QR Codes – what are they?

Marketing

You may have seen these little boxes of black and white squares appearing in magazines, on advertising and product packaging and also on telly.  If you haven’t – it’s only a matter of time.

QR codes are the equivalent to a website address, but use a graphic code instead.  They can only be read by smartphones that have a QR code reader on them (either inbuilt or downloaded).  These codes save time and hassle for those who want to view the website on their phone’s browser.

This technology is really good for directing people to websites to do things like fill in a form, apply for something, enter a competition, or impart some other information quickly and easily.

Here at DC we trialled our first QR codes way back in Autumn 2009 when we were participating in a local hospice’s ‘It’s a Knockout’ charity event.  It was a competition that could be entered via a form on our site accessed through a QR code.

Since that time we’ve been adding QR codes to all sorts of things for our clients - from DVD covers and event invitations through to strategic national advertising campaigns.

See the above images for examples of QR codes and the way they have been used.

If you want to find out more about how QR codes can help drive traffic to your site or aid your campaign – give us a shout at hi@digitalconsortium.co.uk or call us on 01422 829700