on Twitter." Or "find our closest store on Google Maps." Or "download the MyBrand app from the app store." That sort of stuff isn't actually very tricky to type in.
If you insist, you can even use a custom short URL for each ad placement, and that can get you some of the traffic measurement tools you were (theoretically) going to use mobile barcodes for. But, remember: The easier this is for people, the better -- and the more likely it's going to work.
If you're going to ask people to photograph something, you might as well just let them photograph the whole thing. Image recognition is getting good enough -- and servers fast enough, and apps smart enough -- to recognize the whole thing you're taking a picture of, instead of asking someone just to zoom in on a barcode. Even if that "whole thing" is an ad.
For example, a recent Buick magazine ad encourages people to use the Google app's "Goggles" feature for iPhone or Android to photograph the entire ad to "unlock" its interactive features. In our informal test, it worked quickly, on our first try -- in low light. Perhaps Google will roll this out broadly.
And in the future, if "near-field communication" mobile technology takes off, you may be able to just bump your phone up against a sensor to tell it to do something, whether it be to check you into a bar on Foursquare, take you to a website, or even pay for dinner. That's faster and easier than a barcode, too.
Big picture: Yes, obviously, barcodes have a place in the world. They are simple and cheap for commerce and logistics, and barcodes are widespread. There are cool consumer experiments where people use QR mobile barcodes for shopping in virtual supermarkets in Korean subway stations. And for now, they seem to be a novelty for some U.S. advertisers.
But as far as the future of advertising goes, particularly in the U.S., it's hard to see them really taking off. Their utility hasn't yet made up for their awkwardness.
More from our special report on the Future of Advertising:
- 10 Advertising Terms You'll Be Hearing For Years, So Learn Them Now
- TV Advertising Is Begging For Disruption... But It's Getting Insanely Complicated
- POLL: What Kinds Of Advertising Do You Actually WANT More Of?
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See Also:
- 10 Advertising Terms You'll Be Hearing For Years, So Learn Them Now
- POLL: What Kinds Of Advertising Do You Actually WANT More Of?
- CHART OF THE DAY: Why Everyone Wants A Piece Of The TV Advertising Pie
by George H. Miller, FAIA
For the last decade, green building rating systems have been the top standard for designing sustainable buildings, but at the end of the day, they are non-enforceable guidelines. Because buildings are the largest contributors of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, it's become clear in recent years that a more rigorous and complete set of rules are needed for green and sustainable building. The work needed to formalize a code to address sustainability has been a major industry challenge - that is, until now.
A new proposal - currently being developed by the International Code Council (ICC) with involvement from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and a group of partner organizations - called the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) could bring the required sea change to the design and construction industry when it comes to sustainable design. The code, which will provide a set of rules and policies by which buildings and their designs must abide, is the first actionable step in making "going green" a requirement and not simply an owner's choice. The AIA is spearheading the effort as part of its mission to help architects take an active role in lowering the nation's overall energy consumption.
Nicknamed the "Green Code," the IGCC, which has been endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, mandates that a building achieve specific and strict sustainable design goals, set by states or municipalities as well as offering options for design of additional measures toward higher levels of performance. This is the first time in the architectural profession that a group has taken on the challenge of codifying the concept of sustainable design. While previous systems were a great start, the groups involved in the Green Code believe that this codification will finally combine the expertise required for green building with model building codes for safety and health.
As with any change, however, there are challenges which the AIA believes can - and will - be overcome over time. The most important of these challenges is the fact that, as opposed to other sustainability systems, the IGCC code will be enforceable - meaning code violations could be issued by a governing body for failure to comply.
This issue is at the heart of AIA's current work on the code and will be discussed at length over the coming months to ensure that the profession understands the new requirements and is ready to apply them. Though the change will be significant for architects that haven't yet worked on sustainable design projects, ultimately, the AIA believes the Green Code will make the role of the profession in design and construction stronger.
To help educate the architectural profession and prepare for the changes, the AIA has taken an especially large role in spearheading these efforts, educating professionals about the process of code writing and making sure that comments, concerns and ideas are shared with the policy drafters. The AIA is actively and aggressively asking its members to participate to ensure that their voices are heard by participating in code development. The second code development round is currently just beginning for the second public version (PV 2.0). This new version includes changes heard at public hearings on hundreds of proposed changes involving hundreds of interested parties - not just architects - such as building product manufacturers and building owners to ensure a 360-degree perspective. The deadline for submitting changes is January 3, 2011, after which a code development hearing will take place in Dallas in May 2011. Final comments on the proposed changes are due August 12, 2011, and public hearings will take place in Phoenix, November 2-6, 2011 with the expectation that the new code will be finalized and published by March 2012. AIA staff and members will be active participants at these code hearings, testifying on behalf of the code changes submitted by AIA members as well as commenting on the hundreds of other proposals that will be submitted by other stakeholders in the code development process.
The AIA sees this code as perhaps the biggest practice development to hit the profession in the last 50 years. This is why the AIA is encouraging all those with a stake in the codes to become involved in the discussion and crafting of policy, to ensure their views and ideas are heard. In the fight against climate change, the loudest and most influential voices may just come from architects.
George H. Miller is president of the American Institute of Architects.
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