QR Codes Present Mystery Campaign

QR Code Puzzle

Mysterious QR codes have been cropping up on the Red Line transits in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts. They are appearing on print ads with no other identifyable information and have left travelers bewildered. These codes have been showing up since January 10 but no one has yet been able to fully understand what it is being used for exactly. When scanned, the code links to a specially created website that displays nothing but a message saying “Solve me.”

The ads are coming from ITA Software, who has been in the news lately as a target for a large buyout from Google. Their campaign is specifically targeted towards tech savvy individuals, and more particularly hackers. They are using a multi-stage puzzle as an application. Those that have the skills to solve the puzzle are up for a spot on the company’s technical staff.

So far 30,521 people have scanned the codes and attempted to solve the puzzle. Of those, only 5,722 people were able to get passed the “Solve Me” stage and only 152 people completed a second, more complex portion of the puzzle. Those 152 were sent an email inviting them to continue the application process through the ITA website.

ITA Software is doing this to find quality designers. Those with the adequate skill and innovative minds are rare and difficult to track down. ITA is hoping that the codes will spark interest in these creative minds and draw them in. The company is especially looking for those with phenomenal hacking skills.

This isn’t the first time a company has used QR codes in an effort to recruit talented individuals, but it is the most clever thus far.

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