So we evolve from traditional barcode to QR code, and more recently to the new puppy, Social Snap Tags. The only real difference is that “SnapTag” looks unlike a traditional barcode or square QR code. Some would say that the SnapTags are a better-looking version of the QR code, because its simple ring wraps around a company’s logo. Blink and you’ll surely miss it
Glamour Magazine was the first brand to trial the use of social technology SnapTags – interactive social icons that allow for instant connections between brands and mobile consumers.
SnapTag is similar to a QR code; users simply take a photo of the SnapTag with their mobile device to pull up more information via the brand’s social presence. The major difference is that users don’t need an Android or iPhone to use the technology, (users with camera phones can take a photo and txt it to number), and rather than taking them to a micro site, they are taken to a brand’s Facebook or Twitter page. So good news for Facebook fans!! Here’s another innovation that will help stimulate the lifecycle of Mark Zuckerberg’s empire!
So what’s the difference?
One could argue that the ‘ugly’ nature of QR Codes actually makes them more recognisable for readers to scan. It’s a common shape that people recognise instantly rather than having to interpret yet another symbol. SnapTag does have unique advantages over QR codes outlined in the diagram below.
The biggest advantage QR codes have over Snap Tags is that there is NO license or fees; QR codes are easy to create and use. Plus it’s FREE! In testing SnapTag for the first time I took a snap, sent the photo and I’m still waiting for a message! Perhaps I should try downloading the App for better success.
Before I finish up … here’s a question. Will this new innovation be left in the dust when NFC technology is incorporated into the next generation of smart phones?
To find out more about SnapTag visit spyderlynk.com
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Interesting discovery, David.
I’ve been researching and experimenting with QR codes for a little while now, searching for a great option for a client. My first reaction to your post is that I don’t think I could get into the SnapTag idea, unless they make a number of changes, for a couple of reasons.
One, I think you are right to be concerned about their near-invisible quality. They look like a brand with a circle border, and seem like they would be easy to overlook. I suppose we could all be trained to spot them (eventually), if they were rewarding enough; and they are prettier, I’ll give you that.
Two, I think it is really important to use the scan-and-send technology to send people to relevant content that is tied to what caught their eye in the first place. Just sending people to a Facebook page or other generic social media site/wall/feed doesn’t help them focus in on what you wanted them to notice in particular, especially if they don’t see the tag until sometime after it is generated.
Third, one of the most marvelous features of QR codes is the instant response they provide. Scan it, and poof, there you are, right where you are supposed to be. No text messages, no waiting, nothing.
Finally, with some very careful planning and wise selection of QR code system, the content at the back end of the QR code can be managed dynamically. Unless you use one of the free generators, which provide one-shot/static links, you can modify the content you deliver via the QR code. For instance, say you are promoting a BOGO shoe sale that runs this weekend only, all over on Sunday. On Monday morning you can change the landing page your code points to, and use that space to tell latecomers that that particular sale is now over, but if they still want a great deal they can use the “secret” coupon you provide them with to get a 25% discount anyway. (Or give them a preview of next week’s sale. Or… lots of options!) Finding a good, affordable QR code system that gives you back-end management tools (and isn’t Microsoft’s Tag system which requires a specific reader), is pretty tough, but they are out there if you dig hard enough. (I finally found one I’m very happy with thus far! Hint: Kimtag.)
As for NFC, I have mixed opinions (maybe mixed with a vivid imagination, I grant you). Pretty cool for specific uses, but I can’t bear the thought of my entire grocery store being wired up just so brands can constantly zing coupons and messages at my phone as I shop the aisles… never mind the nerve-wracking level of electromagnetic exposure I imagine we would all suffer… Or image a realtor’s sign — how would an NFC tag be set up at my front gate? QR codes just require ink on the messenger’s side, nothing more: they are almost breathtaking in their ugly simplicity!
The whole topic presents an intriguing new branch of communications tools/channels. This will be an interesting one to watch unfold over the next two years or so.