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January 29,
2008 ? 08:56 AM PST ? by
Adam Ostrow ?
Dan Frommer at Silicon Alley Insider alerts
us to a new offering from Google: the ability to purchase ads within
newspapers that contain a 2D bar code. If a consumer sees such an
ad, they can capture a picture of the barcode, and special software
will then de-code it and send them to a specified page on the mobile
Web. Apparently, this advertising format is already gaining
popularity in Japan.
 Will
it work in the US?
To be able to use barcode ads, you first need
to download de-coding software to your phone. Google provides a link
to a site Nokia has setup to download codes, as well as to a company
called Kaywa that is offering a form of de-coding software. The
problem here is that I know very few people who will go out of their
way to download software that helps them participate in more
advertising. For bar code ads to work, phones need to come
pre-loaded with the software, meaning carriers and device
manufacturers will ultimately decide when barcode ads take off, if
ever.
What are the benefits?
For the most part, today?s print advertising
is limited in terms of being able to measure response. You don?t
necessarily know if someone is visiting your store or web site
because of your ad. Google, through AdWords/AdSense has created
perhaps the most advanced advertising measurement system in the
world, and by making newspaper ads interactive, advertisers will
have much more insight into how their ads are performing, and
presumably, be able to get a better return on their investment. For
consumers, the ad format beats writing down a phone number or
cutting out a coupon.
When will it happen?
A mobile exec tells Frommer that probably
only around 1% of phones in the US have the necessary software
installed. Thus, while including a bar code in a print ad might be a
nice novelty, it?s not likely to be a good investment at this time.
That said, with Google Android ramping up this year with the support
of most of the carriers, the company clearly has a plan for how to
get the software on more phones. As usual, Google is aiming big on
this one, and has a very clever strategy for making it work.
However, I think it is likely still at least a few years until they
get enough traction to make barcode ads commonplace.
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Do you have a
topical website you wouldn't mind making some money by showing
trusted Google ads?
