Mobile technology is changing the way companies advertise

Advertising is changing. Although the premise of the concept will forever remain the same, the way that we reach consumers and engage with them will continue to evolve. Technology is engulfing many communication career paths and turning them on their heads. Forced to rapidly embrace innovative technologies and incorporate them into effective methods of advertising and connectivity has been easy for some companies, but hard for many more.

Similar to the way graphic design threw the fine arts world for a loop, programming and web design has changed advertising. Smartphones made up 54 percent of all mobile phone sales in the U.S. by the end of Q1 in 2011, according to SmartOnline, Inc. That dramatic increase wasn't projected to reach that market share until the end of 2011. Smartphone technology is developing faster than we ever expected.

Companies have begun to develop mobile advertisement campaigns that rely on smartphone technologies. Quick Response (QR) codes are used as mobile tagging images that, when scanned by a mobile device, allows customers to access real-time information in the palms of their hands. Unlike 1D linear barcodes, these multi-level codes can hold large amounts of information like a website's URL, contact information and with some applications, promotional discounts.

For years, marketing and advertising companies have struggled over how to successfully cause a consumer to act upon what they've heard from a campaign. There are call to action slogans and promotions, but never a way to accurately track the effectiveness of each. QR codes are a simple way to monitor how often an advertisement inspires action and truly engages with the customer.

QR codes can be used for many different advertising methods. Especially useful for branding and promotion, the codes can help distribute mobile-related freebies, such as wallpapers, downloads and encouragements for visitors to share content about a product on Facebook or Twitter, which will give a company some extra social media link-backs and boost their overall search engine rating.

For a company wanting to implement the technology, there are many ways to effectively use a QR code. Due to advancements in technology, companies are left with the task of finding professionals with an innovative mind. Finding creative talent to conceive a campaign that encompasses different aspects of customer involvement with technology would be beneficial to any employer.

In addition to the concept, businesses are having to out-source more projects to complete these campaigns. No longer reliant on clever marketing prose and appealing visuals, advertisers need to employ programmers and web designers to make their technological appearance innovative and engaging.