QR Codes: why they sometimes fail

Quick-response codes, known as QR codes, are everywhere these days,  allowing interactivity and creativity from the brand to the consumer. When scanned with a special app downloaded to a smartphone, they can call up links, text messages or videos, thus boosting e-commerce or generating leads. However brands need to pay extra attention when building a relevant QR code strategy as the examples below are showing. FAILED QR CODES STRATEGIES: Red Bull  ran a campaign featuring subway ads with QR Codes. Sounds like a great idea until you consider that most subways don't offer mobile phone connectivity, making the codes inaccessible.     Continental didn't fully think through the user experience. The airline made a QR code for its in-flight magazine, linking air miles without having to log-on to online accounts. When passengers scanned the codes (during takeoff or landing), they were directed to a page with two buttons and a pop-up window that was mostly off screen, ensuring that passengers wouldn't be able to click through.   Nirvana: the QR code used to promote the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's classic album looked cool, but proved very hard to scan, especially when featured on billboards. Why QR campaigns fail

• Unreadable codes on billboards, too high up for people to get a clear scan; on ads in subways, where there is no cellphone reception for scans.
• QR codes in TV ads: by time you run and get your phone, find the scanner, and try to take a shot, the ad's over.
• No instructions. Not everyone knows what a QR code is and how to scan it. So it's necessary to include clear and concise instructions that include the benefits of bothering to make the scan.
• Using a proprietary code so you need a specific type of QR readers to scan it. As if people would download a scanner just to read a code they don't understand.