QR code on CBS Early Show
QR code generator
You may not be able to make sense of this visual language, but your (smart) phone can decode this “Quick Response” or QR code quite rapidly. These 2D matrices, or barcodes, can contain up to 7,089 numeric or 4,296 alphanumeric characters of information. Initially intended for commercial tracking, QR codes have become a link between print, mobile, and web advertising.
Ad Age
CK billboard
QR codes are legible on both printed and digital media: they can appear on magazines, signs, screens, packaging, clothing, skin, and food. They can display text, connect to a wireless network, and open a multimedia Web page within a phone’s browser; these simple tasks can effectively target consumers using very unconventional methods and in very creative places.
Central Park
Museum Gallery
Unlike conventional advertising, consumers are allowed to pursue ads that interest them rather than having the ads pushed upon them: scan a code of your favorite band and download a sample track or a free ring tone, scan a code of your favorite products and get an instant coupon, scan a code on a bus or train to see where and how far you are from the next stop. I anticipate the food packaging industry will be leveraging this technology quite a bit in the future; a simple scan on a wrapper, box, or actual fresh produce will instantaneously reveal nutritional and ingredient information, or even recipes. Not only is it simpler for consumers to scan a code than type in a full URL, consumers can also be presented with rich media and content.
Iron Man II poster
Tissot ad
QR advertising gained quick traction in Japan where it was originally created; most Japanese phones come equipped with a reader. Other nations, including the US, are slower to adapt, but the technology is surely becoming more visible and creative.
QR Anywhere blog
QR art
To start taking advantage of this technology, download a QR reader app, like ScanLife, Neoreader or QR Scanner to your phone and start scanning away today!
Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.