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"Dan Frommer at Silicon Alley Insider alerts us to a new offering from Google: the ability to purchase ads within newspapers that contain a 2D bar code.  If a consumer sees such an ad, they can capture a picture of the barcode, and special software will then de-code it and send them to a specified page on the mobile Web.   Apparently, this advertising format is already gaining popularity in Japan.\nWill it work in the US?\nTo be able to use barcode ads, you first need to download de-coding software to your phone.  Google provides a link to a site Nokia has setup to download codes, as well as to a company called Kaywa that is offering a form of de-coding software.  The problem here is that I know very few people who will go out of their way to download software that helps them participate in more advertising.  For bar code ads to work, phones need to come pre-loaded with the software, meaning carriers and device manufacturers will ultimately decide when barcode ads take off, if ever.\nWhat are the benefits?\nFor the most part, today\u2019s print advertising is limited in terms of being able to measure response.  You don\u2019t necessarily know if someone is visiting your store or web site because of your ad.  Google, through AdWords/AdSense has created perhaps the most advanced advertising measurement system in the world, and by making newspaper ads interactive, advertisers will have much more insight into how their ads are performing, and presumably, be able to get a better return on their investment.  For consumers, the ad format beats writing down a phone number or cutting out a coupon.  \nWhen will it happen?\nA mobile exec tells Frommer that probably only around 1% of phones in the US have the necessary software installed.  Thus, while including a bar code in a print ad might be a nice novelty, it\u2019s not likely to be a good investment at this time.  That said, with Google Android ramping up this year with the support of most of the carriers, the company clearly has a plan for how to get the software on more phones.  As usual, Google is aiming big on this one, and has a very clever strategy for making it work.  However, I think it is likely still at least a few years until they get enough traction to make barcode ads commonplace."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2008/01/29/google-barcode-ads/>