Where is the cut off on marketing questions?

Question

Is the use of a QR code worth the space it requires?

To be clear I like the above question as a question. I'm just not sure its a good fit for our website.

Other topics in the marketing tag appear more design focused to me:

• How much text should I use for an ad image?
• Using real products when creating fake mockups

The above two seem okay to me. The QR one, to me, has nothing to do with design though. It's not asking about how to put a QR code onto a design, how to design around a QR code, or anything really design oriented. Its basically asking what the benefits of a QR code is. I think that's a fundamental difference.

I like Scott's QR question, I'm just not sure its a good fit for our site. Where do we draw the line on Marketing questions?

I do hope others might join me in following Area51: Marketing

Answer 1

I can see your point. However consider this....

The QR question is related to the display of information and how that information is conveyed to a reader. Is that not design?

While it certainly skirts the line between marketing and design, the question as I see it, leans more towards design because I'm asking about the use of information in visual terms. If I were to ask how to track QR data, collect scan rates, utilize data in a web site, etc then it would be more on the marketing side.

It's no different than asking "Should I use all cap type for a headline?" While yes, there is some marketing impact, the core of the question is about the visuals, not the data return and I think that makes the difference.

Answer 2

I do think it is an okay question, but just in this case. I do agree that not every 'is XXX a good idea' question should stay here.

QR codes, however, are a commonly recurring issue in design and marketing. Designers tend to hate them, clients tend to love them. There's lots of discussion about this issue in Designer-land. Hence, I do think this a useful question to stay, even if it's an exception to the rules I'd like to see enforced.

Answer 3

For me, I like marketing, but I also like structure. I think the QR question needs to be closed. It has nothing to do with design in its current form. Just adding on, "..in design?" doesn't make it a design question.

This would be an example of a Design Barcode question:

Design Considerations for a custom UPC code

There is no mistake that it is a design question.

I just don't see that in the aforementioned Marketing Question. If it were asking how large a QR code should be, how to seamlessly integrate it into a design, anything design related, then I'd say leave it. But right now I think it should be closed until it can be reworded at least.