The Coolest QR Codes

CNN Money has an interesting story this week on companies that have taken QR codes beyond black and white to full color and beyond.  The story provides a collection of 23 QR codes that reflect brand as much as provide a link to relevant content.  As QR codes gain traction faster than the latest smartphone, perhaps it is time for more retailers and organizations to "think outside the QR-code box" and design codes that extend product brand or image. 

Among some of the companies using creative QR codes in the CNN story:  Gillette, Red Cross, Ralph Lauren, Macy's, True Blood (HBO), Time, and the Salvation Army.  The gallery is also worth looking at to see how some of these organizations use QR codes (i.e., what they direct the user to as a destination).

The CITE goes Mobile

You can now view The CITE even when you are not at your office.  Use the QR Code below with your mobile device to connect to The CITE's mobile page.  In the year ahead we will be talking more about mobile as a significant emerging trend for retail and course materials.  Thus, it seemed appropriate to make our site more mobile as well. 

Everything Marketers Should Know About QR Codes

QR codes are all the rage in marketing these days. The two-dimensional bar codes store tons of marketing information, can be printed on nearly any kind of surface (think cake frosting and temporary tattoos), and, best of all, the tools needed to create and read them are free.

This article from SearchEngineWatch.com lists 14 tools, tactics, and best practices marketers should know about QR codes to get started. The article has plenty of basic information about QR codes, along with links to the free code generators and readers.

Along with the helpful tools and information, the author provides a QR codes checklist and worksheet to help plan a QR marketing campaign.