I spent part of the weekend playing with QR Codes, thinking that it would be something a bit different to add to my add to my CV. However gimmicky, I think it’s useful to be able to demonstrate the uses of such things. The example on the left, if you scan it with a smart-phone, will offer to add my contact details to your address book and give you a link to this blog.
You’ll probably have noticed these little squares appearing on your pastage and any mail-order items you receive. They’ve been used for tracking packages for some time. Apparently, in Japan, they have been appearing everywhere and much more visibly in the world of but Marketing for some time too. That’s a use that’s only just starting to gather pace in the US and UK and of course relies on there being a critical mass of smart-phone users able to scan them.
A couple of years ago, Google sent stickers with the codes on to 100,000 businesses in the US to tie them to their Places project in Google Maps. Closer to home, the codes have started to appear on-screen in Waitrose TV ads. They have even popped-up on the back of DVD boxes linking to a mobile trailer so you can see a little of what you’d get inside the pack while shopping.
They’re really easy to create too. There’s a plethora of aps for iPhone and Android as well as online generator such as this one from delivr.com
