Google’s latest move in the offline advertising world is the tagging of print ads with barcodes that can be scanned with cellphones. Mathew Ingram thinks this one’s a bad idea, and he’s not alone.
I agree with the criticism that the act of scanning ads is awkward and vaguely ridiculous, but I’m also interested in what’s driving this kind of initiative. Mostly it’s about measurement and accountability; specifically applying the same response tracking and performance-based pricing models that work so well for paid search. The unthinking assumption here is that advertising ought to shift wholesale so that everything is measured and better decisions can be made about ROI and how to align budgets with performance.
Fine, except that much of the print advertising that works today has little if anything to do with direct response. At its crudest level print advertising is about simple exposure; at its most complex it’s about creating subtle affinity with a message and an aesthetic. Sure there are the bottom-feeding remnant ads crammed with detail, urging you to respond, but the good stuff complements rather than interrupts your engagement with content. Putting a bar code in the mix might do nothing more than remind the consumer unnecessarily that he’s being marketed to.
Post a Comment