#QR Codes Gaining Prominence Thanks to Few Big Players | Digital - Advertising Age

For years marketers have cited the success of 2-D bar codes overseas and eagerly waited (and waited) for them to take hold in the U.S.

Thanks to prominent endorsements from Target, Best Buy, Macy's and Post Cereals, that day might finally be nearing. Those marketers are placing the codes in front of a broad swath of consumers, while the likes of Home Depot, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater (Fla.) and even real-estate agents are using the codes on plant tags, tourism guides and home listings, respectively.

As the rectangular, pixelated codes become harder to miss, more and more consumers will explore them; meanwhile, major marketers are placing an emphasis on education, a key hurdle to adoption. Whether they'll catch on with consumers is still to be determined, but they'll be prolific enough to be judged on their own merits as a marketing vehicle.

Macy's is behind the most visible QR-education effort, with a 30-second spot now running nationally. The spot, which was cut down from a demo posted to Facebook, YouTube and Macy's own site, shows shoppers how to use the codes and explains what they'll get access to when they scan one with their phone. (2010: Magic Of Macy's Video Clip

"There's no doubt that people are going to use their phones to engage more with the physical world. But there's a lot of different ways you can do that. ... Marketers are still mostly in the experiment stage and learning." Read More