Quick Response Codes (QR codes) are gaining more prominence in marketing and ad space. These codes provide you with a hyperlink that takes you to a web page for more information about the product or service. Every avenue for print media is an opportunity to embellish the experience with multimedia web content. Think of the possibilities of reducing printing costs: Instead of taking up room in print for detailed information, adding a QR code will get the information to the potential customers at a fraction of the ad space.

Think of your audience. Know your demographic before implementing this rising trend.

The percentage of people who use QR codes is still quite low. Karthik Chakkarapani cites that in June 2011, 14 million Americans used codes (6.2% of the US mobile user population). Of those 14 million, 60.5% were male, 53.4% were between the ages of 18-34, and 36.1% had a household income over $100K.

There are many websites, like Kaywa, that can generate these codes for you for free. That price encourages a greater adoption rate. As these codes gain more prevalence in ad space, more people will use them, and will find more unique ways to use them. These codes were originally used in 1994 for tracking the manufacturing line of a Toyota subsidiary. Museums and schools are using them to provide more information about their exhibits and displays. Transportation companies use them to track when the next bus or train will arrive at a specific stop, or for reporting the "How am I driving?" driver status on the backs of trucks. These needs keep changing and evolving.

It is exciting to create unique applications for using these codes, but the effort will be worthwhile only if people are receptive and capable of using them. Remember that just because it is a rising trend does not mean that you should automatically adopt the technology. Before applying QR codes in your advertising, know the capabilities of your target audience. Will they accept this new code, be confused by it, or reject it as a high-tech marketing gimmick? Research your audience and don't extend too far beyond their reach, or you will turn them off to your message.