Rebrandly

In 1994, Toyota's supplier solved a dull problem. Then they made a decision that had a bigger impact than they ever expected. Here's what happened. The barcodes on car parts could only hold about 20 characters, and the assembly line needed more. Masahiro Hara and one teammate at Denso Wave built something that solved it about 350 times over. Their square code held roughly 7,000 characters, read 10 times faster than a barcode, and still scanned correctly even smudged or torn on a factory floor. They called it the Quick Response code. QR, for short. Denso Wave never patented how the code gets used, so any business, anywhere, could scan or generate one for free, forever, as long as they didn't try to patent the format itself. For most of the next 20 years, that decision looked like it cost Denso Wave nothing and got them nothing back. The QR code barely left factories and shipping warehouses. Phone cameras eventually got good enough to read QR codes instantly, and a pandemic made touching a shared menu feel like a risk worth avoiding. A code built to move car parts faster went from novelty to default on restaurant tables almost overnight in 2020. 30 years later, it's on concert tickets, vaccine cards, parking meters, and the side of your cereal box. Charge a license fee back in 1994, and none of that happens. We did an entire deep dive into QR codes (beyond their history) and how marketers can use them. Check it out here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eRAVKE_a

Here's something most people don't know about QR codes. Most of them carry more backup data than they need. QR codes are built to keep working even if part of them is scratched, dirty, or covered by a logo. That backup gets woven right into the pattern, and most QR code generators set it to the maximum by default, whether the code needs that much protection or not. That's fine for most use cases. But shrink the same code down, or engrave it onto something rough, and all that extra backup can make it too cluttered to scan. One of our customers found out the hard way. They laser-engrave QR codes onto small electrical parts, where the default setting packed in more backup than the code could handle, so it stopped scanning. We just shipped a release to address it! Instead of one fixed setting, there are now four, so a QR code can include just enough backup to hold up wherever it's printed, without packing in more than it needs. If a QR code has ever failed on you once you shrunk it down or stuck it somewhere rough, this is probably why. Now you can pick the setting in Rebrandly that actually fits!

My favorite animal is a marketer during campaign launch week. 😌

We're all getting a little too familiar with AI slop. So, instead of using AI for the sake of using AI, we asked three social media managers which tools are actually worth implementing (and which ones aren’t): https://rbnd.ly/li_ai_

5 things you might not know that Rebrandly can do. 👀 ⬇️ → Build a branded link-in-bio for all your social media profiles → Create dynamic QR codes that can be updated at any time → Redirect based on device or location → Track conversions, not just clicks (hello purchases and signups) → Retarget people who click your links

Dynamic QR codes > static QR codes. 💥 Being able to quickly correct a mistake or update a destination means your campaigns can keep working long after they go to print. That’s why we make every QR code dynamic by default, with real-time scan analytics and conversion tracking all in one dashboard. 💪 Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gcwTWnEr

We’re not going to tell you that it’s chic to use a link shortener. But we will tell you that it can boost your click-through rate by nearly 40%. 😌

Meet Zachary Rockwell! 👋 We’re linking up with the folks behind Rebrandly to get to know them a bit better. Take it away. ⤵️ Hi, I’m Zach! 👋 I’m part of the team building what’s next at Rebrandly. 👉 What do you do, and how long have you been at Rebrandly? I started at Rebrandly in March, and I lead our engineering team, helping build and improve the product behind Rebrandly. 👉 What’s your favorite thing about working here? Easily the people! There’s a ton of talent across EPD and the whole org, and it shows in how people work together. Everyone dives right in, skips the fluff, and actually talks about the real problem in front of them. 👉 What’s a random topic you could talk about for 10 minutes with zero prep? Dungeon Crawler Carl — no contest. 📚 I’m borderline evangelical about the series, and my personal mission is getting everyone I know hooked. My kids now know an appropriate amount about Princess Donut, and I’ve even negotiated a dedicated DCC shelf at home. Possibly my proudest domestic achievement. 😆

Reprinting materials every time a link changes? Not in this economy. 😅 For regulated industries (like healthcare, finance, and insurance), dynamic QR codes keep information current without replacing materials already in circulation, allowing you to: ↳ Update link destinations without changing the code ↳ Avoid costly reprints as information changes ↳ Keep customers connected to the latest information ↳ Maintain security and compliance with a clear record of changes And with Rebrandly, your QR codes are dynamic by default. 💪