QR Code Craziness - The Norm in Japanese Marketing

QR Codes: Many here in the US have noticed those little black and white pixelated squares popping up more and more.

I recently returned from a visit to Japan, where QR codes are commonplace. Appearing in nearly every marketing medium – outdoor, print, packaging, web, television – the codes have been widely used for at least the past three years in Japanese markets.


So what are QR Codes exactly?

Simply explained, QR codes (Quick Response) are an easy, interactive and fun way to deliver online content in the offline world. Scanning a code with your smartphone’s QR app will either launch a webpage or display a bit of text or phone number on your handset. Hopefully that’s enough explaining to get your imagination going about the marketing potential. If not, you can learn more about QR Codes here.


Why is the US far behind Japan with the QRaze?

Beside the fact that they invented the technology, QR codes have been used in Japanese marketing campaigns shortly after the advent of camera phones.  And now that smart phones and apps are becoming the norm in the United States (still emerging in Japan, oddly enough), QR code marketing is quickly on its way. You can already see the codes in use at your local Best Buy and Home Depot stores, offering customers more information on products. And if you’re a business owner, signing up with a Google Places account will give you a free QR code poster for your window front.

With the rate of smart phone adoption in the US, I predict that QR codes will rapidly start popping up in outdoor and printed advertising, with complete saturation in major US markets within the next 12 to 18 months.


If you’re still puzzled by all this, check out these photos of what’s going on in Japan right now!

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