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QR codes are a fun, easy way for brands to engage consumers both off and on the Internet. They’re also capable of sending unsuspecting customers to porn websites.

Just ask Daniel Korell, a German gentleman who was sent to camgirl site Fundorado after scanning a QR code on a bottle of Heinz ketchup (if you’re not sure what a “camgirl site” is, take my advice and look it up when you’re out of the office).

According to Gawker, after Korell made Heinz aware of where the QR code sent him, the company apologized, saying “we really regret the event very much.”

Let this be a lesson to every franchise brand out there: If the ketchup kings at Heinz can fall victim to a bad link, you can too.

Or, to put it in simpler terms: Engaging with fans online? Good! Sending said fans to pornographic websites? Bad!

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Nick Powills

About the Author

Nick Powills

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Nick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.

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