QR codes in the catering industry are not new, however some still need attention.

It's not often that I have the opportunity to go and eat out in a restaurant and recently I was mildly surprised to find a coaster on the table with a QR code. Having to wait to be served it's always nice to have something to keep you busy in moments when conversation at the table is in a dull.

Great a game! 'Who will be the sucker to get the next round of drinks!'

Scan.......

Hang on...what's wrong here? Tap...double tap (to try and scale the site into the view window), no response. Okay so no good view of what is going on and the loss of the WOW factor, which turns into confusion and dissapointment. Decided to rejoin the conversation at the table and left it at that. But did take the coaster along for some research.

The site looks great on my Windows computer at home:

But it was not at the restaurant and it does not scan QR codes, nor can it run iPone or Android apps.

This was done by a well known international 'branding' consortuim and I cannot figure out how and why they missed the mark, unless they all use the latest iPhone and expect the rest of the world to be the same. Truth be told HTML5 is used and that is worth at least ten plus points, however using HTML5 settings to block user interaction with presentation beats me.

Why did this QR code promotion for a bar game not work (for me).

1. That code is small and little 'quite space' took a heafty 30 seconds of zooming and focusing before it kicked in,

2. What I got to see on the screen was not what I expected and not the complete picture,

3. could not remedy it by user action (zooming and scalling had been explicitly forbidden!).

4. mixture of languages on the site (I know my language skills suck but it should be only one).

5. Do I really need to download another app!? Why immediately start the game  (via HTML5, It got to your site = I have Internet) and offer to have it anywhere anytime via an app download.

As far as I am concerned this mobile marketing campaign is a step in the good direction to engage, entertain, bind and brand to and with customers. The actual experience on the client side (IMHO) still leaves a lot to be desired. There's a lot of 'Droid' out there and I'm sure the install base for this will not be optimal.

If there are other catering companies thinking about using QR codes on coaters in the Netherlands to entertain, bind to, or just for  branding or promotion, contact Frans Hendricx - Infovijltje of Omnisense. He can get you on the right track and keep you there.

What mobile marketers use to get their message to mobile markets.

A comparison between 2010 and 2011 deployed mobile marketing tactics. I'm sure that 2012 will again see an increase in the use of QR codes.

Source: Chief Marketer Mobile Marketing Survey

In 2010 no one bothered to check the use of augmented reality, so data is missing for this year.

Interesting to note is that barcode scanning is up 15% (this includes QR codes, MS tag and other proprietary barcoding technology) and outperforms any other technology used between 2010 and 2011 and I expect it to increase even more in 2012. Mobile apps are also still a popular instrument for branding and marketing.

SMS marketing that was always seen as an urgent and immediate communication channel has declined the most. Even though it is the fastest and simplest way to set up, use and to communicate to mobile devices, I can only imagine that the costs per message in combination with limited interaction and presentation options are the reason it is being abandoned by marketers.

Drupa, Printers and QR codes

Drupa is a printing convention held once every four years at the Messe in Düsseldorf in Germany. If you're in the printing trade, whether it is analogue or digital, this is the place to be. The place meet up with old friends and colleagues, network with business relations and see what others have been doing and have to offer.

Turning the tide
Eight years ago I remember loads of Chinese and Koreans taking loads of pictures of everything and anything. This year there where a record number Chinese and Koreans with big and heavy press and printing hardware. The most amuzing part of many of these areas was the fact that it was forbidden to use cameras as well as cellphone cameras... and yes, the stands had QR codes on display. Some even had spotters that approached, blocked and repremanded you on using your camera phone to scan a QR code! Is this an omen of what is to come? WTF!

Things to remember at an International Convention where you want use QR codes!

• Attendees will not allow 'roaming' and certainly not 'packet data' on foreign networks, the costs are just to high!
• Without convention wide (limited) known free Wifi access, no foreigner will scan QR codes and potenitailly have to go online (I think I was maybe the only person) trying to do it as I saw no one else bother (and in hindsight, rightly so).
• One QR code does not fit all. People have little to no time to take the trouble to scan a QR code, why should they! Reps are all over the place, right? A QR Code in a magazine <> a QR Code at a convention or on the back of a bus

How do the QR codes created by and used by printers score?

QR Code Banners
Plus point: The weather in the picture is better than when I was there!	Besides the 9 'fat figure' buttons, the party stops here.

From QR codes on big banners to QR codes in the halls and on the grounds drupa.

It did not get any better! There were even suppliers would claimed they could bring paper to life with nothing at all, just a display sign! And to rub salt in the wound, digi:media 2013 was boasting a QR code with a slogan 'Content meets Technology meets Business'. What I learnt from this is that larger advertsing and marketing organizations clearly still have no clue about using QR codes correctly.  Moral to this story, you cannot rely on printers and also not marketing and advertising agencies to guarantee any kind of successful QR code campaign. They don't have what it takes and it shows.

TIP: Seek advice from companies that are experienced with QR codes and have a proven track record or you too may be throwing money down the drain and become the next QR code critic.

	The Poster
Just how do they do it! Anyone? How do you bring paper to life? Digi:Media gets at least -100 points for this very poor implementation of a QR code. Granted, they did take the trouble to embed their logo into it with success, however sending it off to a totally mobile unfriendly website is an amateurs error, and not one that should be made by a digital media organization.	The Page

The winner

Cross Media Publishing Konica Minolta The QR code at the Cross Media Publishing booth of Konica Minolta gets the first prize. Of the codes we saw and scanned, this was the best implementation. With easy to navigate pages and easy to read applicable information. Clearly they do understand what cross media publishing is about as they do practice what they preach.

On a final note:

Special thanks to Henk van Houten of Scriptworx for making the visit to this years Drupa possible.

Tips for using QR codes in real estate

 Using QR Codes on real estate signs

There are two ways to do it. One is to use weather resistant stickers and the other is to integrate the QR code into the sign.

Sign using QR Code stickers	Sign with integrated QR code

Using QR codes on real estate signs at the property itself has it's advantages. Generally these signs clearly indicate the property is for sale with a contact telephone number for those who are interested, but little more useful information. This is where the QR code can play an important role by supplying pricing information, showing what the backyard and the interior layout looks like via images and giving information about the size and the asking price for the property. Additional benifits could be a direct call to the agent, ability to store this information on the phone and even suggesting other properties for sale in the near vicinity.

The dissadvantage of using stickers is they have to be weather proof which generally means easy to apply but difficult to remove, everytime the sign is reused a new QR code will need to be made and the old one removed or 'pasted over'. The advantage of a dynamic QR code is that it can be integrated into the sign using company colours and even styled with a logo. When the sign is used at a new property location, the same QR code is given the new instructions for the new property via a management console, it's as simple as that.

Estate agent 2.0

Ready to use free real estate solutions in the Netherlands

'FUNDA' is one of the few Dutch real estate databases that is open to the public via Internet. What is really cool is that their site is also mobile friendly. This means estate agents linked to funda can simply select the property url in the public on-line web site, then paste it into a web site QR code generator and have a ready to use mobile friendly real estate QR code for that property. It really is as simple as that.

By using QR codes on real estate signs and using it with online mobile friendly property databases it is possible to provide cost effective detailed property information on location and on demand. Either by using stickers or dynamic QR codes it become possible to have a unique for sale sign providing detailed information for a specific property.

Paper cannot animate, play music or show video.

QR codes used as mechanism can, and if you combine this with dynamic QR codes you get an interactive QR code service. Adding onto the success of the URL redirector and vCard+ services, QR4 has launched the 'Video Presentation' QR code.

Interactive QR Code service

This service will launch a video of your choice that you can change at anytime and after the video has played will send the viewer to a  landing page of your choice in a managed and measured enviroment.

This is an ideal way to make paper interactive via a QR code. Scanning it will play your video or presentation and then go to a 'call to action' or 'contact' landing page. Another nifty service for marketing and advertising agencies using value added, effective and efficient QR code services.

QR Code Video Service

Want to know more about how you can make your printed matter interactive, then please contact us so we can show you how easy it is to have a managed and measured video presentation with your own 'call to action' landing page.