In the hot space between the tech and marketing worlds there has been some considerable buzz of late about the efficacy of QR codes. QR -- short for Quick Response -- codes are black patterns in a square shape on a white background. These are the codes used by many airlines to check-in for flights using your smart phone.
The information encoded can be a text, a URL or almost any other form of data. When these bar codes are posted in public or private spaces they can be scanned by smart phones so users can get fast, direct access to websites or other online data resources to promote businesses, offer deals, deliver information or just plain advertise. The advantage is the speed and efficiency that smart phone scanning can offers users who may not have time to remember or write down a website address or surf the web to get to the site that features the information that is being promoted. Huge in Japan (where they were conceived in the 90s to as a manufacturing tracking device) and quickly catching on in Europe, QR codes are just making their way to America. It's hard to tell whether this will be Beatlemania Stateside or if this is just another techie trend that won't play in the Peorias between cities like New York and San Francisco.
Not surprisingly, some of the "hippest" industries in the country -- fashion and rock music -- have been some of the first to take the QR code buzz to maximum levels of exposure.
Read More
Recent Comments