It is well known that I have been as close to a Luddite as possible. My blog about my fear (of learning how to use an Android phone clearly related that. So it will certainly be a shock to learn that I have my own Quick Response (QR) code. (See code to your left.)
Companies are using QR codes on pamphlets that are passed out in guerilla marketing because it gives them instant feedback and the ability to measure the response rate with an exacting degree of precision to how many people are responding to your code.
The Cook County Forest Preserve is planning on putting QR codes on signs that will guide people around the parks if there is nobody around to answer questions. The Cubs have put the codes on print ads in the Tribune and companies have used the codes on billboards and other marketing materials. All great marketing ideas, but I have some thoughts of my own for QR codes.
Create a free web site with your family’s contact information. Get a QR code that leads to that site and put it on a rubber stamp. Now, instead of pinning a note to a child’s hood with their name and telephone number, stamp your QR code in the neck-lining of shirts and jackets. Stamp it on their school books. Put the code on your dog’s collar. Anything one might lose and want to get back should have a QR code on it.
If I had a boyfriend, I would tattoo (not just stamp!) a QR code on his hand. That way, before a woman tried to hit on him, she could scan the code that would lead to a web site that would tell her that he is taken and she better back off.
One can put their QR code on stickers. Where to affix them? Now one has an easy way to replace the time-honored tradition of scribbling their phone number on bathroom walls; "For a good time call…” just slap your QR code in the stall. Or better yet, the QR code of your enemy!
Just a note to mention that this is available on most phones, namely Apple, Android and Blackberry. No special equipment is required, just one of these phones with a standard camera. You do have to install one of the many applications that will read the codes through your camera. Some of the more common ones are Scanlife, QRDroid and ShopSavvy. ShopSavvy also will scan UPC codes and will tell you the best price on the specific product locally and online. Many stores like BestBuy now have QR codes on the store tags so that you can get specifications and reviews on the products. You can find them now on bus stops and all around the city. You also see them now in place of those tubes you see in front of home or apartments for sale or rent.
ReplyDeleteAlso these QR codes can be anything; email address, website, phone number or anything. You can pack a lot of information in a small package.
Computer Gigolo
I'm a fan of the competitive bar codes: MS Tag.
ReplyDeleteThere's a debate over which is better technically ... but one thing that is for sure is that the MS Tag is more colorful!
I, too, have these on my business cards. The MS Tag automatically generates my vCard contact info that can then be added into the phone's phonebook, without any user intervention.
One interesting application, no matter which technology you use, is in Real Estate. For example, on a yard sign, there's a code that sends your phone to the virtual tour of the property.
Happy tagging!
Fritz Golman