Adapt, improvise, overcome.

The U.S. Marines are known for their ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Hence the mantra: "Adapt, improvise, overcome." This ability is critical for survival when you're at war. But surely it is applicable in other places...say advertising.

When dreaming up campaigns, we can plan for the things we know about and some of the things we don't know about. But we can't plan for everything. Every now and then, something happens...cultural, legal, etc. that effects how we operate and communicate. We're then forced to adapt media plans, messaging, etc to suit the needs at the time. 

An interesting example is in Japan where QR codes were hugely popular in print ads to activate mobile web content. However, it appears that QR codes are being used less frequently in [print] ads. Why? 

About 1-2 years ago, train and metro companies in Japan banned camera phones on trains because of stalkers and upskirt photos. This meant people couldn't use their QR code reader on the train anymore either. As a result, Japanese ad agencies started using other methods to activate content like search boxes (see image below) along with the search keyword you would use for online and mobile search. Evidently, this is trending through the ad space and being used in more than just print advertising. 

 

It's amazing how little things can lead to bigger changes. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for QR codes in Japan. 

Big thanks to Chris for the insights...