Why QR codes can’t handle the spotlight

ITSMYURLS.com and QRBLENDER.com have it all....analytics, one link...AND logo/pictures within the boring b/w QR codes....really....check them out.

In Japan, QR codes are EVERYWHERE.  It is really the primary way of giving out URLs.   I believe that their phones make it much easier to scan a code.  I just don't feel that the US has embraced the QR code.  On one of my sites that offers free engineering reports to prospective (US) Low Power FM radio broadcasters, I provide a generated QR code on a search result.  This way, the user can scan the code on the screen with their smart phone and bookmark a mobile friendly version of their search that they just did.  I am not sure if/how people are using it since I am not really tracking, but it can be a major convenience. 

What I don't really care for are these Microsoft codes with the triangles.  I consider these "non-standard" as it does require a app download.  I just wish the carriers would embrace QR and educate customers on them.. that way advertising material in the USA does not have to include a ton of instructions to go with the code. 

Lots of business cards have qr code links on them now, and I think its a great idea. One tip would be to add google analytics tracking to the linkurl so you can see how many people are scanning the qrcode.

I love the promise of QR codes, I do. But I also know that even I (as a social geek) rarely scan them and find many of them to be valueless. If there is not valuable content on the other end, using a qr code is not going to help your business.

I use QR Codes on my business cards from http://www.raisedconnection.com. I find that the novelty really helps me stand out from the competition.

I don't use QR codes in my marketing any longer, because I don't use them personally. I find it irritating to have to get out my phone, turn on the 3G (I leave it off to preserve battery life), open an app, scan the code, and wait for my phone to load the information.

I think they're pointless in magazine ads, for example. If I'm reading a magazine, I'm likely at home where I have a computer. They work somewhat in print magazine editorial, to link to supplemental materials like videos, though if you're scanning QR codes on a smartphone, you likely have the technology to read digital magazines with embedded media.

I do think QR codes still have a place in stores, to provide additional product information or videos of a product in action.

I do use QR codes in my business literature, on my business cards, and even on a car door sign. What I find most is that it's a great conversation piece *because* most people are not familiar with them, and then they scan it (if they have a smartphone) and they think it's really cool and then they tell their friends. As to whether this increased visibility actually results in more sales, it's too early to say. But it is free word-of-mouth advertising and increased visibility for my business, so who knows where it could lead.