Opus Magnum

One of the fathers of modern American advertising once said, “You are NOT right if in your ad you stand a man on his head JUST to get attention. You ARE right if you have him on his head to show how your product keeps things from falling out of his pockets.”

I’m reminded of this quote whenever I see what is inherently a good idea used for no other reason than it is trendy or a cheap trick to get attention. The use of QR codes falls into that category. There is an armed forces recruitment billboard around town with a big QR code on it. I have no doubt that the code links to some potentially important information, but I’m not sure I want anyone trying to scan a billboard with their smartphone while driving by at 50 miles per hour. A more flagrant example of that kind of misplaced marketing occurred in Croatia, where apparently it was proposed that QR codes be placed on automobile license plates that linked to the Croatian tourism website. (“I’m sorry for smashing into the back end of your car, sir, but I was trying to scan your license plate.”) (more…)