QR Code: Trend or Tool?

Both! The Quick Response code was created in 1994 by Toyota to track motor vehicle parts on the assembly line. It’s taken a while to go global but right now, it’s on fire in the marketing world—for good reason: Smart phone-users are snapping up QR codes left and right. Magazines, print ads, brochures, transit kiosks, tee-shirts, tattoos and even cupcakes (that’s right—cupcakes with lacey chocolate wafers stuck into the icing) feature the codes to attract new eyes to websites and provide bonuses or rewards to those who follow the QR trail.

Part of the reason QR codes are so hot is that they’re fun and easy to use. It takes literally one minute for someone with an iPhone or Android phone to find and install the reader app—many varieties are offered online for free. Then it’s just a matter of seconds for the phone to scan a code and deliver information: Data, url links, geo coordinates, discount coupons and more. Plus, you can create your own QR code with any number of programs offered on the Internet—again, for free!

Recently we created a business card with a prominent QR code and then created a web video for an industry trade show to accompany it. How do you reward people when they scan your QR code? How about a great-looking, affordable web video? We’ll shoot it for you and we’ll even create the QR code for you at no extra charge!