Rating: But, hey, the US public probably won’t notice it’s a Barkcode instead
If you manage to mention 2D barcodes in a TV ad watched by around 111 million people, then it would be fair to say that they have entered the North American public’s consciousness. That’s what Mike Wehrs, Scanbuy‘s CEO, reckons. “If Super Bowl ads highlight what’s hot in American culture, then QR codes have officially become mainstream. It’s the latest example of how convenient and ubiquitous QR barcodes have become in nearly every part of American life.” It’s all thanks to Suzuki’s Super Bowl ad for its Kizashi sports sedan. It includes a promotion where dog owners can get a free ‘Barckcode’ tag. Scanbuy claimed that it had been estimated that around 60 per cent of viewers would have a smartphone capable of scanning that code. Unfortunately, BARKCODE isn’t using standard QR codes, it is using a 2D design of its own.If you visit the BARKCODE web site, you’ll find that the company claims, “Unlike QR codes, our exclusive 2D code design allows us to create small enough sizes for kittens and puppies!”
Fortunately if you download the ScanLife barcode reader app, it will recognize the Barkcode. If you don’t have that app loaded then there is an alternative.
The back of each Barkcode tag also includes instructions for the circa 190 million cameraphone users in the USA to also be able to simply MMS a picture of the code to 43588.
A Barkcode [Great branding – Ed.] is a personalised pet identification tag has a scannable 2D code.
It is designed to make it easy for pet owners to be reunited with their four-legged friends after they become lost or even misplaced during a natural disaster.
A person finding a lost pet can scan the Barkcode code and within around six seconds view the pet’s personal profile via the mobile web.
This enables the finder to view multiple contact numbers; medical history; vaccination records; license and/or microchip information; comments plus reward offers.
Each Barkcode ID tag also has the pet’s unique URL address emblazoned on the tag that will allow anyone with internet connection to find a lost pet’s profile page in order to help get that pet back home.
That ain't no regular QR code
“Marrying the latest mobile phone technology with Barkcode 2D code pet ID tags was a natural,” BARKCODE co-founder, Laura Erickson, explained.
She added, “We are pleased to be a part of Suzuki’s 2012 Super Bowl campaign effort.” By that she meant that the first 1,000 households to register via Suzuki’s www.KizashiKicks.com got a free tag.
What slightly worries GoMo News is that whilst we were able to find the Suzuki ad, we couldn’t find the version with a Barkcode in it. Anyone know where it is?
I assume this tag is supposed to connect lost pets with owners, if so that is a great idea. I am a big fan of mobile barcodes. However as a dog owner, I don’t want to be dependent on a person who finds my dog having a single proprietary code reader on their phone. Wouldn’t sms be a simpler better method, or call an 800 number?
I have actually found a dog wearing one of these id tags and the instructions are printed on the back of the tag. It was very easy for me to take a picture of the code and I sent it via MMS to the number that was printed on the tag. I got back not only one phone number to call but an additional 4 telephone numbers. So needless to say it was very easy for me to reach someone listed and I was able to return the lost dog. Much better than one 800 number where you reach an operator, this went directly to real peolpe who knew the dog.
Here’s my take on the subject
http://www.gomonews.com/barkcodes-erickson-responds-to-qr-code-criticism/
Laura Erickson
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The standard QR code, a black and white box, looks so much like the traditional bar code on every store box that people still just skip over them. Magazines still have that regular bar code on covers. A more customized QR code using colors and 3d effects might help draw attention. Some examples at qr-codeworld.com. But it’s important that the code still have a few words telling people to scan them, and why.