The impact of 2D barcodes and NFC on PR

January 31, 2012

2011 was the year 2D barcodes (QR ‘Quick Response’ codes) finally made it into the mainstream public consciousness. Their use in UK marketing campaigns certainly seemed to be increasingly pervasive from being embedded in posters to showcase the latest blockbuster, to links for downloading train timetables.

This was of course assisted by the continued prevalence of smartphones with estimates that around half of the UK population now use one according to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, with the figure expected to grow in 2012.

Back in October 2011, our blog discussed the debate between open source vs proprietary 2D barcodes, comparing QR codes (open standard) to the closed standard offered by Microsoft’s Tag. Since then, the technology treadmill has moved on to a new debate: the implementation of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in mobile devices. As I mentioned, NFC is already being rolled out by the financial and retail sectors for contactless payment, but both it and QR codes have their place to maximise PR campaigns too.

How can QR codes and NFC technology be used as part of a PR campaign?
One obvious application of QR codes in PR is of course to embed them in press releases to enable journalists to view a promotional video more easily; to streamline the process of downloading a smartphone app directly from the relevant app store; or simply to view information stored on a website to provide a wider context. QR codes benefit from the fact they can be scanned by a smartphone from either print or digital media views on a screen, whereas NFC technology relies on a NFC-enabled physical object to communicate with a compatible device.

Like QR codes, NFC can be used as a way of enabling social networking solutions, whether through streamlining the distribution of contact card directories or sharing media files like a low power Bluetooth. That is quite a straightforward use of the technology; however NFC can also be used for geo-tagging, opening the possibility of taking PR straight to the coal face.

For instance, a public event showcasing new products could see each object tagged with an NFC-enabled sensor, allowing the marketing and PR teams to gauge audience interest according to the raw number of people geo-tagging themselves at a particular product station. NFC tags at such an event could also offer discounts or gamification rewards for attending and taking part in the showcase, introducing or strengthening brand allegiance amongst the public in the process.

Furthermore, it would allow agencies and in-house teams alike to see exactly where a campaign is being most effective in real-time, perhaps even going so far as allowing them to be flexible in fine-tuning a strategy on a daily basis.

Of course, such applications would invariably muddy the waters between PR and marketing, but as the public adapt to new tools such as QR codes and NFC in everyday life, perhaps that is a path the two industries must also tread in order to keep up with the technology treadmill.

By Jon Wilcox

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