ZebraCard.Me: Are QR Codes Dead?

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Is the QR Code a fad that's fading into the distant past of marketing tactics from yesteryear?  That's what my friend Brandon thinks.  In response to a tweet last week, he had a pretty firm opinion that he wasn't afraid to share.

I agree with Brandon to some degree.  The QR Code is overused.  It will certainly fall from glory as the "next big thing" if it hasn't already.  But I don't see it disappearing.  Instead of the next big thing, it will become just another thing.  A valuable thing.  A thing that can be used when and if it has purpose.  But not slapped on everything just because it's the next big thing.

Here at AddressTwo, we've been working on a side project: ZebraCard.Me.  We think that one place QR codes could be used is in the exchange of data.  Where else do people exchange data more than anything else?  Business cards.  What if your business card contained more data than just what was printed in ink?

But here's the catch.  Here's the one thing that will make the QR code functional, not just a fad: Analytics.

What if you could know who had viewed your business card and what actions they took? Did they visit your website? Did they read your blog? The QR Code has been implemented on business cards to-date merely as a means to enhance the recipient's experience--offering more data, making it easy to scan, etc. But ZebraCard.me offers value both to the recipient as well as the giver of the business card. ZebraCard.me creates a QR code or barcode for your business card that points to a URL where each user's interaction with your business card data is tracked. If they download your vcard, you'll know. If they read your blog, you'll know.

The power of digital data isn't just in ease of transfer, it's in the trackability of those transfers.  

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