A mysterious QR code appeared in the skies of Amsterdam earlier this week. The code was attached to a banner trailing a small plane. Onlookers struggled to scan the code, battling with the constant ripples in the banner, but most were unsuccessful in scanning the high-flying code. For some time, it seemed impossible for anyone to decode the world’s first airborne QR code, but a few tenacious individuals were able to do so with the help of a little know barcode reader called QrDecode and some reverse engineering.
The code belongs to tooth-care giant Aquafresh, who recently launched a new mobile marketing campaign using QR codes to snag a chunk of the tech-savvy demographic. The company is introducing their latest product to the Dutch market and believes that the code would be a big hit with consumers there. The code is intended to resolve to a Facebook page where more information can be found on the new toothpaste.
Interestingly enough, the initial flight of the QR code was followed sometime later by another plan trailing a banner directing onlookers to the campaign’s Facebook page.
Innovative uses for QR codes are becoming commonplace as more companies opt to enter the mobile marketing arena. However, such innovations ought to be carefully examined before being executed. While Aquafresh’s campaign has become popular, albeit for unintended reasons, the company may choose to keep their use of the codes earthbound in the future.
