QR Code Examples

The novelty of QR codes is finally starting to wear off, and we are beginning to see object hyperlinking being used more intelligently in marketing. However, there are still many improvements to make. Here are three QR code reviews rated by their relevancy, effectiveness, and all around experience. These QR code examples were observed in the Summer of 2012.

Admission tag to Brooklyn Museum

Museum goers tend to have high technology adoption rates, so QR codes are appropriate in this case.

No call to action and no directions for scanning. There were some call to actions on the exhibit walls though.

Not fantastic, but in the context it’s really all you need. When the codes were scanned they usually brought you to a simple wiki page that gave more information about what piece you were looking at. However, I couldn’t get good reception and the wifi was working on and off. Also, the mobile pages weren’t formatted optimally. Here’s an example of one of the pages: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/mobile/wikilink/qr?page=Romanticism

Tips for improving: Include a call to action, spruce up the mobile pages

Poster ad on Metro North train for Harvard Distance Education.

Located on the train where people are captive and not particularly busy. Also, people who have interest in “creating dynamic websites and mobile apps” are likely to have the hardware to be able to scan the code.

No call to action and no directions for scanning. The only perceived incentive that I could imagine would be not having to type in the URL.

Took me to a dedicated mobile site with consistent design (similar to the ad) that featured a video of students and faculty sharing their experience at Harvard Extension School. Docked points for still not having a call to action on the mobile page.

Tips for improving: Include a call to action on both the ad and the mobile site

Cover of Eastbay sports equipment catalog.

The cover of a sports catalog targeted towards young(er) males; likely to have smartphones and to know what to do with QR codes.

Clear call to action and instructions: “Scan the code to see a video of Ray Rice”. Not an outstanding offer, but still a solid reason for interaction.

Took me to a dedicated mobile site with consistent design (similar to the magazine cover) featuring an appropriate length video (1:38) of Ray Rice. The page also touted free shipping codes, encouraged me to download their app, and provided links to their social media outlets.