“If only QR codes could talk, what a wonderful world this would be.” Presumably this was uttered somewhere in Boulder, Colo. – land of hippies and fitness – as this month saw the introduction of “talking” audio QR codes from Boulder company Tokkers.
What might seem like just one more riff on a mostly-pointless marketing trend could actually be the first good QR idea since it left its birthplace in manufacturing. It neatly addresses the two bars to effective QR use: a lack of content worth the hassle of snapping the codes, and the fact that most people have little patience for reading a lot on their smartphones.
To set up an audio code:
- Record your message using the on-site Tokker.com recorder, or upload an MP3 file of your own
- Add an image, logo, links, video, contact info, headline and captions to the screen people will see on their smartphones once they scan the code.
Costs are a little high – from $25-$250-plus/mth depending on the number of times your code is scanned – but so is the flexibility when it comes to getting your message across. This is definitely one QR development to watch.
