The Time and Place for QR Codes

This might be the most unusual use of a QR code that I've ever seen.

This was included on a memorial screen located inside the chapel where family and friends came to say their final farewells to my grandmother.

Scan Me for Funeral Details!

The most amusing part of that call to action was undoubtedly the exclamation mark at the end that screams, "Do it! Do it now!"

To be fair, the QR code usage may have been unusual... but it may have also been effective.

For all those with a smartphone, scanning the QR code provided easy access to all the information you would need for my grandmother's funeral proceedings.

And a lot of people own smartphones.

In fact, the chart above indicates over 72% of Canadians aged 50+ reported owning one in 2022, and the numbers were much higher for Canadians younger than 50.

So if you wanted those funeral details, odds were good you'd be able to get them.

(Plus, my grandmother's face in the center of the code was certainly a nice touch, right?)

Of course, Nonna would have hated this QR code idea.

But that's because she was part of the 28% of Canadians 50+ that didn't own a smartphone.

Without question, there's a time and place for QR codes.

As a marketer, your job is to understand the time and the place.