Ok, when I first heard about the idea of QR codes, I certainly geeked out about the idea that by taking a picture out the real world it could prompt your phone to go to a website. I had heard that in places like South Korea and Japan this technology had already been widely adopted. Unfortunately for us the technology just isn't there yet and more importantly its appropriate use.
In some of the Ad agencies I have worked, I have heard creatives say, "can we just get over QR codes already." Well my colleagues had a point. As Spider-Man once said, "With great power, comes great responsibility." Which brings me to the above pictures I took in the subway. This was a subway ad for a new video game with a QR code on it inviting you to go learn more. Here is the difficulty I have with it.
1) Most Smartphones are not equipped to capture that data unless the proper app is installed. However, I will give it a pass because their gaming target likely have the right technology.
2) The QR code is on a poster on the other side of the subway track. Most smartphones do have zoom but the resolution is likely lost so it is not easily readable even if you have the right technology.
3) Lastly, and probably most importantly, currently there is no wireless connection in the Toronto subways, thus rendering the idea of it kind of useless.
I don't doubt that QR codes will become widely adopted in the future and be valuable for marketers, it's just this one seemed really odd to me.
Is this a product of enthusiasm for the QR code or is it a failure to recognize the wrong technology in the wrong place?
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