If any of you have seen an image online or in a magazine or newspaper that looks like something that is a mix between those optical illusion posters that you used to have stuck to your wall when you were little and an alternative version of Pacman then this rather strange image you are witnessing is no secret code but rather a QR code. The QR (Quick Response) code is making its mark (literally) as a way for brands to entice the public to access their information and ultimately visit their site.

Basically, you take a picture with your smart phone (your iPhone or Blackberry) and your phone will read a code, therefore giving you access to a weblink and content. QR codes are not new and have actually been around since 1994 but only recently have been used for more social media based interaction and are made by using a QR code generator and downloading the QR code image. According to Wikipedia, they are used to store information received from magazines, signs and business cards and were originally designed for car manufacturing tracking, but it seems that QR codes have turned over a new digital leaf.

calvin-klein-jeans-qr-codeRecently, a billboard in New York raised eyebrows with its bigger and better combination of social media and the QR code. The red and white billboard was for Calvin Klein Jeans – a brand that is widely known for its racy billboards normally featuring half naked women and men posing draped over each other. The billboard merely had a QR code image on it with the words “get it uncensored”. Those in the QR code know could snap a picture of the billboard and this would link them to a Youtube clip. Many were disappointed in the clip itself but nevertheless, the concept was a great one for customer interaction.

Other instances of companies or brands using QR code are artists such as Fabrice De Nola who integrated QR codes into his artwork and the Pet Shop Boys who used a QR code to reveal their album artwork. Other artists have also integrated QR coding into their installations such as the Design Exchange in Toronto, which produced a series of QR coded wallpaper.

In the information technology age, less is more and those who are clicking away on their camera receiving various QR codes feel that this mode of communication is a great interactive tool for brands who do not want to say too much initially but let their customer base be lead to their site via their mobile device. Those who decide to use QR codes for their brand must however make sure that their websites and the link that they offer are mobile friendly as if they are not, this will only make customers frustrated.

Here is an example of how toy manufacturer Lego used QR codes to entice customers to their site.

Related Posts

  1. Revolutionising mobile search and tracking, QR codes
  2. Kids and social networking: keeping an eye on interaction
  3. What 2010 holds for Brand Reputation Management
  4. Expand your brand on a low budget
  5. Brand butlers: the future of online business

Tags: ,