This has to be one of the most ridiculous uses of 2D barcode technology that I have seen, and I congratulate the person(s) who was able to ‘sell’ Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut’s marketing team on the idea to use 2D for this campaign.
Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut cereal is currently running a campaign, which is titled “It’s Morning Somewhere” and the idea behind the campaign is that anytime is like breakfast time – a great time to eat and enjoy Crunchy Nut cereal. To promote the campaign, Kellogg’s has placed a QR Code on the back of Crunchy Nut cereal boxes. When the code is scanned, the customer is brought to a very simple mobile page, which is divided into three sections. The top section displays a product logo, the middle section is a video screen which displays the copy “Right Now: It’s Morning in Magnolia, Washington” and the bottom section displays an image of a cereal bowl with the words “It’s Morning Somewhere.”
The video is all but 15 seconds in length and reminds me of the television show”Seinfeld.” Why? Because it’s a video about nothing. All the video shows is two people walking in a country field, which I’m guessing is Magnolia, Washington. When the top and bottom sections of the mobile site are touched, nothing happens either. So, with all of this nothing going on, what does Kellogg’s expect in return? Sure the marketing team can count code scans, but what then?
With so many directions and opportunities to take a campaign like this (i.e., It’s Morning Somewhere), I am at a total loss to understand what was going through the marketing team’s mind during production. There is absolutely nothing in this campaign for the consumer…no purchase discount, no nutritional tips, no recipes, no contest, no meaningful interaction with people in different parts of the country, let a lone Magnolia, Washington, etc., etc. The next time Crunchy Nut’s marketing team wants to implement a 2D barcode campaign, maybe they should take a play from the Special K marketing team.
Lastly, based on the mobile site’s URL (http://aug.me/A6p7UI), I am wondering if the company Augme is somehow behind the campaign. If it is, perhaps a customer’s geo location is being detected on the scan and the location featured in the video changes as a result (e.g., someone in New York might see a video of Magnolia, Washington while someone in Denver might see a video of Tampa, Florida). If that’s the case then my question remains, where or how does the consumer benefit by scanning the code?
2D Barcode Litmus Test: FAIL
(Thank you Dave)
Marquis on Marketing 
Agreed – a wasted opportunity! It's definitely location based as it (sort of) worked for me in the UK. I say sort of as it was scanned at 11:05am and told me it was morning in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne – just 4hrs away with no time difference! I should have been fed Canada or Buenos Aires where it IS breakfast time. Sigh.
You provide zero insight and even less thought in your criticism. I tried this in the store last week and thought it was a pretty good Idea.
However I would have liked to see a coupon or some type of download but I'm guessing this is more of a trial test for kellogs as it is a new product launch.
On the west coast i got an aerial view of cloud cover on kalifornsky, alaska, along with some majestic music
Anonymous: First, I have said time and again that the analysis and commentary provided on this blog is meant to be constructive, not critical. Second, the insight provided in this analysis is as much as most others, so I don't understand the reason for your saying that zero insight was provided. Third, I too mentioned that there was a need for a coupon, recipes, nutritional info, etc., so nothing new there. Fourth, if this is a new product launch then why test something half-baked like this 2D promotion? Why not do something remarkable to launch a new product by or with?
I was fortunate enough to eat when it was breakfast in China and had a nice view of some folks walking through a rice paddy with a nice sunrise. Unfortunately, the video didn't work until I had spent significant time and effort to make it do so. Joe Consumer would have given up by the 2nd or 3rd scan. When I sent this over, I really do want to stress, there are some very compelling elements to the campaign- love the “its breakfast somewhere” concept, dig the location-aware element, am a fan of a 2-D code on a cereal box as I harken back to the static “solve it once” puzzles of my childhood, but the technical execution was a #FAIL experience for me. I agree with your landing page assessment- nothing there. It also just didn't work on my Verizon Droid phone (there was 3G coverage) on the AugMe scanner (didn't detect my device initially, then a bad UX), nor did it work on my 3 other scanners that are normally very reliable. Hope Kelloggs doesn't pin 2-D or mobile with the results of this effort. I can't stress enough- you can have the best ideas in the world but if you don't execute and test, test, test, its all for nothing. Thanks for your assessment Roger, I appreciate the evaluation of the 2-D effort.
Hi Roger,
I actually thought the campaign was cute idea.
Had potential to go viral so surprised i'm reading about it here.
Augme needs to implement viral tools in their product portfolio (though mybe they pitched twitter/facebook integration but go shot down.
Cheers,
http://www.Cognation.net/QR
Roger,
No offense but you've lost some credibility in my eyes with this blog.
Anonymous: Thank you for the comment but, until you are able to elaborate, I don't believe we can have much of a credible or meaningful conversation. To know that this ad was part of a client acquisition strategy, I still fail to see how in any shape or form the use of 2D and the 2D experience provided (i.e., the video) moves a prospect any closer to wanting to buy the product for the very first time and try it. To say that the company is experimenting with 2D and this was their first use, etc., is merely an excuse for not doing the necessary ground work that comes with developing and implementing a truly remarkable 2D experience.
Roger
1st time reader but completely agree, what is the point?
How does the customer benefit?
The idea is actually nice, I like it, but tech wise – absolutely rubbish.
My blackberry can see the 3 sections but won't play whatsover, I gave up. Thing is I love crunchy nuts so don't need any more experience as it's the taste that counts.
This is just a waste of time and a gimmick, in what could have been a great campaign.
Pete R
Pete: Thank you for the comment. It could have been a very fun and different type of interaction, but someone dropped the ball. To know that this was but one part of a “client acquisition strategy” I wonder how much emphasis this tactical element got versus others, as well as how successful the tactic has actually been.