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The Resurrection Of A QR Code

Are BBDO New York missing a trick with their year old QR Code on a Guinness beer glass campaign? The campaign was a gold winner at the 2011 John Caples International Awards but has recently been resurrected on the social networks and gone viral. According to Caples at the time of the award “Even [...]

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The World’s First QR Code Exhibition

I received the following Press Release this morning: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Title: QR WORLD EXPO ANNOUNCED Subtitle: The World’s First QR Code Exhibition Taking Place in London Date: Wednesday 15th May 2012 With brands, businesses and organisations around the world now embracing QR Codes®, QR Pay Ltd are pleased to announce “QR World Expo” the first ever QR Code focused [...]

Asides (Latest News)

• The latest ScanLife Trend Report contains some interesting analysis of barcode scanning data pulled from the ScanLife Reporting Platform during Q1 2012. While it includes 1d codes (24%) as well as 2d codes (76%) the demographic data shows scanners are more likely to be Male (68%) Aged 25-34 (35%) and use an Android device (48%) (image below). These figures show no really significant shift in the demographics since the Q4 2011 trend report. You can download the full report here. More...
• The International Network of Street Papers (INSP), an umbrella organization for 122 street papers on six continents, is to trial street vendors offering their customers two options, print and digital. The digital version will be sold on a card with a unique QR Code (image below) and cost the same as the printed version. Scanning the code will enable the customer to view the digital version of the magazine. A six month pilot scheme will take place this summer in two countries; the UK (The Big Issue in the North, Manchester) and the USA (StreetWise, Chicago). More...
• Following on from Nellymoser's 2011 analysis of ‘mobile action codes’ (all 2D barcodes, QR Codes, Microsoft Tags and Watermarks) Q1 2012 results have been published. The overall number of magazine ad pages containing a QR code or other type of action code was up 288% over Q1 2011, from 352 in Q1 2011 to 1365 in Q1 2012 (chart below). The percentage of magazines with at least one code went from 78% in Q1 2011 to 99% in Q1 2012 and for the first time, the percentage of magazine advertising pages containing a mobile action code exceeded 8% each month of the quarter. This is up significantly from March 2011 when just 3.55% of ad pages contained an action code. Marketers overwhelmingly favored QR Codes (80%) over Microsoft Tag (14%) and all other types (6%) in Q1 2012. (Full Press Release) More...
• Smartphone owners who use their mobile phones while shopping are more likely to scan a QR Code in some types of store than others. According to a recent Nielsen survey while 76% have scanned a QR Code for product details in an electronic store only 5% have done so in a furniture store (chart below). I think these percentages may tell us more about the prevalence of QR Codes in various kinds of store rather than the consumers tendency to scan. More...
• Briggs & Stratton Corporation, the world’s largest producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment (mowers, portable generators, pressure washers etc.) is to put a QR Code on every engine. The QR Code resolves to a mobile site where users can find an operator's manual for the device, an illustrated parts list and a GPS enabled dealer locator. There is also an option to dial directly to a customer service representative in one click. This is very practical solution to the missing manual problem with an excellent implementation, other manufacturers take note please. More...
• Toshiba Tec have developed an Object Recognition Scanner to replace the conventional barcode scanner at supermarket checkouts. The scanner utilizes pattern recognition and detects the difference between merchandise and anything in the background enabling it to operate at high speeds. Particularly useful for fruits and vegetables which do not normally have individual barcodes. The video below shows the scanner differentiating between three varieties of apples by recognizing the subtle differences in pattern and color. More...
• The National Newspapers of Ireland March 2012 'Press Ad of the Month' was a QR Code made entirely from food (image below). The ad for Brancott Estate Australian wine was created by Dublin agency Boys and Girls and the QR Code resolved via a tinyurl to a competition page (using a mobile device). This is not the first food QR Code by any means and you will find ten of the best previous attempts in Edible QR Codes. More...
• Brides Magazine has relaunched with a new look and feel including a custom icon "We Love It" encoded with an imperceptible Digimarc digital watermark. There are more than 30 of these icons in the May 2012 issue and when scanned take the user to different sponsor's mobile content where they can register to win prizes, watch videos, get coupons or purchase products (video below). Brides Magazine also created the "We Love It" app, which is a companion app built by Nellymoser with a built in scanner as well as other features. Nellymoser also built the mobile experiences, including video and sweepstakes. More...
• Last year the Royal Dutch Mint produced a limited edition of QR Coded coins but we will have to wait a little longer to see QR Codes on banknotes in circulation. The world's oldest central bank, Sveriges Riksbank the central bank of Sweden has announced the results of a competition to design Sweden's new banknotes. They have decided that graphic designer and engraver Göran Österlund's entry will form the artistic starting point for the new banknotes. He designed the new banknotes with QR Codes (image below) but the bank deems that these are "neither practical nor appropriate from a security standpoint" and they will not appear on the new notes when they enter circulation in 2015. More...
• Americanino, a Chilean fashion brand created a pop-up QR Code event which 'hypnotized' young consumers and tried to get them to strip off in public (video below). The QR Code was a text message telling them to call a phone number: (In Spanish) "Cuando vives el estado hipnótico de Americanino, los cambios no se hacen esperar. Atrévete a llamar a este número +56 9 67349967, compruébalo y no te muevas de acá". When they called the number a 'hypnotist' answered and started describing their entire outfit, told them that their clothes were unfashionable and invited them to strip off. Those who were bold enough to do so were rewarded with a free Americanino outfit. More...