The New Age of Student Event Marketing - The 2D Barcode System

Sandra is sprinting as fast as she can down the hall so she isn't late for her Chemistry class. Halfway down the hall she approaches a table staffed by the Student Soccer Club who are trying to recruit new members. Sandra has always had a passion for soccer, but knows she can't be late for the class. As she goes by the table, there aren't any paper handouts for her to grab, instead she pulls out her cell phone and takes a picture of a 2D barcode sitting on the table. "Thanks!" she yells as she rushes on to just make it to class on time. Moments later her phone vibrates with an incoming txt that lets her know when the next soccer pick up game is, a link to the soccer club Facebook group, and a link to RSVP for the next game.

It's called 2D Barcodes and Case Western Reserve University is the first large scale school to test the system. From student event marketing, mapping bus routes, and in class Q&A, 2D Barcodes, or QR Codes, will probably be the next big technology to hit your campus and become a normal part of everyday life.

Case Western is working with Mobile Discovery and Scanbuy to make the new technology happen. Only people with a Case.edu email can sign up at Mobile Discovery and download the software needed to translate the 2D codes.

Set up is not as easy as point and shoot yet, but I suspect that as it becomes more popular, there will be more open source options that allow anyone to take a picture of any bar code and receive information. That is if schools will be ok with opening up more.

Comments

[Kevin Guidry]

I applaud the initiative to test and deploy new technology or new applications of technology. However, I'm not sure what problem this particular solution is addressing. It reminds me in some ways of :Cuecat in being a solution in search of a problem. I'd love to be proven wrong and I hope to see followup reports, presentations, lessons learned, etc. from Case Western!

[Tom Krieglstein]

@ Streetstylz - hmmm thanks for the adverb...

@ Kevin - I think you're right and so let's step back and define the problem. I think Case Western would say student apathy and not enough student engagement. If that's the issue, I don't think this will be very helpful. It will engage the same number of students as it did before. The same students who took the time to look at the posters on the wall will be the same ones who will go the extra step to take a picture of it to get more info. A student does have to register and download software to scan a barcode. Which means in the end we are asking students to do more work.

I do think there is some unexplored potential with using this technology in the classroom....hmmm let me rephrase that and say there is some unexplored potential with cell phones in the classroom, and not so much this technology.

I know the student activities department at Case Western, so I'll contact them to post a follow up on the new tech.

[Kevin Prentiss]

@ Kevin - I completely agree. I think it's whiz without bang. Seems like text opt-in is the same solution just without the extra download / login stuff.

Would love for Case Western to prove me wrong with some implementation that I don't see yet.

[Brian]

Very interesting, indeed. But I'm not sold on this idea. I can't envision the students at any of the institutions I've ever worked for actually using this.

[dlethe01]

"Beginning February 1, students, faculty and staff at Case Western Reserve's Cleveland, Ohio, campus will be participating in the nation's first trial of "2D codes"—commonly referred to as "QR Codes"—by bringing the cell phone technology to campus."
http://blog.case.edu/case-news/2008/01/29/2dcodes

Students, faculty and staff at Case Western Reserve are testing Scanlife reader and Ezcode codes (not QR codes).

Scanbuy only promotes Ezcode codes in the U.S. Furthermore, Scanbuy's scanlife can only read Ezcode codes in the U.S.
www.scanlife.com/help.html
Ezcode is a proprietary code. Ezcode is not standard.

My blog post:
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Case Western Reserve University - 2d barcodes

Google is developing the ANDROID operating system. Google is also developing its ZXING reader. ZXING can now read QR 2D open standard codes. In the near future, ZXING will also be able to read the Datamatrix codes and 1D standard codes.
//code.google.com/p/zxing/

ZXING reader will be preinstalled on ANDROID application. We expect the launch of the platform in 2008. ZXING reader is not performing. That's the reason why Google directs us to other readers' web site:
//code.google.com/p/zxing/wiki/InterestingLinks
I believe that GOOGLE will have to acquire one of the following companies: Nextcode, Neomedia, Scanbuy, Kaywa,…
Let's not forget that Google acquired Neven Vision (Mobile Visual Search) in 2006. Microsoft has also developed its Mobile Visual Search application.
//research.microsoft.com/~larryz/
//research.microsoft.com/vision/InteractiveVisualMediaGroup/

Google will push the adoption of 2D codes technology on a global scale. It is only a matter of time. I also believe that Google will join the Mobile Codes Consortium (MC2). Here are some reasons:

"OMA, GSMA, MC2, major telcos, Nokia, Google all working in the same direction..."
//mobile.kaywa.com/qr-code-data-matrix/joel-on-software-compares-apples-and-oranges.html

GS1 has probably decided to collaborate with the MC2.
http://tinyurl.com/39mhm2

Google, Publicis Working Together on Digital Ads Technology. January 22, 2008. Collaboration between Google and Publicis Groupe.
www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=publicis+group+and+google&btnG=Search
Publicis Groupe is one of the founders of the group MC2. Google and Publicis Groupe want both use the 2D codes technology for advertising in newspapers, in magazines… It is also important to mention that Mauritius Levis, the CEO of Publicis Groupe, is a man who looks enormously to the new technologies. In December 2006, Publicis Groupe has acquired Digitas for the sum of 1.3 billion dollars.
Meanwhile, Google has made an offer to acquire DoubleClick.

[streetstylz]

It should be noted that:

Scanbuy’s indirect resolution process, which they use for their proprietary EZcode, is infringing on NeoMedia Technologies’ core patents.

Scanbuy uses the indirect encoding method for their barcode resolution process.

Indirect encoding (patented by NeoMedia) is the process of linking the target information to an index (364528 for example) and putting that unique identifier into a 1D UPC/EAN or 2D barcode. The code reader on the mobile phone reads the barcode and sends the code data over the Internet to a central resolution server that will tell the mobile phone what action is associated with the index, i.e. access a URL, download media, initiate a phone call, ect.

NeoMedia Technologies has a suite of twelve issued patents covering the core concepts behind linking the physical world to the electronic world dating back to 1995.

http://neom.com/13.html

NeoMedia and Scanbuy are currently in litigation. What happens if NeoMedia seeks a permanent court ruling enjoining Scanbuy from ever infringing on NeoMedia's patented process?