For me, their rise and fall closely aligns with the early days of my digital marketing career. Young in my career (and age), I consulted with several companies, encouraging them to generate QR codes as a way to extend their printed materials online, as well as look “cool.” They listened, and for a short while, I was right. People would scan their codes, go to a website (the most common use for SMBs back in the day), and the value was instantaneous. The scanner would go, “oh, that is cool,” and the business owner would say, “oh, that was cool,” and everyone would walk home happy. Yes, this was the QR code gold rush, and like many other gold rushes, the appeal didn’t last.
Soon, people began to see these codes as just “another gimmick.” People would download an app to read the code to discover that they were going wasn’t good. Poorly designed websites, contact information that was identical to what was on the business card and ads - so many ads. Yes, as soon as people printed those codes, they became useless.
In 2017, Apple did something shocking to the industry. During the release of iOS 11, they announced that the iPhone’s camera app would read QR codes - no extra app required. As the leader in smartphones for innovation (at least in 2017), this choice was confusing - but quick realignment from other major phone makers. Most Android devices doubled down on their ability to read QR codes natively, and suddenly, the antiquated, odd-looking barcode was BACK and in an exciting way.
Suddenly everyone had a scanner, even if they didn’t want one. More importantly, with the deeper integration with the primary operating system (i.e. the camera app is NOT a third-party app), QR codes had greater access to the power under the hood of modern-day smartphones.
The thoughtunpacked podcast is an exploration into the world of modern marketing. My goal: bring some clarity and context into an industry that impacts our everyday lives.
