You see, QR codes are useful

I keep seeing QR (quick response) codes being used in ways that really dont seem to make a lot of sense; a 48 sheet poster site by a dual carriageway is one of my favourites. I’ve no idea how I could have safely scanned that.

The origins of QR codes is the motor manufacturing industry. The QR Code was invented in Japan by the Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process, and was originally designed to allow components to be scanned at high speed. It has since become one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. [source: Wikipedia]

More recently marketers the world over have been trying to think of good uses for QR codes. And some have been successful.

A story I read this morning showed a great use of QRcodes. The Botley Cemetery, a war cemetery in Oxford, is using mobile phone technology to give information about people buried there. A panel being installed at the war graves site at the cemetery bears a QR code which can be scanned using smart phones. The QR code once scanned will allow mobile phone and tablet users users to retrieve information about some of the 671 men and women buried there.

>>> read more about this war graves initiative 

Kevin Harrington

I’m a UK-based B2B marketing consultant, specialising in strategic advice for SME business owners. I bring extensive hands-on expertise to every client engagement. Senior leadership roles across technology, media, payments, and publishing have shaped my practical approach. Highlights include serving as Chief Marketing Officer at The Panoply plc (now TPXimpact), Chief Commercial Officer at Tungsten Network, and Global Marketing Director at BBC Worldwide. Over the years, I’ve guided numerous SMEs through transformation and value creation. Helping businesses evolve and thrive is a genuine passion. Practical marketing insights and succession planning strategies are at the heart of what I do, as I believe growing a business’s asset value should be a rewarding and positive journey for every entrepreneur.

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