Lacta chocolate bars have entered into the futuristic world of augmented reality. The people of Greece are able to send messages to their friends by “writing” on a chocolate bar; the only catch is that both the sender and recipient must have a smart phone and Facebook page. By downloading the free Lacta mobile application, an individual can send a message (only to be revealed on a Lacta chocolate bar) to any one of their Facebook friends. The recipient is then notified through Facebook and can unveil the message by using the app and the chocolate bar.
Scandinavian Airlines recently released a campaign, Couple Up to Buckle Up, which uses QR codes to promote discounted flight offers for couples. This unique campaign requires collaboration between two individuals in order to receive the promotional price. When a couple is notified of a Couple Up to Buckle Up offer, they must both scan a QR code and hold their smartphones side by side to view a video. At the end of the video a discount code appears across both screens for the couple to use when they purchase their flight.
Pinterest, a social networking and virtual pin board site, has continually grown in popularity throughout the past year. While it is a great way for brands to subtly market their products, they may still have difficulty finding a way to market to a male-dominated audience. According to Experian Marketing Services, 58% of the people who visited Pinterest at the end of 2011 were women. Gentlemint may be the answer to this problem. It is a site very similar to Pinterest, only it is geared towards men. As stated on their website, “Gentlemint is a mint of manly things.” It will be interesting to see if this site takes-off with men just as Pinterest did with women.
Lately, there has been a lot of buzz about online advertisements due to Google’s algorithmic change, but what exactly do people want from these ads? Poll Position ventured out to find the appropriate amount of time for an online video advertisement through a telephone survey of 1,179 American adults. The organisation found that 54% of people view 15 seconds as acceptable, while only 12% find 30 seconds to be an acceptable amount of time for an online video ad.
