Future Of Advertising: Scannable QR Code appears in the sky above Shanghai
An enormously popular Chinese video sharing and streaming site, Bilibili, used 1,500 computer-controlled drones to create the illuminated image, which was part of a two-minute light show designed to celebrate the first anniversary of the China release of Princess Connect! Re: Dive, a role-playing video game first unveiled in Japan in 2018.
Bilibili also made a video that showed off some additional drone formations, including depictions of characters in the game, and a message saying “happy birthday.” The demonstration concluded with the QR code, which, when scanned, leads to a download page for the game (the code in the photo above still works).
A scannable QR code advertisement created by drones above the skies of Shanghai.
Beautiful. pic.twitter.com/s3T4Fb9314
— John Pathfinder Lester (@Pathfinder) April 17, 2021
As images of the display started to spread on social media, some people complained, calling the promotional stunt dystopian light pollution. Others, mostly people who work in advertising and marketing, though it was awe-inspiring. And a lot of people were in the middle, saying they didn’t know what to think of it because it looked both cool and creepy at the same time.