New data matrix codes present exciting new options in mobile marketing and communication

By Ryan Kline, Contributing Editor

Who would have thought that the lowly barcode, the stodgy grandfather of the identification technology world, would reemerge as a marketer’s dream? Well, it is happening. A new generation of barcodes is adding an interactive aspect to advertising, product promotion, and more.

Imagine a concert promo poster with a printed code that when photographed by a standard camera phone displays a menu of options: listen to this band, purchase tickets for their next show, or take me to their website. Select the option you want and presto, your mobile phone does the rest. Pretty powerful stuff from a marketer’s perspective … but can all this be done with a barcode?