By Heidi Tolliver-Nigro
QR codes are the hot topic. So I thought it might be fun to share a few facts about QR codes many people may not know.
1. QR codes can be in color. Pick one — red, green, purple. Just make sure the contrast is high enough for the readers to pick it up.
2. QR codes can be branded. Because codes can be incomplete (the percentage of allowable incompleteness varies based on the code), they can be branded. QR codes are showing up with logos inserted inside them more and more often.
3. QR codes are really a sub-category under 2D barcodes. 2D barcodes can be proprietary or non-proprietary. There are two primary types of non-proprietary codes used in the United States today — QR codes and Datamatrix.
Other 2D codes, such as Microsoft Tag and BeeTag, are proprietary and require proprietary readers. Some proprietary readers can read generic QR codes, as well.
Why use proprietary codes when non-proprietary versions are available? For the marketer, proprietary codes work reliably and consistently because they don’t have to be all things to all people, as non-proprietary codes do. They do one thing and they do it well. For the code developer, they provide a revenue stream based on sophisticated back-end services, such as tracking, integration and 1:1 capabilities.
4. QR codes can be “smart.” They can read the location and characteristics of the phone being used to read them. Then they customize content based on location, time and capabilities of the phone, among other characteristics.
5. QR codes can contain variable data. Not all QR code generation software will create variable data QR codes, but a growing number will. Because heavily data-driven QR codes would be too large to print well (and therefore be readable), QR codes aren’t likely to become vehicles for sophisticated 1:1 printing campaigns any time soon. But they can be (and are being) used to contain personalized URLs. Instead of typing in your personalized URL from a printed piece or clicking on a link in an e-mail, just snap it with your camera.
And some people think QR codes are just little black-and-white boxes.
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This information is excerpted from the report “QR Codes: What You Need to Know,” part of the Marketer’s Primer Series.
Heidi Tolliver-Nigro has been a commercial and digital printing industry analyst, feature writer, columnist, editor and author for nearly 20 years. Her industry commentary can regularly be found on What They Think’s Digital Nirvana and in top industry publications. This article was originally posted on The Digital Nirvana and has been updated specifically for PaperSpecs.
Copyright 2010 PaperSpecs. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced by any means for any purposes without express written permission of the copyright holders.
Qr codes have been used for years in Europe and Japan and are really picking up steam in the US. Codes can link to website, social media, contact info, virtual brochure, coupons, product info and soo much more. Create your campaign, generate your codes and track your results with GoMobileTag.com!