Welcome to Broker Roundtable, where each week we ask list brokers to give their opinions on issues that matter to the marketing community. This week’s question: Are QR codes overhyped or something mailers should consider using in their campaigns?
Our panel includes Kathy Joslin of Statlistics, Matt Kaiser of Veradata, Kevin Kerley of Carney Direct Marketing, Lisa Pollack of Adrea Rubin Marketing and Linda Santaite of DSA Direct. Would you like to be considered to be a member of our roundtable? Contact Larry Riggs ([email protected]).
Kathy Joslin, account executive, Statlistics:
If you are using QR codes for the sake of using QR codes you aren’t doing anybody any favors. Most companies don’t have a clue what they are doing; they jump on board and realize they are in over their heads. As with social media you can get lost in it and spend a lot of time just spinning your wheels, but at the end of the day is it going to improve your company’s bottom-line?
Matt Kaiser, executive vice president, Veradata:
Perhaps they are overhyped, but I feel mailers should strongly consider testing QR codes in their campaigns. The most-successful marketers are constantly seeking new ways to reach customers or prospects via their preferred channel. Delivering relevant offers and making it easy to view them now is a compelling advantage of QR coding. The biggest challenge marketers face is to ensure that they are prepared to accommodate the mobile user. Virtually all QR scans are done via the smartphone. Point the user to a mobile-friendly site, not your standard webpage; otherwise you've wasted the opportunity.
Kevin Kerley, executive vice president, Carney Direct Marketing:
From what I can tell so far, QR codes are just a lot of hype. There are many problems that I see with them and until those can be worked out, they cannot be as effective as they were intended to be. Right now, only those people with smart phones can utilize the QR code, so marketers relying on these QR codes are missing out on a whole segment of the population. But more important, is the ability to read the code fast and clean. At the recent DMA:2011 conference, I saw a lot of attendees having a very hard time reading the codes, and many just lost patience with them. So, if this is any indication of how the population feels about them, they are more hype than they are useful at this point.
Lisa Pollack, senior account executive,| Adrea Rubin Marketing Inc.:
QR codes should be incorporated into all direct mail campaigns. Smart phone users account for 30% of the overall population. The QR code is another call to action, and gives the consumer the option of responding in real time. QR codes can be used for special offers, brand awareness or provide more information to the consumer. Using the QR code shifts the media channel from direct mail to online, allowing the consumer the opportunity to respond to the mail piece via their channel of preference. This is valuable information for mailers, as they can obtain more knowledge about their customer and behavioral preferences.
Linda Santaite, sales executive, DSA Direct:
QR codes are still in their infancy. Many customers aren’t sure how to scan the codes, or their phones don’t have that capability, but that’s changing. Going forward, more customers will be looking to interact with advertisers and marketers need to be prepared with appropriate content that’s interactive.
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