Have you seen those weird, square bar-code-looking things that seem to be cropping up everywhere: on storefronts, advertisements, and smartphones? You probably have seen them but didn’t know exactly what they were. They’re called QR Codes and they are one of the fastest growing trends in marketing.
QR Codes are officially known as “Quick Response Codes”. QR Codes are rapidly adapting to US marketing. While recently attending the recent World Tea Expo, an industry conference for tea supply, in June, 2011, we realized by looking at some labels, printed brochures, and even business cards it was easy to see that there is a growing trend around the use of QR Codes.
They were first created by a Japanese company in 1994 to track automobile parts during the manufacturing process. The codes did not catch on in the United States right away but were incredibly popular in Japan. QR Codes have just recently become popular in the US. QR Codes can track anything, but their most popular use is as a cross-platform method for trading information.
Here is a quick primer on QR codes, as well as some potential uses.
“Quick Response Codes” are 2-D barcodes designed to be read by a smartphone such as an iPhone, Blackberry or Droid. Your phone must have an app installed that is designed to read and interpret the code. Once the app has been installed, your phone can scan the code with its camera. What happens next depends on the data stored in the code, but it can be anything: downloading a v-card opening a web page, playing a video, making a phone call or sending a text.
QR Codes are simple and free to create. Generation sites, just like scanner apps, are numerous.
You can use a QR Code to store almost any type of information. Here are a few possibilities:
- Websites
- Online videos
- V-cards with contact information
- Phone numbers to automatically generate a call or text message
- Text – for coupon codes or other targeted messages
- Calendar events
- Links to Facebook profiles
- Links to Twitter posts for re-tweeting content or adding followers
- Links to pre-populated shopping carts
- Email addresses
- Contact records
- Location coordinates
QR Codes offer a new, versatile delivery system for marketers. But remember that creating engaging and strategic content is the key. A QR Code is not a strategy and savvy customers will soon separate those who are using them with thought and care from those who are just using them.
