BRANDING UNBOUND

Lonely Planet Enters Mobile Augmented Reality Realm To Enhance Guides

Travel brand Lonely Planet has teamed with Mobilizy to bring augmented reality to, well, augment, content in the Lonely Planet Compass guides. Now useful information about your surroundings, nearby landmarks and other points of interest will overlay the view in your Android camera phone, according to reports in Wired.

That means an all new way to experience cities like Boston, San Francisco, New York, Seattle, and more. 

Sure, as AD AGE points out to day, augmented reality is getting seriously over-hyped. It usually involves a download (lame!), is usually pretty glitchy, and even the most widely touted experiences (Esquire's Augmented Reality Issue) are underwhelming.

But that doesn't mean AR isn't going to be big. And the right ways to use it - in my view, mostly mobile - could open up all new opportunities for marketers.

Read more about the Lonely Planet initiative, here.

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Bravo's 'Top Chef: Las Vegas' Finale Cooks Up 'Ultimate Viewing Party' Via Mobile, Other Platforms

Bravo's going all out for Wednesday's season six finale of "Top Chef: Las Vegas," with the "Ultimate Virtual Viewing Party."

According to the company, fans of the show can voice their opinions on who should win the reality cook-off  through Twitter, Facebook Connect, and live mobile chat. Bravo viewers will also get the chance to interact directly with their favorite “Top Chef” judges and chefs live, when they join the party by Twittering their comments during the finale or by following Twitter.com/BravoTV, and answering live viewer questions via mobile and online chats.

Bravo has also partnered with Salon.com as the exclusive sponsor of the event, with pre-event promotion across all NBCU sites, as well as branding across all event platforms – BravoTV.com, Facebook, Twitter, live mobile chat and m.BravoTV.com.  Salon.com will also create custom tweets to fans on BravoTV.com and on m.BravoTV.com.

As part of the party, fans will receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content from the “Top Chef” mobile fan club, and some fans may get answers to their sizzling questions directly from the chefs on BravoTV.com/TCparty and on their mobile phones by texting PARTY to 27286.

Fans can interact with their friends on Facebook Connect, where they can share their thoughts, post comments on all the drama and action seen in the final and have the chance to win signed “Top Chef” cookbooks, “Top Chef” board games and other great prizes.

"This social media event, which combines interactive elements on every platform to bring fans the ultimate viewing experience was first seen on Bravo and continues to add an extra element to fans by bringing the series off the TV screen and directly into the viewers’ homes," the company states in a release.

The first virtual viewing party held for “The Real Housewives of New York City” won the prestigious MMA Global Mobile Marketing Award in November.

This sounds like more "participation television" done right.

Read all about it, here.

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Pocket Sous Chef: Kraft Adds New Season-ings To iFood Assistant iPhone App

Kraft conquered the world of iPhone apps with its wildly popular iFood Assistant, which gives you recipe ideas and how-to videos, helps you plan shopping lists and so much more, centered around, what else, Kraft-branded foods.

Now, word's out that Kraft is updating the app with recipe refreshes based on the season - think comfort food in the winter, BBQs in the summer. There's also a "lite" free version to get people to trial the app.

While only about 1% of of apps are used six months later, Ed Kaczmarek, director of innovation, consumer experiences at Kraft, tells AG AGE that this app is used by 60% of users on a regular basis.

It's so popular that it's in the top 100 paid apps on the App Store and #2 in the lifestyle category, proving that when you deliver value, consumers won't just put up with overt advertising messages, they'll actually pay for them.

Read more here.

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Bar Finder: Stella Artois Launches Augmented Reality iPhone App

Stella Artois wants to help you find the nearest Stella-serving bar with the help of a new augmented reality iPhone app.

The app, launched with solution firm AcrossAir will allow users to find any of nearly 80,000 bars that serve its beer - upping the ante on location-finding apps from Guinness and others. 

Indeed, the augmented reality element does add a little fun.

That is, if you can actually use in in a bar-hopping, alcohol-induced stupor.

The hail a taxi feature may come in very, very handy - as will the ability to leave your comments about the bar for others to see. 

Read more here.

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Gartner Lists Top 10 Mobile App Trends for...2012

Not content to make the usual year end review or new year forecast, Gartner's already looking ahead to 2012.

Maybe it's the recession. Maybe it's the slow app adoption rate. For whatever reason, CIOL reports that Gartner's looking out past 2010 and 2011 to see what 2012 holds for mobile apps. The top 10 trends:

1. Money Transfer
2. Location-Based Services
3. Mobile Search
4. Mobile Browsing
5. Mobile Health Monitoring
6. Mobile Payment
7. Near Field Communication Services
8. Mobile Advertising
9. Mobile Instant Messaging
10. Mobile Music

 Some of this seems obvious (especially the money transfer and payment parts). But personally I think mobile advertising will have already hit a trough of disillusionment by then (mobile marketing's so much more powerful than that).

Gartner gets it right when it says, "The mobile channel will be used as part of larger advertising campaigns in various media, including TV, radio, print and outdoors." Just not in the way it means (as yet another ad delivery platform.) Instead, mobile will increasingly be used as an activation mechanism for responding to commercial messages we experience in those other media. There's a big difference.

The rest of the list is already here. Which means no great leap on any of this except for the mobile ad part. On that score, let's all hope Gartner is wrong.

Read more, here. 

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Online Bookseller Uses QR Codes, Twitter To Create A Viral Sensation

You're going to want to see how this innovative campaign from Editoras became a viral sensation by using QR codes and Twitter to crowd source the creation of a book that became a bestseller - and blockbuster website traffic builder.

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Royal Navy's New Recruitment iPhone/Facebook App

One look at this and I knew it's got to be Glue.

The London-based agency, which has done Cannes Gold-winning work for the Royal Navy in terms of personalized video, has collaborated with Marvellous to create a new iPhone app designed to recruit marine engineers via an "Engineer Officer Challenge" social media game played across an iPhone app and a Facebook widget.

The details, according to the companies:

1. The Royal Navy Engineer Officer Challenge will put potential recruits through their paces with 5 interactive missions – each based on realistic Royal Navy training tasks. Utilising features including the iPhone’s touch screen interface and accelerometer, some challenges are set aboard HMS Deter, urgently needing repairs.

2. As the Lieutenant in charge, the player makes crucial decisions, as they would as an Engineering Officer - from fixing the engine or preparing for a simulated missile attack, to re-wiring the radar system.

3. After each challenge the player is presented with video footage revealing the impact of their decisions in the task. Once completed their score is submitted to a leaderboard where they can challenge a friend or simply visit the Royal Navy website for more in-depth career information, or join the Royal Navy Facebook group.

4. The Facebook widget replicates the iPhone app in allowing users to get the feel for a virtual “hands –on” engineering experience, as well as enabling people to share among friends and start a discussion.

5. The Royal Navy Engineer Officer Challenge is available on the iPhone and iPod Touch and can be accessed via the iTunes app store. The widget can be downloaded from the Royal Navy Recruitment Facebook page, or the applications section on Facebook.

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19% of Shoppers Say They'll Use Mobile For Holiday Shopping

A new study indicates Christmas may be coming early to mobile marketers.

A new survey of 10,878 consumers by Deloitte, conducted from September 24 through October 2, found that 19% say they'll use mobile phones for gift shopping. A full 39% of consumers ages 18 to 29 plan to do so.

How these consumers plan to use their mobile phones:

• 55% say searching store locations 

• 45% researching prices

• 40% locating product information

• 33% ferreting out discounts and coupons

• 31% reading product reviews

• 25% making an actual purchase via mobile phone

Take in the study yourself, here.

Read more here and here. 

 

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Twitter Feed 'Sh*t My Dad Says' Gets Book Deal; TV Show Contract

If Justin Halpert's father said he'd never amount to anything - and we're pretty sure he has - he might want to rethink that statement.

First, Halpert landed a book deal based on the content of his Twitter account, which chronicles the things his father says to him (he's 29 and lives with his parents, after all). Now, word's out he's also got a deal with CBS for a comedy based on the premise, according to today's New York Times. The folks behind "Will & Grace" are on board. We're assuming dad is, too.

Recent missives include:

"Oh please, you practically invented lazy. People should have to call you and ask for the rights to lazy before they use it.

"Son, no one gives a shit about all the things your cell phone does. You didn't invent it, you just bought it. Anybody can do that."

"I hate paying bills... Son, don't say "me too." I didn't say that looking to relate to you. I said it instead of "go away."

Of course, Halpert shouldn't feel too vindicated with these media deals. After all, he has his father to thank for them.

 

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First-Ever Movie Launch for Theaters & Mobile Phones

In what's being billed as the first ever "day and date" theatrical and mobile release, mobile entertainment player Myxer and Mass Animation are launching a new movie that will premiere on 500 digital screens at theaters and on mobile phones on the same day.

"Live Music" is from members of the teams behind "The Chubb Chubbs" and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs."

Question #1: Will viewers show up at the cinema, or just phone it in?

Read more, here.

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