QR Code on NYC subway. Great idea, in theory.  The results:

1) Have you been on a subway in New York City?  Are you going to lean over somebody in their seat and say ‘excuse me, may I please take a picture of that sign with my phone?’  Maybe, but I didn’t see it happen.  Perhaps if it were better placed.  In this case, it was right next to people sitting down.  

2) The actual QR code was hidden within the picture, the large QR code was just a picture.  Not intuitive.  The ‘scan this code’ was at the very bottom in small print, leading you to not know immediately where to scan.  ’Excuse me, it’ll be a few minutes longer while I stand over your shoulder.  If you have to get off at the next stop, let me know’.

3) Cell phone towers are great, but they don’t go THAT far underground.  The chances of getting Internet connectivity on a subway are slim to none.  The URL was saved in the QR Reader but after 20 minutes of no gratification and a rush to get to your next appointment, the thrill may be lost and chances of returning aren’t as great.

4) Above ground, with wireless, the page the QR code pulled up was not optimized for mobile, therefore I couldn’t immediately read the text that said:

5) The promotion had already ended.  So in essence the promotion could have really just had the name of the company to save time, costs, and frustration.  Paying for space on a subway isn’t cheap, I would hope I fully tested the ad and the promotional time period before paying to post it.

That all being said, this shows the QR codes are still relatively new and we’re still in the learning process.  Over time, both marketers and consumers will get smarter on posting and capturing data.  Those who do get it now and use it properly will have an advantage over those who do not.