Burrito Barcode Boasts 400 Customer Bonanza...Who Cares?

Obviously AdAge.com, which used this example as the basis of a story today that only serves to illustrate that US 2D barcode companies like Jagtag, Scanbuy and Clic2C have a lot of work to do if they want to gain any traction whatsoever with the US consumer. These companies hope to mimic the success of QR (quick-response) codes in Japan...where they are a ubiquitous component of print and outdoor media campaigns (including movie one sheets). The big difference is that a QR code reader application is preloaded onto almost every data oriented handset in the Japanese market...in the US the consumer either has to download an app, or in the case of Jagtag MMS the barcode image to a shortcode (on Verizon and AT&T only). In the US 2D barcodes will remain a klugy & super-gimmicky (i.e. ineffective) way to market unless all the carriers and handset manufacturers rally around a single standard. In the meantime mobile marketers should focus on SMS shortcode campaigns!