Based on the feedback we’ve received about the look of QR Codes (apparently they’re ugly) we decided to see if we could take an ugly duckling and turn it into a beautiful swan. (Thanks to Philip Warbasse of Warbasse Design for the inspiration.)

Anyhow, here’s a couple of our new and improved QR Codes which we believe will look much better on an ad and could become a brand icon. They haven’t been checked on every phone so if you want to try it out of yours, go ahead and let us know. If you don’t have a QR Code reader you can download one at QRead.me but be warned, this site is a work in progress.

Introducing our DOOHD QR Code (DOOHD) is short for Digital Out-of-Home HD

Our Very Own Logo Code

The guys over at Fluid Forms, a company that lets users design their own objects, have come up with a rather cheeky way of using QR Codes. Andreas Jaritz, Fluid’s self-styled Communication Druid willingly (or so it seems) offered to have his (ahem) butt laser tagged with a QR Code and filmed for posterity.

Watch the video below

(Rated BBF for Brief Butt-Flash - Viewer discretion advised) - I’ve always wanted to say that!

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Just had to share this video created by Australian teacher, Mr. Robbo (follow on Twitter) who is pioneering the use of QR Codes in the classroom.

Watch his video explaining how he’s using QR Codes to engage his students. Filmed using his mobile phone camera.

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QR Codes are popping up everywhere these days even on the radio. Here’s a recent recording of Will Hawkins, of MMT Digital, a company that develops software systems for publishers, consulting companies and anyone who needs digital technology, talking about Internet applications and QR Codes on the BBC’s Radio Lincolnshire.

Listen to Will Hawkins Talking About Internet Applications and QR Codes on Radio Lincolnshire

Another QR Code application - Grocery store digital signage with wine pairing and QR Code discount coupons

Wine Pairing and QR Code Coupons

At QReateBUZZ we spend a lot of time looking at the creative ways people and companies are using QR Codes. Some are just for fun and some are used by brands for serious business marketing and development.

Below, we’ve created a list of QR Code applications we found this week. Feel free to add yours in the comments section below. We’ll try to update the lists weekly.

• Manor, Texas, a town of less than 9000 people QR Coded various points of interest - even public places, police vehicles and a new park called the Smart Park
• QR Coded Sandwiches
• QR Code Chocolate whether it worked or not we can’t say.
• University of Bath (UK) adds QR Codes to its online library catalog
• QR Code Embroidery - by machine, of course.

QR Code: Business Cards 2.0 - Transcripts

Slide 1: Business Cards 2.0

QR Code Type: Address Book

QReateBUZZ

Slide 2: Vital Info Only for Readability/Compatibility

Stick to the Basics and Only Include Your:
• First and Last Name
• Email Address
• Primary Phone Number

(Minimal information increases scan success rates.)

Slide 3: How Contact Info Embedded QR Codes Work

QR Code Placement
• Place on the front or back of the business card
• Use the largest size you can get away with

QR Code Scanned
• QR code is scanned with a mobile phone equipped with a camera and decoding application

Deliver of Content

User is prompted with some or all of these actions:

• Add contact
• Dial number
• Send email

Slide 4: Creating a QR Code with Contact Info Embedded

1. Select ‘Contact Info’ or its equivalent in your favorite QR Code generator.
2. Enter first and last name, email, and phone number. For compatibility, it’s best to keep it to just this info even if your generator of choice offers more.
3. Generate your QR Code and add it to your business card. Be sure to test the code on proofs.

5. Try Me: Contact Info Embedded QR Code

[Image: QR Code w/Contact Info Embedded]

Julia Hyde | QReateBUZZ | contact @ qreatebuzz.com | © QReateBUZZ.com. Spawned in 2009.

QR Code Generation, Management, & Analytics Solution, QReateBUZZ Launches in Beta

Interactive marketing agency, Creative Search Media makes its QR Code solution created to manage and optimize their clients mobile marketing programs available to everyone.

Scotts Valley, CA March 12, 2009 – Creative Search Media, an interactive marketing agency that specializes in mobile marketing, digital out-of-home, and social media, announced today the beta availability of their QR Code solution, QReateBUZZ. QReateBUZZ gives users complete control over their QR Code campaigns from generation through performance analysis, and features on-the-fly short URL creation that lets users redirect a QR Code’s embedded destination at will.

QReateBUZZ is not your run-of the-mill QR Code generator—it’s a complete QR Code generation, management, and analytics solution. QReateBUZZ allows users to create, manage, and analyze real-world QR Codes in action.

“While trying to find the right solution to manage our clients QR Code campaigns, we found that there wasn’t one out there yet,” said Dan S. Robbins, Vice President of Marketing, Creative Search Media. “To fill the void, we built QReateBUZZ.”

“This first beta release only scratches the surface of the product roadmap,” Robbins went on to say. “Along with the additional functionality already slated to be released, we’ll be listening to our beta users for new ideas and ways to improve.”

The QReateBUZZ beta program is free and open to anyone. To register for a beta account, visit http://www.QReateBUZZ.com.

About QR Codes
A QR Code is a two-dimensional barcode (also known as a matrix code) and can contain far more information than the traditional one-dimensional barcodes that we’re used to seeing. ‘QR’ stands for ‘Quick Response’ and the initial use of a QR Code was for tracking vehicle parts during the manufacturing process. Today, via mobile phones with built-in cameras and barcode reading applications, QR Codes are now accessible to the masses.

QR Codes can be used to link the offline world to the online and replace paper by embedding information or offers that get consumed and carried off on a mobile screen instead of a printed take-away. They can contain a passage of text, a link to a website or file, instructions to send an SMS or make a phone call, and much more.

Denso-Wave, invented the QR Code in 1994. Denso-Wave is a member of the Toyota Group companies; while they do make the technology available openly, they do hold the patent rights and Trademark for the term QR Code in Japan and other countries.

About Creative Search Media
Founded in 1998 in the San Francisco Bay Area, Creative Search Media offers total advertising and marketing help including website design and development, e-commerce development, search engine optimization, mobile marketing, social media marketing, out-of-home digital media, social marketing, pay-per-click advertising… and all the nitty-gritty behind the scenes stuff too. In short, we exist to make your cash register ring.

Creative Search Media helps businesses interact with and engage their audience in relevant ways, online and off. Using search, email, mobile, digital signage, and social media, we deliver memorable campaigns, enduring brand recognition, and measurable results.

Contact:
Julia Hyde
Direct: (831) 461-1385
Email: contact@qreatebuzz.com