Here at The Urbane Way, we’re always paying attention to the latest and greatest tools that can help our clients become more interactive in the digital space.
One of the newer technologies that individuals and companies alike are starting to explore and find practical uses for are QR codes. You may have seen them on billboards or in print advertising — “QR” stands for quick response, and it’s a type of barcode with an encoded URL. If you have a phone with a camera and Internet access, you should be able to use this technology — simply take a picture of the QR code and you’ll be connected to that specific content or URL.
Granada, Spain-based mobile marketing company Macanudos is now using this technology to allow users to “like” physical objects, according to All Facebook, whether it’s a newspaper article, a performance, or a restaurant.
Gabriel Medina, head of Macanudos, told All Facebook:
“Our business idea is about looking for new concepts and applications that serve as a bridge between the physical and digital — known as the “internet of things” — … using the phone in this process.”
You can imagine how powerful this function could be for businesses trying to pump up their Facebook “fans,” if the user doesn’t even have to log into Facebook to “like something.” The easier it is for the user, the more likely they are to engage with it.
In New York City, the Department of Sanitation sports QR codes on the side of their trucks. Scanning the codes with a mobile phone takes users to a video from the NYC Media Show “The Green Apple: Recycling,” according to Advertising Age.
Other companies that have experimented with QR codes include JC Penney, Allure Magazine, Northwest Airlines, Calvin Klein Jeans, and more. We’re excited to see where this new technology takes us and how it might begin to fit into more companies’ comprehensive marketing strategies.
Already making QR codes work for your business? Share your story with us in the comments.
Post by Erica Finley, senior journalist at The Urbane Way and @Erica_Urbane on Twitter. At The Urbane Way, we specialize in social media marketing and PR and lifestyle branding. How can we help you?
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