What Every Printer Can Learn From The Calvin Klein QR Code Billboard

Written by Nick Palo

edited by Philip Warbasse 
edited July 16th - It should be made clear that there are many transparent variables that can have a significant impact on the outcome of any QR Code campaign including budget, timeframe, client requests, etc. The purpose of this post is to critically analyze the CK Jeans campaign from a technical and social perspective. We would like to see all printing companies take the steps that ACE has taken to bring QR Codes to their clients.
Monday I came across a blog entry featuring a new outdoor marketing campaign for Calvin Klein Jeans in New York City. The large format billboard, featuring a giant QR Code, is the work of The Ace Group (Ace) out of New York. They are an innovative printing company that offer integrated marketing solutions, including QR Codes to tie print-to-web.
In an attempt to educate Printers, I am using the Calvin Klein billboard as a case study, on how QR Code campaigns can be improved from both a technical and social perspective. In full disclosure, I am a freelance mobile developer. I have worked with both Warbasse Design and PLUSH Mobile Servers on QR Code campaigns including 9 the movie, Iron Man 2 and HBO's True Blood. Large Entertainment companies embraced Los Angeles - based Warbasse Design and PLUSH MS early on because they understood that creating and serving mobile content is not for the faint of heart. As more and more companies integrate QR Codes into their advertising, it has become clear that when developing a successful QR Code campaign, the challenge is not creating the bar code, it's the mobile experience behind it.

Using the Calvin Klein billboard as an example, we will start with the "presentation layer" or the billboard itself. Next we will look at the mobile environment. Then, we will examine the content and lastly, consider the user experience.
THE BILLBOARD AND THE QR CODEI will start by stating that I think the billboard is beautiful. The concept of a giant, traditional QR Code has impact and the large format ad is printed and displayed very well.

In terms of functionality, the code gets an A grade. Developing a good QR Code for a billboard means keeping the code "open" or "less dense." This is to compensate for smart phones that don't have auto-focus built in to the camera (most do not). In the altered photograph (below), I have used a simple technique to "open the code up" even a bit more. Note the differences between this image and the original posted at the top.

Well known companies spend a lot of money on their branding. While the billboard is branded, Calvin Klein perhaps missed an opportunity to extend their brand to the QR Code itself. By creating a designer QR Code, we can produce a distinguishable marker that will enforce brand awareness. To demonstrate, I implemented the Calvin Klein logo into the altered photograph (below), creating a functional designer QR Code.

THE MOBILE ENVIRONMENT
The mobile page behind the code (http://ckj.mobi/pr) uses lightweight redirects to point the user to one of 4 pre-optimized pages built for four different user scenarios - iphone, non-iphone, other handheld devices (ipod, Zune, etc) and the desktop browser.

For many of the newer handhelds (iphone, BB Storm, Android) this campaign works. For many more devices, the mobile experience can be less than optimal in terms of aesthetics and usability.

Above: Image to the left simulates how the Calvin Klein campaign renders on phones with displays under 240px wide. The image at right demonstrates the error message when attempting to download video. (click any image for larger view).

The best possible senario is to use a full detection platform that can deliver seamless mobile marketing campaigns regardless of the user's handset.
THE CONTENT
As mentioned above, lightweight redirects are used to drive the delivery of the content which is a video converted into 3 formats (.MP4 hinted for iphone, .MP4 non-hinted for non-iphone and .mov for other handheld devices). Two additional file formats that could have improved the overall success of this mobile video strategy are .WMV and .3GP.

WMV files reach your Windows Mobile users and many Blackberry and Nokia users. .3GP is the most universal file format supported by handhelds' today. Just as important, a central support page is always a good idea, especially if you are not using full detection servers. See the support page for Iron Man 2.

The video is served as a download, not as a stream. This requires much more in terms of patience and phone resources. Consider the average size of videos and the time it takes to download them to your phone. Streaming allows you to watch video as it is being buffered, so the user experience begins almost immediately.
THE USER EXPERIENCE
The first thing I noticed on the billboard was no call to action to download a QR Code Reader. I believe it will take time for a majority of the U.S. market to have QR Code Readers on their smart phones. We use a text engine to deliver a link back to the user in order to clear the first hurdle of any North American QR Code campaign. This is also demonstrated in the altered photograph of the billboard (above).

The mobile site contains social bookmarks to twitter and facebook which is a good way to create viral awareness. A "share with a friend" feature via SMS or Email would have also added value to this strategy - covering non-facebook and non-twitter users.
Unfortunately, the CK mobile strategy does not offer an opportunity to learn, buy, opt-in or otherwise effectively communicate. Personally, the video seemed juvenile and self-serving.
OVERALL
I think the CK Jeans billboard campaign is a good example of what's happening with a lot of QR Code campaigns right now. They are being printed well, but more consideration needs to be given to the mobile experience itself and the opportunities a good mobile experience can provide. I hope printers will embrace the idea that they can deliver true mobile environments and content to users scanning QR Codes in the future.