MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A local internet start-up, Business Organization, Ideas, Solutions, and Energy, last week launched a marketing campaign that BOISE President and CEO Mark Thompson could only describe as “a complete and utter failure.”

Thompson, whose company strives to provide “strategies, tips, and directions” to improve the efficiency and productivity of businesses worldwide, said his Marketing Intern, Billy Keyman, came up with the idea of giving away a $300 Amazon.com gift certificate as a way to drum up business.

“The idea was simple,” said Thompson. “Anyone who was a fan of our Facebook page would be entered into a drawing to win the gift card. We advertised the contest with fliers and posters. The only problem was that Billy didn’t put the URL of our Facebook page on any of the posters. He didn’t even put on the name of our business. They just said, ‘Win $300!’ with a QR code beneath.”

“Leave it to a supposedly social-media savvy intern to foul things up.”

Indeed, an independent study showed that the only people who attempt to use QR codes are first-time smartphone owners realizing that those little black and white box things they keep seeing everywhere can be scanned by their brand new toy. After fiddling with their phone for a minute or two, these rare, potential-QR-code users invariably say to themselves, “This is stupid” and give up.

Thompson added that the first person to scan the QR code, pictured above, would just be given a $300 gift certificate, no strings attached.

See that QR Code up there? Yeah, that one. For all you know, it leads to a $300 Amazon.com gift card. It probably just leads to our Facebook page, but you never know, right? Go on. Scan it. You never know.