QR (or Quick Response) code is a two-dimensional code that is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code itself consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. A conventional barcode can only store 20 numeric characters and you need a special barcode reader to decode the information. A QR code, on the other hand, can store up to 7,000 alpha and numeric characters and can be easily read by any smartphone with a QR reader application like Scan or i-nigma.

QR codes were invented in 1994 by Toyota subsidiary Densowave. The technology has been widely used in Japan and South Korea, but has had a slower adoption rate in the US. However, in the last 12 months we have seen usage skyrocket as entrepreneurs have figured out that mobile marketing is on the rise. QR codes can dramatically extend the life of a printed piece, as they link to a mobile web site that can be accessed at any time, from any where.

Anyone walking through Times Square in June 2010 got a quick education about QR codes as the city blanketed their buildings with QR codes to celebrate Internet Week. Internet Week. But, the rest of us may have needed a little more time to get familiar with these quirky little codes.

In the last several months, businesses of all shapes, sizes and purpose have begun to see the light of how QR codes will change the way consumers engage with them. According to a recent study conducted by QRaware over 52% of consumers have seen and heard of QR codes, 28% of consumers have actually scanned a QR code, and 6% of consumers claim that a QR code led to an eventual purchase. These stats may not seem impressive today, but the fact that mobile marketing spending grew over 600% last year leads us to believe that QR codes will become the likely choice for printers and marketers that have the confidence to plunge early and reap the benefits of doing so.

The reasons to try a QR code in your next campaign are plentiful. One of the most compelling reasons is to use it as a tool that channels marketing messages across several different mediums and brings it all into one place to serve one common purpose. For example, if your goal is to get people to sign up for a free trial of your product you may take this approach:

Create a mobile landing page that tells a bit about your product then links to a page that allows the user to sign up for that product. To drive traffic to that site, you can use a QR code on a mail piece, an event flyer, a poster in your location and on your business cards. No matter how you interact with people through print, they get to the same place. And, they do so instantly, on their smart phone, on their time, and on their terms.

For more ideas on how to use a QR code, read Dan Smigrod’s blog 101 Uses for For Quick Response (QR) Codes: Creating Audience Engagement with the Next Killer US App. 101 Uses

OK, nobody wants to be the guinea pig. We all want someone to try things out and then we will start to implement the best ideas into our own marketing campaigns, right? Well, in this case, you will be one of the first. But not exactly the first, so let’s see who else has done it and how well it did for them.

- Dell consumers were given the option to enter a free laptop contest by scanning a QR code, texting a code or visiting a web site. Over 25% of their respondents came from the QR code – Read more

- The Detroit Red Wings turn a traditionally print-only campaign into a viral video by adding a QR code – Read more

- The Canada Tourism Commission launches a campaign that adds a mobile element to a traditional print buy. By adding a few extra dollars to their print budget, they used a QR code to link to a mobile site that gave readers so much more than they could have gotten from just a print ad. – Read more

- Toothbrush manufacturer, Reach, uses a QR code in their Details magazine ad. The ad promotes their new toothbrush and the QR code is the call-to-action – get a $1 off paperless coupon. Read more