20.9.11

QR Code for the masses

I was very busy since my last post, lots of events, meetings and one Geekcon (wait for special post soon). But one of the events I remember the most is the presentation of ScanLife - the compnay that want to bring the QR Code to the masses. I'm sure now days almost everyone heard about or saw it, it's look like this one:
Scan me :-)
It used for one important purpose, to connect between offline and online. Or in other words, to make it easy and quick for the user to do that. For example, you see an ad and want to know more about the product, instead of typing the web site address of the product, you just scan the small QR Code on the ad with your cell phone and it will navigate you to the site automatically. Another example, there is an ad with a lottery where you need to send SMS with specific word to specific number. Instead of typing all the information, you just scan the QR Code and you have the SMS ready with the phone number and the text, all you need to do is just to click Send. And there are lots of other good examples.
ScanLife Logo
The irony is that the QR Code created by Toyota subsidiary already in 1994 (more on Wikipedia) and became popular only in the last few years thanks to companies like Google and ScanLife that pushed it to the users, as you know it's all about marketing (and timing). And there is also one important aspect that I like the most. Unlike in the online ads where you can measure everything, how much you spent on each ad and how much users you have from each ad or campaign, in offline ads you almost can't do it, you just put your ad on the billboard or in the bus station and hope that someone will see it.
No. of scans for each bus station for example.
Well now you can, with the ScanLife management system you can see exactly how much people scan each of your ad, and it can help you to save money, by putting targeted ads exactly where your audience is. Viva la Revolution!