QR stands for “Quick Response ". The Japanese company Denso Wave developed this two-dimensional code in 1994. The background was that in the 1980s the requirements in the automotive industry for machine-readable codes increased. They should fit more information into a smaller area and have low demands on readers. And they should still work even if they were partially destroyed or illegible. This special QR code was developed on the basis of these specifications.
QR codes are like small data memories that can store up to half a DIN A4 page of text (4296 alphanumeric characters). Messages are encoded in a pattern of light and dark dots. The dots correspond to the zeroes and ones in digital computing. They can still be read even if up to 30% of the area has been damaged.
In the marketing area, these QR codes can be used because, in an age of smartphones and camera phones, it is possible to read the QR code with free apps.
Insert QR code on business cards
You have the option of creating a QR code from your company website and you can then integrate it on your business card. By scanning the business cards with qr code, the respective person is then immediately taken to the company website. It is also possible for personal data to be stored as a QR code in vCard format - the new contact of the business partner then ends up in the electronic memory of the smartphone immediately after scanning the code. The recipient of the business card is thus spared the error-free typing.
Integration of the QR code in print advertising
It is also conceivable to integrate the QR code in a print advertisement, in a newspaper article, on a poster, in a video, or in an advertisement. There, the consumer can then scan the code with a camera phone directly to the corresponding product page in the company's online shop without having to type in the URL. However, special campaigns such as a QR code scavenger hunt can also be carried out in the electronic form. The aim here is to reach a certain geographical point in order to get clues to the next point from there.
Sticking the company logo on, a large QR code can also be printed on the car. After scanning the QR code with a smartphone, this code refers directly to the company's website.
Increase reach with QR codes in social media
Facebook places, Foursquare, or Yelp offer an example of how QR codes can be used. To do this, you first need the URL for the "location" of the company, etc., and generate a QR code from the URL. After scanning the QR code, users can then log in immediately and use the respective services. The company, product, or service can then be immediately recommended to friends and acquaintances.
However, the code can also be used to make the Facebook page, Twitter account, QR Code Business Card, or Xing company page better known by also printing the QR code in the printed advertising. In print advertising, the QR code only has to be scanned with a smartphone and the customer is taken to the corresponding homepage that was stored in the code. Linking the online world with the offline world is that easy.
Printing QR codes on labels and stickers
With the help of a barcode printer, QR codes can also be easily printed on labels and stickers. The printed labels can then be used in a wide variety of areas (address labels, product labels, package labels, business cards, shipping labels, numbering, competitions, electronic scavenger hunts, etc.). Since a corresponding minimum contrast is important for good readability of the QR code, it is mainly printed in black and white (direct thermal printing process).
