Could the QR code become mainstream in the United States anytime soon?

QR codes, sometimes called URL killers, are 2D bar codes that contain data. In order to read a QR code, a mobile phone user simply launches a reader on their device and takes a picture of the image. The software then triggers the appropriate response, which can include launching a URL in the phone’s browser or streaming a video or MP3.

So far, QR codes have mainly only been popular in Asia, but a slew of new activity could bring them to the forefront in the United States.

AdvertisingAge recently reported that the following are taking advantage of QR codes:

• “9″: The new film, produced by Tim Burton, will use QR codes as a promotional device. Anyone who has a QR reader on their mobile device will be able to scan the code for exclusive clips from the movie and commentary from the director.
• Green Day: In order to promote “21st Century Breakdown,” the band’s newest album, Green Day put QR codes in magazine ads, posters and stickers. Through Delivr, the codes direct users to a special mobile site where they can download exclusive images and videos.
• YouTube: The video site now allows you to generate a QR code that embeds a link to the video when you visit YouTube through an iPhone or Android phone.
• Firefox: Mozilla recently created Mobile Barcoder, an add-on for the Firefox browser that allows users to generate a QR code of a URL or selection of text in order to easily transfer it to a mobile device.
• Louis Vuitton, Takashi Murakami for Marc Jacobs: SET, which is based in Tokyo, is using QR codes to promote the designs of these companies.

These aren’t the first QR code campaigns to take place in America. Last year, Citysearch created a pilot program in San Francisco that allowed users to get restaurant reviews from stickers placed in the windows of participating establishments. Other advertisers, such as Pepsi, Siemens and Volvo, also have create QR campaigns.