If you’ve not heard of QR then you’ve not been to Japan recently, and there is a good chance that soon if you’ve not heard of it then you’ve not been anywhere.
QR stands for ‘quick response’ and is a two-dimensional bar code of which the contents can be decoded at high speed. They look a little bit like a cross between a bar code and a magic eye picture.
Originally QR was used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, but then some bright spark wondered what would happen if mobile phones could read these codes. Now the codes often contain urls which users can access on their mobile. For example while reading a magazine you see a nice Gucci handbag and you want to know more or even want to buy it, scan the code on the page with your web-enabled phone and it will take you straight to the web page where you can find more information and the option to purchase. This is not a hypothetical example, this is exactly what Gucci and others are currently doing in Japan.
As well as saving the user time and effort it means they are able to respond to the add while it is at the forefront of their mind and it also allows companies can track the success of their adds.
The possibilities don’t stop at press ads QR codes can be used in all other forms of offline advertising (even tv if they’re quick!), in stores, on items, on people…
How about a tatoo of the QR code for the link to your facebook profile page? (probably compulsory by 2084).
The use of QR is widespread in Japan and it seems it might be about to take off here with Pepsi to put QR codes on their Pepsi Max cans.
3 Comments
January 27, 2009 at 12:27 pm
[...] For a little more info try here. [...]
May 18, 2009 at 3:40 pm
[...] QR codes have been ‘big in Japan’ for years now, and back in 2008 Trendplanner posted about the possibilities of QR and how it might not be long before the QR code was common place in countries other than Japan. But now well into 2009 the QR code is yet to really take off outside of Japan in countries such as the US and UK. With benefits for both brands and users, why is this so? [...]
June 7, 2009 at 7:21 pm
[...] I recently got sent some information about a marketing campaign in Brazil for Editoras, an online book store. The campaign was looking to raise awareness of Editoras in Brazil, modernise the brand, and help the brand appeal to a younger audience. With these goals in mind DDB Brazil created a campaign that featured mobile, Twitter, crowdsourcing, and QR codes. [...]