I just found out QR codes are not hot today!

....perhaps Mr. Kaplan's comments should not be disregarded as completely ridiculous.

I noticed a post today in the Mobile Marketer titled "QR codes are not hot today: CTIA panelist," by Rimma Kats.
http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/7635.html

My first inclination was to dismiss the comments made by Mark. Kaplan - GEM regarding fragmentation in the marketplace and the utility of 2D bar codes. But, on second thought, I believe they bring up important points that often need to be re-iterated.

As with all new technology, there are stages of acceptance that consumers go though before they make it a part of their everyday lives. The reasons Mr. Kaplan sited for not using QR Codes represent issues we have had to address from the start and can be easily mitigated with a clear strategy in place to deliver the appropriate reader to a user's handset.

Printers, agencies, large brands and a lot of tech-savvy people are already leveraging the benefits of Integrated Media - here and now. Most of us accept that 2D bar code advertising is on the way and there is nothing to stop it. Perhaps we all need to be reminded that the real channel is "mobile" and 2D bar codes are a specialized channel within the mobile channel (after the information contained in a 2D bar code is decoded, the bar code has little if anything to do with the rest of the experience).

But, let's look at the bigger question. How do consumers come to accept and use a technology? The Technology Acceptance Model suggests that when users encounter new technology, the most notable factors that influence their decision about how and when they will use it are:
-Perceived usefulness (PU) - The degree to which a person believes that using a particular system will enhance his or her ability to experience a desired result or outcome.*
-Perceived ease-of-use (PEOU) - Defined as "the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free from effort".**

So, when we consider this model and "perceived ease-of-use", perhaps Mr. Kaplan's comments should not be disregarded as completely ridiculous. I feel strongly if one reads Mr. Kaplan's comments with an open mind they will serve to make your campaigns better.

When my firm embarks on a new Integrated Media campaign, one of the first questions my developers ask is "who's the audience?" I jokingly reply, "the audience is our Grand Parents, make them feel as comfortable as possible."

INTEGRATED MEDIA TIPS FOR THE NEXT YEAR
-Make the user feel comfortable and totally in control,
-Always include simple instructions to download the appropriate reader,
-Make sure whatever is behind that code makes the user feel good about the process!
-Remember the challenge is not the bar code, it's the mobile experience behind it.

*TAM PU modified Warbasse
**Bagozzi et al., 1992; Davis et al., 1989