It’s hard to believe that Quick Response codes, better known as QR codes, have been around since 1994. Developed by Toyota subsidy Denso-Wave Corp. these two-dimensional barcodes act as a physical world hyperlink. Smartphone users scan the barcode with a QR code reader app (various available in both the Android and iPhone app market) and the QR code serves the user relevant content. With smartphone market penetration reaching 50% in 2011 this trend is not likely to go away anytime soon. Marketers have begun integrating the technology into advertisements in magazines, newspapers, billboards, and even in-store. Anyone can create these barcodes for free by visiting one of several QR code generating websites. While the technology is relatively new to the mainstream United States, QR codes have already become commonplace in Japan and South Korea. With all new technologies it is likely that within the next year QR codes will be found just about everywhere, but eventually usage will taper off to only the most appropriate and useful applications.
QR code best practices:
- Be sure to link to a mobile landing page
- Provide relevant, valuable content
- Some mediums work better than others
Current QR code uses:
