QR Codes Are Back…in Snapchat Form

It seems that Snapchat has found a way to spread its gospel from the digital world to the physical one in the form of “Snapcodes,” specific, individualized images that allow Snapchat users to connect with other users through smartphone camera scans. Just like QR Codes that sent users to different websites, Snapcodes are unique identifiers that a user photographs to gain access to other users.

The big difference between QR Codes and Snapcodes, of course, is that the former could lead to just about anything, be it an app download, a website, or giving access to a Wi-Fi network, to name a few different uses. The latter are specific to Snapchat, and merely connect users to each other. While it’s a bit counterintuitive that something that does less would actually be the better bet for success, that’s what’s going on here. Because a Snapcode is instantly recognizable and provides one specific function, it’ll likely succeed where QR Codes pretty much failed.

Moreover, Snapcodes are going to be used by celebrities and musicians to better connect with fans. They can be printed out onto t-shirts, posters, or any other merch or goods to keep Snapchatting fans in the loop with the latest brand stylings.

All of this is interesting only if you actually use Snapchat a lot, want to connect with more people, and care about connecting with celebrities’ Snapchat accounts. Snapcodes might create an interesting new branding trend, but I’ll be surprised if you see Snapghosts too much more than you already do (or don’t, as the case may be). Maybe they’ll begin to pop up in more densely populated urban areas like New York and LA, but for the rest of us in flyover land, we may hopefully live out the rest of our days blissfully Snapcode free. Let’s hope so.

[Snapchat Blog: Snapcodes]