Cracking the 2D Code

If there was any question as to THE hot marketing trend for 2011, the answer is becoming fast apparent at BroadBased: It’s mobile tagging via two-dimensional (2D) barcodes. Say what? Here’s the 411:

Mobile tagging (very popular in Asia and just now making a significant splash in the U.S.) provides data in the form of two-dimensional “codes,” which are photographed or scanned using an appropriate app on a cell phone or other mobile device. The result of the scan is that the device can launch a linked URL containing a video or mobile landing page, or even a document available for download. They can also generate a text message or provide a phone number that can be auto-dialed.

Popular 2D formats include Quick Response (QR) Codes and Microsoft (MS) Tags. At this point, MS Tags appear to offer a few more features, and perhaps more advanced analytics. But like much of the digital realm, the possibilities change with the day of the week.

2D or not 2D?

“We’re creating strategies with a variety of clients that feature the use of QR Codes in print advertising, marketing materials and trade show applications,” says Jan Korb, BroadBased CEO. “It’s an easy way to take your audience from a print experience directly to an online experience. It’s also a great opportunity to integrate media and track exposure to the digital message. Working with strategy and user experience is a fun side of the industry right now.”

Although 2011 is starting to look like the year of the 2D Code, Mashable, a popular Internet news blog, presented an article way back in June 2010 titled How To Use QR Codes for Small Business Marketing.