Simplify Edition 8: QR Codes

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QR Codes. Cracking the Code

Relates to: qr code, digital marketing, social media, integrated marketing strategy

You may have noticed those square barcode look alike codes; QR codes appear to be everywhere these days. How can a business use QR codes for marketing purposes?

What are QR codes?

Quick Response codes (QR codes) are similar to the barcodes used by retailers to track inventory and price products at point of sale (POS). QR codes can be read by smartphones or QR barcode readers. The code can store website URL's, plain text, phone numbers, email addresses or even generate a text message or call to someone, depending on how the QR is set up.

QR codes were originally invented in Japan in 1994 for tracking vehicle components in factories and is a registered trademark of Denso Wave. Unlike barcodes, QR codes are two-dimensional (2D) that can store up to 4,296 alphanumeric characters or 7,089 numeric characters of information. The world’s largest QR code is 159 square metres created by Audi to commemorate 100 years of car manufacturing. In Q4 of 2010, the U.K. was the seventh largest user of mobile barcodes in the world (Source: 3GVision).

A smartphone user can download a free application which makes use of the phone's camera to create, generate or scan QR codes.

QR codes are great for integrated marketing campaigns to offer a digital experience and drive engagement with a brand, leading to interactions on a website, social networking site through the mobile.

10 Ways to use QR codes to market your business:

Point of Sale Receipts: A simple and cost effective way to engage a mobile savvy demographic.

Product Labels and Packaging: Link to a product landing page on your website with more info.

Mailings: Direct response mechanic directing to a website landing page showing further content.

At Conferences: Capture contact details on event name tags or link to the conference programme.

Business Cards: QR the card and provide detail about the business on a web landing page.

Maps and Signage: Direct visitors to Google Maps, further details about the event or location.

Posters and On-Screen: Link to your website and social networks to build your following.

Coupons and Discounts: Allow users to redeem special offers with a simple click.

E-ticketing: With the ease of creating QR codes, you can issue e-tickets easily.

T-Shirts: Print a QR code on the back of a T-shirt to connect online with your audience.

Benefits of using QR codes:

QR codes encourage individuals to interact with a product or service. QR codes are a very cost effective way to provide more information and drive consumers online (such as your website or your social media platforms) making it easy to share your online identities and offer more information about your company, products or services. Did you know, 57% of Facebook and Twitter users said they have scanned a mobile barcode at least once in the past year (Source: JumScan).

QR codes make communication more effective and can make the buying experience more interactive by connecting the real world with a digital experience. They can be read anytime, anywhere simply using a smartphone (according to Comscore in 2010, 32% of the adult population in the UK used smartphones).

What you need before you get started creating your QR code:

You will need a smartphone.

Your smartphone will need a camera.

You need a QR code creation app such as Qrafter (iPhone app) or QR Droid (Android).

QR code standards:

The Japanese standard for QR-Codes, devised by Denso Wave, is JIS X 0510, which was released in January of 1999. The corresponding ISO International Standard, ISO/IEC 18004, was then approved in June of 2000. The standard was then updated back in 2006. (ISO/IEC 18004:2006).

Some interesting facts

A typical barcode can only hold a maximum of 20 digits.

QR codes can encode the same amount of data in 1/10th the space of a traditional barcode.

QR codes are omni-directional, which means they are readable from any direction.

Take a look at Simplicity’s very own QR code:

QR codes can be used in a number of ways by businesses, regardless of their size. They are a great example of how you can connect the dots between your traditional marketing activity and your digital marketing. In fact, we are currently in the process of creatively mapping out an integrated digital marketing strategy for our own customers.

If you would like to learn more about how you can integrate QR codes as part of your internet marketing and social media strategy, get in touch with us.

About the author

Elke Bretz is the founder and creative director at Simplicity. She strongly believes in simplifying complex matters, and is passionate about web design, website usability, ux, user-interface design and social media. You can follow her on Twitter to keep up to date on anything that's happening in the creative space. More info about Elke on