On the last page of the Money section in today’s Straits Times is a report titled ‘ New ZapCode billboard a hit with shoppers’. Many thoughts came to mind when I read this report. The first was that this sounded a lot like an advertisement.
ZapCode is a 2D barcode technology that is being promoted by SPH NewMedia for advertising purposes. So when the newspaper printed by SPH says that ZapCodes are a hit with shoppers, I would take the claim with a lot more than a pinch of salt.
Some of the details in the report make me wonder if ZapCode is really such a hit. A billboard with a ZapCode has resulted in more than 1200 responses. Let’s be generous and say there were 1300 responses. These responses were received from 168 different mobile phones. This means, on average, each phone sent 8 messages ( I rounded the number upwards ). It has been about 3 weeks since the end of last month, so to be generous, each phone zapped the code 3 times in a week.
I’m not sure if each code was for a different piece of information. Apparently, there is a weekly lucky draw which people who zap the code are entered. Does zapping the same code increase your chance of winning? The report does not mention it and I haven’t had a chance to see the code yet. Does anyone know if within a week the code changes or the information changes? Does anyone know if zapping the code more increases your chances of winning in the lucky draw. I think this is important in ascertaining if ZapCode is indeed a hit. It is important because not all interaction with consumers are equal. Consumers may just be interacting with the code to win prizes without any care for the brand advertising.
And the number. 168 different mobile phones. I would believe that the Midpoint Orchard mall is a heavily trafficked area. To get 168 mobile phones zapping the codes seems to me like a small number.
So here is the thing. Is ZapCode really a hit with shoppers? Or is Straits Times disguising advertising as reporting to build hype about their own product?
Please share your views.
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