QR Codes and Real Time Marketing – Trends Review. QR codes used as mobile tagging has started in Japan (2003) and since are implemented in several fields of mobile marketing world wide. As marketing applications their uniqueness stems from their Quick Response orientation which allows customers to access real time information. Mobile users, taking a picture of the code or reading it with their cameras, trigger an action leading to content download, a message or link. QR codes are offering endless marketing opportunities. Today – with the remarkable growth of mobile and smart phones – this potential can be easily implemented. Follow the trend as it grow: see the rise in interest through Google search – world wide (since 2007) and in the US (since mid 2008). Taking advantage of local targeting, mobile users (provided with a good motivation) can be directed to your brand ads and messages.
December 2005: Northwest Airlines advertising campaign (Tokyo’s streets and subways) June 2008: Adidas November 2008: Pepsi Max June 2009: Speed Stick 1. 2. Ten examples of QR codes for real time marketing. Earlier this week, I wrote a blog post titled QR codes deliver buyers in real time.
In comments on the post as well as via Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ a few people mentioned that QR codes are not very popular. In fact, some said that many people don’t even know what they are or how to use them. While I do agree that the average person wouldn't know what a QR code is, I also recall in 1995 when web site URLs started to appear in offline advertising and again in 2008 when Twitter IDs started popping up, people didn’t know what they were either. I wanted to get a data point, so this morning at the Email Marketing Evolved conference in Stockholm, Sweden where I delivered the keynote, I asked the international audience of about 250 how many of them have a a smart phone with a QR reader.
It was about 30%. Now, I'm not advocating that QR codes will have the same uptake as web sites or Twitter, I do think for the geeky among buyers, it is probably worth adding a QR code when possible. QR codes deliver buyers in real time. In many countries, people now use mobile-phone cameras as bar code scanners to quickly collect localized information from QR codes (abbreviated from Quick Response code).
For example, many display ads on Tokyo subway cars (where more than half the riders seem to be using mobile Internet) feature QR codes. As passengers scan images of these codes, they're taken to mobile web sites that provide more information—and sometimes even discount coupons. Several years ago, the Tokyo government started using QR codes to advise people about construction issues and provide other information.
On a recent visit to Japan, I received several business cards that included a QR code, making it simple to download the person's contact information. Real-time marketing with QR codes The real-time aspect of QR codes is important. I adapted this technique myself for my live presentations to make it easy for people in the audience to download my content. Free QR code generators and readers Kaywa QR Code Generator.