Creative Bar Codes- Click here http://bit.ly/nX6Ex4 for full article

Creative Bar Codes- Click here http://bit.ly/nX6Ex4 for full article

Have you ever noticed how many incredibly annoying commercials are on television? How they're full of loud, distracting noises and people in eye catching clothes stumbling through ridiculous scenarios that force you to pay close attention to even spot the product being advertised? Have you noticed that they have the nerve to air these assaults to the senses five or six times an hour? Do you know why?

The bottom line is that advertising and brand awareness relies completely on gaining the attention of potential consumers. Whether you love or hate the commercial, their goal is to make you notice the commercial. The more you love or hate the commercial, the longer you will remember it and the more likely you will remember that brand should you need a product of that type. As virtually every company competing for is using this tactic, they must become progressively more outrageous to attract attention.

The Hidden Opportunity

There is a feature found on the packaging of every item in every store (with the exception of some food items). This feature is identical to the casual observer - so much so that it is completely ignored by everyone but inventory scanners. How difficult would it be to stand out in such a land of conformity? Pretty easy right?

What is this hidden opportunity to gain the attention of consumers? The bar code.

The time this innovation saves in inventory control means the bar code is everywhere and will stay everywhere. Now, imagine a company that makes shampoo using bar codes shaped like a human silhouette under a shower. Imagine the surprise and mnemonic impact of such a creative bar code. It would come as no shock for this particular shampoo manufacturer to become known among consumers as "The people with the shower guy bar code".

How Much Freedom is There to Change the Bar Code?

As long as there is a section of bar code clear of extraneous markings and large enough to scan consistently, the bar code is functional. The length of some bars can be extended to form an image or impression. In addition to changing the actual bars that comprise the code, the area AROUND the bar code is a blank palette just crying out to be filled with attention grabbing material. Adding colors to this area turns that area that never even enters a consumer's consciousness into something interesting that no consumer will fail to notice. Even the addition of the company's name and web site address around the bar code would stand out in the crowd and build brand awareness.

Creative bar codes are an untapped opportunity. With just a little thought, these can be turned into a secondary company logo that burns awareness into the brains of consumers.