I you don’t like QR codes, here is an alternative

Quick-response (QR) codes let users actually do something with old media: They make packages, print ads and magazines clickable and linkable to websites or apps. But do they work?

There are far too many steps: To scan a QR code, you have to carry the right phone with the right camera, be connected to the internet and have downloaded one of the many QR scanning apps out there. Then, you have to stumble across one of those boxes.

Enter Zoove. You can get the QR results -- a link to a website or app download, a coupon, a video -- but to get there, you there's no camera, app or smartphone required. All you do dial is a number on a mobile phone and make a call.

Here's how it works: Advertisers or media companies register a StarStar code with Zoove -- recent campaigns include - **Suzuki -, - **GSCookies for the Girls Scouts - and - **GMA for Good Morning America -- and when consumers dial, they get a text message with a link or voice recording. Dial **GSCookies and listen to a recording text message with a link to the App Store to download a cookie locator or **Suzuki and get a link to a video. Ad messaging aside, it worked!

On the first try! Shouldn't technology be this easy?

By now, Zoove has partnered with all top-four U.S. wireless carriers so StarStar vanity numbers work on 95% of all phones, and not just the smart ones. TV shows like "Good Morning America" and "CBS Early Show" are testing StarStar codes for ad sponsorships or to collect viewers' votes. Now, imagine, instead of no-one-remembers short codes on "American Idol," you'd just have to **Lauren to vote for your girl.

Company: Zoove
Founded: 2004
Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
Funding: $40.5 million
Major investors: Cardinal Venture Capital, Highland Capital Partners and Worldview Technology Partners
Key execs: Joe Gillespie, CEO; Tim Jemison, founder and chief operations officer
In short: It's like QR codes, but the app is making a phone call