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QR CODE - PASSING TREND OR LASTING INNOVATION?

Have you seen this stamp-sized image before? It’s a QR code – the latest trend on Japanese mobile phones.

Japan’s mobile phone culture is setting worldwide trends. Sending an SMS (or a text message) has become old-fashioned. Users now email from their mobile phone. They access the Internet and watch television on their mobile phones. Now, the latest Japanese trend, the QR code, is attracting global attention.

If your mobile phone read the QR code from your OWP postcard, you would have seen this video.

What is a QR code and how is it used?
A QR code is a type of bar code. Initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, the Japanese company Denso Wave recently installed QR Code reading software on camera phones.

QR stands for “quick response”, and that is exactly what its creator Denso Wave had in mind. QR codes now appear in magazines, advertisements, product wrappings, passports, business cards and on billboards in Japan. You scan the little square with the built-in camera on your mobile phone and in less than a few seconds, the site you need pops up on your phone’s screen. The advantage? Easy access to websites without tedious entering of data on your mobile phone.

Spreading from Asia to Europe
The software is now standard on mobile phones in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. QR codes are part of daily life there: McDonalds uses codes to inform users about the nutritious value of its cheeseburgers, Apple advertised the new I-Pod on billboards with QR codes.

Not all phones in Europe have the software installed yet. Nevertheless, several companies (mainly in France, the UK and Switzerland) are starting to use QR codes. Swiss newspapers Le Matin Bleu and 20 Minuten recently printed codes to promote their online newspaper. The European Central Bank is using the codes to inform customers about daily rates.

Passing trend or lasting innovation?
Will the use of QR codes become part of Western life as they are now in Japan? Is this a passing trend or a lasting innovation? At the Orchestrating Winning Performance program, (OWP), we tell you what trends to pay attention to; trends that raise questions and demand action. You will exchange views with 450+ fellow participants. The diversity of your group (60 nationalities, 46 languages), will provide you with tremendous input, inspiration and networking opportunities.

Come to OWP – broaden your perspectives. Click here to compose your program.