Qr Codes | Augme Technologies Blog

Using QR Codes in the Classroom

October 18, 2011 By Augme Mobile Leave a Comment

One of our loyal readers pointed us to this fantastic blog post on 50 ways to use QR codes in college classrooms. We thought we’d highlight the different categories, and then let you head over to the site and read the full article for yourself!

1. Contact

Professors can post a QR code in their classroom that takes students to their office hours. Or maybe it pulls up an email for them to schedule a time to meet with the professor. Perhaps it’s a digital business card with email, office phone number and office address.

2. Share Information

A QR code could be put on the syllabus with links to textbooks needed. It could even be a simple list of major due dates that adds reminders to a calendar. QR codes can be created for upcoming events, or as additional resources for students to look up after class.

3. Lectures

This deserves a category of it’s own. The obvious answer to this is to create codes that go to a lecture on iTunes, or maybe even YouTube. A code could be used as additional audio or video for students to digest before the next class.

4. Homework

Create scavenger hunts using QR codes. This is a great business development tool – have students create QR codes that link to a portfolio and could be featured on resumes and business cards.

5. Books/Reading

Enhance reading assignments with related audio or video. Have students post anonymous reviews of a particular reading using QR codes.

6. Classroom enhancements

A couple cool ideas in this category: Automatic wi-fi info – have a QR code that contains all the necessary wi-fi logins. Also, have lab instructions that are available with the quick scan of a code.

7. Handouts

The digital revolution makes our education systems a bit more “green”. Give instant access to quizzes. Avoid printing costs. Link to tutorials. Check on test scores and find correct answers.

The possibilities really are endless! Have you seen QR codes used in college classrooms? Or in any continuing education setting?

5 Mistakes To Avoid in Your QR Code Campaign

September 27, 2011 By Augme Mobile Leave a Comment

QR codes are booming in popularity. Contrary to what some experts will say, they are continuing to grow in usage, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Here are 5 mistakes that are often made when embarking on a marketing campaign that utilizes QR codes:

1. Not testing the code

This seems like an obvious one, but a designer can pretty easily go too far with a QR code, only to not test it and have it not actually work! Make sure you test it with multiple devices and operating systems. Most codes have a built-in error correction of around 30%, so it’ll catch some mistakes, but not all.

2. Getting too fancy

What happens when someone scans your QR code? It should simply be a link that the consumer can click on. Nothing more. Some campaigns try to add text and a link, but it just becomes muddled. If it’s only a link, it’s easy for the consumer to know what to do next – click on it!

3. Linking to a non-mobile page

Where does the QR code point to? Is it a image-heavy site with a flash component? You better hope not, because consumers will click the link and not be able to navigate or see any information. Make sure the site your code is pointing to is optimized for mobile with easy navigation and small images (if any at all).

4. Putting the codes where there is not data signal

An infamous example of this is a QR code placed in an ad in an underground subway station. There is no cell service in most subway systems (although NYC is about to get service!). Make sure you test for a data signal if your QR code is in a static location like on a billboard.

5. Not offering enough

People have to have some incentive to scan your QR code. If all you are pointing to is a generic website, don’t expect many clicks. Offer them something in return for scanning – exclusive access to something, entry into a contest, a coupon – anything to get them interested!

Have you made of any these mistakes? It’s okay…we won’t judge! Just make sure you don’t make them in your next campaign. If you need some help planning your campaign or getting that QR to pop, we’d love to talk to you!

(source)

Mobile Monday | Barcode Event | July 25, 2011

August 2, 2011 By Augme Mobile Leave a Comment

Last Monday evening Augme had the opportunity to sponsor a Mobile Monday event, “The State Of Mobile Barcodes”, held at Goodwin Proctor in the NY Times Building. Despite the rain, there was a great turnout. There were at least 150 there. Taylor Burton was on the panel representing Augme and did a great job in communicating our message of utilizing a mulitmodal approach to campaigns to attain the best possible user experience. Here are just a few pictures from the event. It was a great time!

Filed Under: qr codes

Are QR Codes going out the door? Not so fast…

July 5, 2011 By Augme Mobile 1 Comment

Augme’s founder, Anthony Iacovone, was recently interviewed about Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology and how it is impacting the world around us. There’s a lot of chatter out there in the last few weeks about this up-and-coming technology, including even some people saying about how it will eliminate QR Codes. Iacovone, however, says not so fast. You can read some of what he has to say below, and click here to read his full remarks, as well as those of others.

Filed Under: qr codes

Augme in the news!

June 28, 2011 By Augme Mobile Leave a Comment

Augme Technologies has been featured in a couple articles as of late that we’d love to share with you!

Just today, the technology superblog TechCrunch featured Augme as “one to watch” in the mobile world. What an honor! Click the photo to read the article in full.

This is from the website Wall Street Daily. The author pegs mobile technology as THE biggest technological revolution ever. He also mentions how Augme is a big part of that. Click the photo to read the article in full.

We were also happy to be featured in an article on ClickZ.com, a marketing website. This feature discusses a campaign that Kellogg’s did with QR Codes and SMS marketing in partnership with Augme. Click the photo to read the article in full.

We couldn’t be more excited that the mobile world is gaining speed at a nearly unmeasurable pace, and that Augme is right in the thick of it!

Be sure to visit our website, as well as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for more great mobile-related stuff!

Filed Under: Augme Mobile, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Behavior, Mobile Marketing, qr codes

QR Code Easter Eggs Lead to Exclusive Content in THQ’s “Homefront”

April 25, 2011 By Augme Mobile Leave a Comment

If you’re one of the millions of gamers who’ve played Homefront on Xbox 360, you may have come across a few easter eggs scattered throughout – in the form of QR codes.

The codes, when scanned, took users to exclusive in-game content, from wallpapers to backstory videos collectively titled “The Korean Kodex,” an overview of the invasion of the United States circa 2027.

Within the first two days of Homefront’s release, the codes were scanned more than 30,000 times – and judging by chatter on the Internet, the response has been relatively positive.

“The success of embedding QR codes in Homefront shows how a rabid, tech-savvy fanbase will readily engage with brands who can offer a unique, satisfactory content experience,” said Taylor Burton, Director of Sales at Augme Technologies. “It also shows that QR codes can be successfully implemented on a TV or other video screen, making the possibilities for marketers endless.”

We’d love to hear what you thought of Homefront’s QR easter eggs in the comment box below!

(Screengrab courtesy YouTube user FireFlowWalkthroughs)

Filed Under: 2D Bar Code, qr codes, videogames

Convention-al wisdom: Fishbowls out, QR Codes in!

April 14, 2011 By Augme Mobile Leave a Comment

It’s all part of the trade show ritual: you go to an exhibitor’s booth, politely pretend to peruse their wares, toss your business card into a fishbowl in the hopes of winning some swag, then take off. Or, if you go to a convention, organizers might “take attendance” by scanning a barcode on the ID badge pinned to your chest. One method old, one method new: both meant to be business tools.

With the fishbowl, exhibitors collect information on potential B-to-B customers, including phone numbers and emails – all “opt-in,” if you will. With the barcodes, exhibitors would also get hard data to work with, in terms of attendance figures. Ultimately, the information and data collected are useful for vendors looking to broaden their customer base.

But beyond the promise of some swag, there is little incentive for attendees at conventions and trade shows to visit your exhibit. What if they’ve forgotten their business cards, or have run out? And nowadays, doesn’t barcoding people seem a bit intrusive?

Last month, Augme debuted their first-ever mobile vendor prize drawing, held at the iPharmaConnect Conference in Philadelphia. Using their smartphones, participants were asked to scan a QR code at the registration booth, then find additional QR codes at seven other vendor booths scattered throughout the venue. As incentives, we offered big-ticket prizes: an iPad, an iPod Touch, a digital camera.

Just over a third of the conference attendees scanned those QR codes. That likely meant increased traffic at participating vendor booths – exactly the intended result, and all for nominal cost and setup. And, most importantly, the m-contest kept participants engaged. (That’s what the chance of winning an iPad will do.)

Augme’s m-contest model is simple in its design and execution, and can be easily replicated at similar venues and functions, from ComicCon to CES and everything in between. No longer is there a need to collect and catalog business cards, or to turn into Big Brother, armed with a scanner gun.

M-contests make it easy to leap out of that fishbowl and into the 21st century. One QR code at a time.

(Contact us for more information on M-contests!)

Filed Under: 2D Bar Code, Mobile, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Behavior, Mobile Marketing, qr codes

Marketing’s “Moment Of Truth” is no longer just a single moment

February 11, 2011 By Augme Mobile 1 Comment

Back in 2002, the CEO of Procter & Gamble coined a phrase that summed up the decision a consumer had to make upon entering a store: “The First Moment of Truth.”

Some could argue that this notion was a bit hyperbolic – by virtue of all those capitalized letters – but back then, the “First Moment Of Truth” was a fact of marketing life. At that very moment, the consumer would decide what to buy, and which brand. But thanks to technology, that is no longer the case.

As we wrote in our landmark white paper, Upward Mobility: Developing an Effective Mobile Shopper Marketing Strategy, the consumer has become an ever-moving target that is never more than one click, ring, text or Tweet away from entering “shopper mode.” While it’s true that the First Moment Of Truth still exists, thanks to mobile, they’ve really become multiple moments – and we believe there are still better ways to harness mobile and make it a part of overall marketing strategies.

It is hard to capture the undivided attention of a shopper. And even when the consumer makes up his or her mind, it only takes one more marketing message to change their mind. Make no mistake: the traditional touchpoints still apply when it comes to in-store marketing – banners, displays, endcaps, point-of-purchase displays, et cetera, all focused on the shopper’s attention span. But there is a relatively new marketing element that most companies have yet to take advantage of on a wider scale: the mobile phones owned by an estimated 230 million Americans.

People who are not in marketing often point to the 2002 film Minority Report as an example of how over-commercialized society has become: in the movie, Tom Cruise’s character has his retinas scanned and is subsequently bombarded with ads custom-tailored for him, projected as he walks through a building. In some respects, the film foresaw how modern Internet advertising works – small display ads pop up depending on what pages you visit, the contents of a Gmail message you just opened, or your Facebook status updates.

Mobile shopping and mobile marketing takes this concept from the desktop and puts it in the hands of those 230 million subscribers in the U.S. – and tens of millions more around the globe. It marries the best of in-store and web-based display ads, mobile couponing and offers, and gets them to those just ready to enter “shopper mode.”

From feature phones, which comprise 172 million users, to web-enabled smartphones with near-field communications technology embedded, those multiple Moments Of Truth suddenly become more predictable, as consumers walk into a store armed with mobile coupons or offers that bring them to a specific product or products. Or perhaps they’ve texted a shortcode and received a discount offer via SMS. Or they’re ready to scan a QR code at a display to redeem a buy-one, get-one offer.

Mobile marketing 1) takes all the guesswork out of what the consumer will buy by leading them to specific products; 2) is the most effective use of technology to reinforce brand loyalty; 3) is non-intrusive, by virtue of being opt-in; 4) its results are easily trackable; 5) its campaigns are scalable; and – most importantly – 6) such campaigns are cost-effective, with a potential reach of up to hundreds of millions of consumers.

If there’s ever been a “moment of truth,” it’s this: these days, not implementing a comprehensive mobile strategy into your company’s overall marketing efforts just doesn’t make sense.

Be sure to read “Upward Mobility: Developing an Effective Mobile Shopper Marketing Strategy”, a special supplement in the latest edition of Shopper Marketing Magazine, or click here to read it online.

Filed Under: Marketing, Mobile, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Behavior, Mobile Couponing, Mobile Marketing, qr codes