Connecting Offline and Online With QR Codes
For the past few months I have become mildly obsessed with QR Codes. While at SXSW Interactive I sat on a great panel explaining how QR codes are currently being used around the world.
What is a QR code?
QR stands for Quick Response. QR Codes are two dimensional bar codes that can hold information such as a phone number, URL or SMS message. Here is what they look like:
The QR code above has the URL for the home page of our agency site embed in it, so if you scan it, it should take you to MerrellGroup.com.
How do you scan a QR code?
The most popular way to use QR codes is with a mobile reader on a cell phone. Most phones on the market today have a available QR code reading software. I have an iPhone which has several QR readers, and I am currently using NeoReader.
Here is a sample of a QR code in Action from YouTube:
How Are QR Codes Being Used?
Currently QR codes are popular in Japan and parts of Europe but are quickly becoming more popular in the United States. The value in QR codes is their ability to connect offline and online environments. For example many movie posters in theaters now have QR codes that when scanned will take you to the trailer video of that movie online.
As part of the SXSW QR code panel I learned about a small town in Texas doing some really cool things with QR codes. I have found now that I know about QR codes, I am beginning to see them more and more in my daily life. The big upside to QR codes is that they are free to create and because they are black and white very cheap to include as a part of any printed material. The downside is that not all phones in the U.S. have QR codes readers and even less people know what QR codes are enough to look for them.
This post is only a primer. Stay tuned for posts looking at specific examples QR codes can or are being used in marketing.
