Much of the world has already been cataloged with the help of barcodes. Now consumers can use this data to their own benefit – such as comparing prices with Red Laser or checking a company’s carbon foot print from the shopping aisle. 

 

Here are some intriguing barcode trends that have surfaced lately:

• Calvin Klein’s Uncensored Content (/via @reggiewideman)
• Mobile App Scans For Recalled Kellogg’s Products
• QRcheck.in Provides DIY Foursquare Call-To-Action - QR Codes are definitely a great way to bridge offline media with (measurable) online actions. BTW – you can make your own QR Code for free at: http://qrcodelove.com/maker (/via @semaphoria)
• And lastly, StickyBits latest Pepsi promo with their ingenious program for scanning existing barcodes and then creating social community threads based on the beverage container, product, book, etc… This notion of navigating existing landscapes of data is awe inspiring to me. Maybe it’s because the data has historically been limited to a singular (micro) level view to consumers and then aggregated and analyzed at larger (macro) levels by the manufactures/stores. Regardless of the root of my attraction, the consumption patterns that start to evolve should prove to be both compelling and valuable as more people and programs slice and mash-up the data in creative ways.