QR Codes = The New “Point & Click”

The QR is having a coming out party - in and out of Japan.

The International Herald Tribune takes a look at QR, or Quick Response Codes – ink blots featured on advertisements that enable consumers to snap a picture with their cell phone to access information or place transactions.

Now, the ubiquitous blots are appearing on everything from movie posters (to download trailers, view nearby show times and even purchase tickets) to Japanese business cards (allowing you to snap a picture with a cell phone to automatically save the contact information).

The idea? Forget short codes – just point and click – in a whole new way.

“The power of QR is that it is easy to use and potentially turns anything into a direct connection between advertiser and client,” Kent Wertime, president of OgilvyOne’s Asian operations, tells the pub.

I’ve covered such codes extensively here in BRANDING UNBOUND the blog (most recently last week, with Sprite’s ShotCodes promotion in Mexico) and in BRANDING UNBOUND the book.

As the Tribune puts it, by the time QR codes catch on in Europe and the U.S. in any meaningful way, Japan will be on to the next thing. Example: Fujitsu has created a new technology that places codes within pictures, making them imperceptible – and more aesthetically useful for marketers.

Quick links:

BRANDING UNBOUND The Book
ADWEEK Magazines Excerpt
GENERATION WOW