Have QR-Codes gone mainstream because of Linken Park?

If the outdoor advertising for Linkin Park’s latest album is anything to go by QR-codes appear to have hit the mainstream.

The neo-punk rockers are publicising the release of ‘A Thousand Suns‘ with the inclusion of QR-codes on billboard advertising. The codes give fans the opportunity to listen to tracks or download the album directly to their phones or camera-enabled smart devices.

While this use of the barcode technology may not be revolutionary, the significant placement of the QR-code, which effectively amounts to empty space, in the ads points to the growing adoption of smartphones amongst the advertiser’s key 18 to 34 year old demographic.

According to data from comScore smartphone adoption has grown by 41% in Europe in the past year accounting for a quarter of all phones the UK market.

If you are a fan of Linkin Park and have a smartphone then look out for the posters, which have gone up on ground-level adshells across the UK and Ireland in the past week.