Six mobile marketing alternatives to QR codes

The QR code, that infamous fad of the early 2010s, will probably never have a marketing renaissance.

By Rebecca Sentance February 12th 2020 12:03

Content

The QR code, that infamous fad of the early 2010s, will probably never have a marketing renaissance.

Despite articles being published almost every year like clockwork predicting or announcing its return; despite examples of countries (like China and Japan) where QR code technology is employed to excellent effect; and despite there being some genuinely good reasons to use QR codes for marketing (in the right way), it’s probably not going to happen.

Even if a brand came out tomorrow with a killer use case for QR codes with a smooth, seamless and logical implementation, or all the tech giants united behind them, it likely wouldn’t be enough to bring back QR codes – they just have a bad rep over here. QR codes are doomed to forever be thought of as clunky, useless, and just plain uncool.

But the fact remains that there is a genuine niche that QR codes could fill in linking the online and offline worlds – something which has innumerable potential benefits for marketing campaigns. The premise behind QR codes was never the problem; just the execution.

So, if QR codes aren’t going to fill that niche, what might? Here are six alternatives to QR codes that boast similar benefits for mobile marketing.

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World Cup 2014: what should we expect from brands?

The World Cup, along with the Olympics, comes by once every four years and is therefore a good assay of changing media habits and technology.

Twitter users have doubled since the last World Cup in 2010. Live TV streaming is available from all the main broadcasters and the user experience of laptop and tablet TV-streaming continues to improve.

Mobile has been the main driver of social media consumption and increasing demand for real-time content. Additionally, user generated content is easier than ever to gather, as new devices and new users become more adept and involved online.

So, what should marketers expect to come out of Brazil and World Cup 2014? In this post I’m going to take a look at some of the brands involved so far and their efforts, as well as looking at lessons that can be drawn from the London Olympics in 2012.

Four critical steps to commercial mobile success

As recent research by Comscore reveals that one in three online minutes is now spent beyond the desktop, it is clear that mobile and tablet devices are moving away from being secondary devices and fast becoming the primary experience.

Our mobile devices have become the remote controls to our lives, influencing how we shop, inform and entertain ourselves and connect with one another.

We look to mobile technology to maximise every moment in our day and the immediacy it offers has driven consumer expectations to a new high.

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