It was apt that the milestone announcements in June about mass retrenchments and major restructuring across both Fairfax Media and News Ltd occurred in the same week as an earthquake in Victoria.

These seismic changes in publication printing, including the closure of two Fairfax printing plants and the reformatting of its flagship dailies into tabloids, could see the obliteration of major Australian newspaper brands as printed entities in under a decade. The changes have also, once again, thrown the spotlight on print’s grudging relationship with its upstart bedfellows from the electronic world.

Every development in this new media age, from – dare we call them – old-hat websites, right through to Facebook, Twitter, smartphones and tablets, are being talked about as potential enemies of print. (If it’s any consolation, when it comes to new media, printers aren’t the only nervous ‘old boys’. The commercial radio industry is running a campaign to marginalise Facebook advertising, while advertising across TV networks are also being eroded as spend is spread across alternative marketing channels.) 

So could a small – printed – addition to our newspapers prove to be a saviour of sorts? The quick response (QR) code has become a familiar icon. Download any one of hundreds, if not thousands, of QR code reader apps, swipe your smartphone or tablet over the textured square, and presto, your device pulls down information from the worldwide web, such as editorial or advertising content, the latter sometimes offering a ‘buy button’. Think of it as the 21st-century equivalent of the clip-and-mail coupon.

Jeremy de Villiers, executive producer at ad agency Leo Burnett, points to the United Nations’ ‘Voices’ campaign, where consumers photographed press ads or street furniture, launching audios. 

But there are drawbacks – and number one is aesthetic. Let’s face it, QR codes are ugly. Some critics liken them to Rorschach inkblot tests. In an interview for the May issue of ProPrint, American marketing guru Jeff Hayzlett said they appear “like they have been digitally vomited onto the page”. 

The solution to this problem might lie in more advanced technology, sometimes referred to as Augmented Reality (AR), which allows apps to recognise markers hidden within photos or other design elements on a page, making the recognition process seamless. 

Another drawback is that while these print-to-online codes are a no-brainer for printers to produce – they simply print the portal image – recognition technology could prove to be poisoned candy. Publications could eventually become mere doormats to electronic media. 

Worse still, there is a technology that might lock print out of the QR game altogether. Near-field communication is a process that can be used to wirelessly send information to a smartphone from a tiny chip planted in any object, or to link iPhones to one another, sending promotions through cyberspace without any printed launch pad.

Print has a place

But now that we’ve depressed you, be cheered. The spend on printed display advertising has not nosedived, at least not in Australia. Leo Burnett’s de Villiers tells ProPrint that while recognition technologies have not boosted print budgets, neither have they declined. “It’s not like we’re doing any less print work. They say print is dying but I’ve yet to see a media schedule that doesn’t have a print portion. You can have a really beautifully crafted piece of print taking you into a more personal online experience.”

But if recognition technology is to become print’s lifeline, it needs to overcome its greatest hurdle – too many formats. QR codes may be ugly, but at least they have begun to get a foothold in terms of awareness. Now the market is seeing a rapid appearance of a great array of competing recognition technologies. Each is slightly different, and, crucially, can only be read by different smartphone apps. In an environment where speed and simplicity rule, forcing users to download a welter of different apps is discouraging them from accessing additional online content. 

To name just a few of the different proprietary approaches to recognition technology that have either arrived or are on their way, there’s Layar from the Netherlands, Ricoh’s Clickable Paper from Japan, Metaio from Germany, D’Fusion from France, and BlippAR and Spring from the UK. Newspaper and magazine publishers have customised products, such as Fairfax’s Airlink, News Limited’s NewsAlive and ACP’s imminent Viewa. 

US-based Qualcomm and Spyderlink have respectively launched their Vuforia and SnapTags apps. PMP is promoting SnapTags, dubbed “QR codes on steroids” by the print group’s executive general manager of marketing services, Anna Cicognani. 

Many PMP clients have experimented with QR code technology in their catalogues, including major retailers such as Bunnings, Mitre 10, JB HiFi, Officeworks and Harvey Norman, and also Cheap as Chips and the Industrial Supply Group.

PMP chief executive Richard Allely tells ProPrint the company sees its adoption of SnapTags as helping consumers find their nearest store, freeing space in catalogues for specials and prompting customers to download a retailer’s app or set up a customer database. Hardware retailers have also embraced them as a way to provide DIY videos to customers. “Global trends show us how some retailers are utilising various technologies, however it may be some time until a ‘one size fits all’ solution emerges,” says Allely.

Allely notes a finding in AMP Capital Shopping Centres’ Intent Report that coding enhances a printed catalogue’s potential to drive sales. “Applying digital technology to the printed medium helps to bridge the gap between online and offline, and turns the humble catalogue – which is proven to continue to be one of the most significant level of influence amongst consumers – into an immediate sales generation piece.”

Jane McPherson, chief marketing officer of Denver-based Spyderlink, says the marketplace for 2D barcode formats had become crowded. It was time for smarter technology to evolve, which is where she positions SnapTags. 

“In the US, there was an explosion of 2D mobile barcode formats a few years ago and the market has distilled down to three formats that represent a much more manageable set of solutions for marketers to consider. The stronger technologies offering more robust capabilities, such as SnapTags, persisted and we anticipate the same will happen in Australia.

“We actually see a wide range of brand, retailer and service providers integrating 2D mobile barcode readers into their own apps these days. In the US, Toyota and Glamour magazine have already both integrated the SnapTag Reader into their brand apps, offering their consumers increased functionality and a reason to use their app time and time again.”

McPherson says the challenge of the technology is that “marketers need to dedicate time to think beyond the impression, and consider how they can continue the conversation with an engaged consumer”. 

Click to play

Kathy Wilson, Ricoh Australia’s general manager, business solutions, sees QR codes and their more advanced heirs, such as Ricoh’s Clickable Paper, as an important addition to cross-media, “that will give print the necessary relevance to add value to communication”.

But she believes there are some hurdles to overcome. “First is the impact a QR code itself has on design, particularly in limited spaces such as a business card, and second is audience education. Initially, QR codes were being used in a market where the audience hadn’t yet been educated on how to use the code or what technology was required to engage with it.” 

De Villiers says there has to be a streamlining of technologies. “There are just too many options.” 

But he stops short of predicting a killer app that would raise consumer awareness of the process and help lift publications out of the doldrums. “To be honest, I don’t think so. It won’t revolutionise print.”

For publishers, it’s early days. Mark Moes, production director of News Life Media, the magazine division of News Limited, believes the jury is still out on whether it will make a big difference for magazine publishers.

Publishers are awaiting evidence from market researchers and ad agencies. News Life Media, which publishes titles such as Vogue Australia and Gardening Australia, has not yet adopted the recognition technology that News Ltd designed for its newspapers, called News Alive. “I guess the question is: has the general public picked up on [the general technology],” says Moes, who thinks it will be a wait-and-see situation as to whether a benchmark app will arise and stimulate advertisers’ engagement with print. 

“In some cases, trying to get the app set up has been cumbersome. If you’re going to put the app on your iPhone, you need to be able to get it fairly quickly and easily. If it’s easy, people will follow through on it.” But Moes predicts the better technologies will endure and the field will narrow. He believes the technology will stand or fall on how effectively it is applied. “Some QR codes just take you to a website or provide a few additional pictures. Is that the experience the reader wanted or did they want something really different? Are advertisers getting maximum use out of the technology?”

Commercial sheetfed printers have a lot to gain. Sydney’s SOS Print & Media has printed a number of jobs with QR codes. But director Michael Schulz awaits a shakeout and one or two majors need to emerge before consumers are ready to swipe with confidence. “There will be an easy to use, practical technology to connect print to online content. It’s not here yet. Printers need to understand the back end of these technologies and work on solutions with their customers. Just placing a QR on a postcard doesn’t cut it.”

Market confusion

A high-profile use of recognition technology was the work Active Media Group produced for Sportsgirl’s ‘window shop’, where QR codes on decals outside the shop allowed passers by to access online shopping.

Sydney-based Look Print has handled QR-enabled point-of-sale for several 24-hour retail outlets. Managing director David Leach says: “They’re not a saviour but an opportunity worth a king’s ransom. Imagine bricks-and-mortar experiential shopping with unlimited choices and availability via seamless instant web – anywhere, everywhere.

“I certainly think there is confusion in the market. Our clients are using the QR code at the moment because it is best supported in the market via reader software. Changing to another type of code or variant when a better one evolves will be a strategic decision and will be as simple as changing text on a new print run.”

Large-format printer Omnigraphics has produced a number of jobs in formats where the public is in proximity to the medium, such as bus shelters and transit branding, says sales director Nathan Sable. “Standardisation may come as the technology matures, although innovation within IT is moving at a frenetic pace and therefore it is difficult to predict.”

QR codes printed on billboards are gaining a foothold in Australia but are still relatively infrequent. Billboard doyen Cactus Imaging, part of the Opus Group, averages one enhanced billboard each quarter. Managing director Nigel Spicer sees much potential in real estate billboards, but like others, is waiting for apps to consolidate. Once they do, the potential is huge. “They certainly compliment print. Nobody likes [manually] entering a web page on an iPhone.”

App killer future developments

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