QR Codes: London Update

After gaining ground in Japan and Korea, there’s no stopping QR codes from invading the Western market now.

We have heard about how more and more U.S. companies have adopted the use of quick response codes to boost their marketing efforts and to support information drives. U.K. is not far behind. These are actually the latest U.K. companies to jump aboard the QR Code ship:

Sony Music

Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd has just launched an advertising campaign involving QR codes placed inside 100 black cabs in London. Ads are displayed on taxi tip seats, starting September 5, and are Sony’s way of promoting new songs and albums or singles from eleven music artists who are under the Columbia record label.

The ad tells passengers to ask the driver to press play on the CD player so they could listen to new music from any of these artists: Foo Fighters, Kasabian, The Vaccines, Katy B, Foster the People, Cults, Miles Kane, Kreayshawn, Manic Street Preachers, Tony Bennett, and Calvin Harris.

When passengers scan the QR code on the bottom right corner of the ad, they can join a contest to win a tote bag from Columbia. Through the QR codes, they can also get Columbia’s text number and a link to its website. The competition or contest encourages more audience participation and aims to generate more traffic to the Columbia website.

(Photo credit: http://2d-code.co.uk/)

Altitude London

Altitude London uses the two-dimensional matrix barcodes to come up with interactive tours of London’s skyline. On the windows of London’s notable venues are QR codes designed into images of London’s key landmarks.

Scanning the codes with your smartphone will lead you to a Wikipedia page link where you learn more about the particular landmark.

According to Altitude London’s marketing director, Peter Kerwood, offering QR codes that are incorporated into the design of landmarks give people the chance to literally scan the skyline.