What's All the Hub-Bub with QR Codes?

Yep, that's a QR code in our logo. Cool, right?

These things are literally everywhere. Seriously. You'd be hard-pressed to not be able to find one out in the real world. But to people not into the technology realm, who read techno blogs everyday and stay on the cusp of developing reality, QR codes are still unfamiliar territory.

Housed in a nifty-looking square, a QR code is basically a glorified barcode. Inside said barcode, there holds lots of information. When scanned via a mobile device's camera, the information which lies in the code will react in one of several ways. They can open the device's internet browser, directing the user to specific web page that the company wants them to see. Or it could direct them to an embedded YouTube video. It could also provide a custom message to be displayed on the user's screen. Maybe even place a phone call. There's a wealth of variations of what the QR code can do.

But most folks still aren't clear on what the code's main purpose or goal is. Sure they see the sign near the 2-D barcode that says "Scan here for more information!", but they're ultimately not sure what the incentive or end game is. When people are confused in the first 3 seconds, they push it aside and move onto something else. The bad part is, these codes can be quite powerful and useful - if used correctly.

In a world where majority of it's citizens are carrying a smart phone in their pocket, the reach to potential customers is great. The idea of über-customization and personalization runs rampant with QR codes. Being able to point a potential customer in a specified direction and forcing them to stare at what you want them to is the whole point.

Currently, Printed Specialties is in the process of making our own coating booklet all in house. This is designed as a promotional piece to show how well our presses and finishing equipment can handle different coating to give different printed parts a different feel. In the marketing department, we got the idea to have a QR code put into our logo (similar to the one above) that would bring the user to our YouTube page which would automatically load a video of how the booklet was printed and came together. In this way, we get the user to watch a neat video of the process, and then they're given links to our other social sites.

It will no doubt be interesting to see where the QR code world will head in the future. With the technology inside smart phones accelerating a rapid pace and network speeds (such as 4G) ramping up, people will be able to access all sorts of materials and data QR codes can throw at them. This is bound to be a fun ride to watch pan out.

Be well,