Coca-Cola, Jon Batiste Spruce Up the Unloved QR Code With Sound and Vision

Maybe more folks would respect and respond to QR codes if 1) They looked like wild works of art, and 2) Scanning them unlocked a chill tune.

Coca-Cola used AI to check those boxes, collaborating with WPP Open X and technologist/artist Troy Ni. They developed five distinctive QR codes, each corresponding to elements in “Be Who You Are (Real Magic),” the debut music video from Coke Studio.

Jon Batiste wrote the track, and he recorded it with several other stars. Here’s a teaser:

The fully-functional codes appear in OOH displays at movie theaters, stadiums and theme parks nationwide. Check them out below, repping, in order of appearance, song performers Batiste, NewJeans, J.I.D., Camilo and Cat Burns.

Those images rock an abstract, sci-fi feel; they’re colorful, detailed and bristle with energy. This style fits the notion of dressing-up QR codes, representation totems of our plugged-in age.

That said, just having one of the things, unadorned, bob around a TV screen won the Super Clio in 2022 for best commercial in the Super Bowl. Still, Coke’s tricked-out codes look perfect for a dorm-room wall.

The soft-drink titan’s been all about art in its advertising lately. And it ranks among the brands most active in leveraging AI for campaigns. This effort amplifies those themes, tying them closer to pop culture through music.