• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, October 2, 2012

Will QR codes gain traction before NFC takes over? QR codes have gotten slammed for being little more than "a bright shiny object" before then next thing comes along, like mobile payments. Backing up the criticism, Harry Kargman, CEO of mobile publishing network Kargo, said the company's efforts over the last two years to integrate codes into mobile marketing programs haven't paid off. "We haven't seen the kind of uptake we would've hoped," he said, speaking on an OMMA Mobile panel on the topic.

QR code vendors on the panel including Scanbuy and SpyderLynk pointed the finger back at marketers. They argued that marketers have created too many codes that simply link back to their Web sites instead of coming up with something more engaging. "We've seen great results when we use consumer-focused strategies,' said Nicole Skogg, CEO of SpyderLynk.

Mike Wehrs, CEO of Scanbuy, agreed, that the company has seen better interaction with QR codes that include things rewards and contests using social media, and dynamic codes, that take into account users' prior code usage to offer more tailored content. Both vendors noted that it's still early days for QR codes, with time for the experience to get better.