Empire State Building taps QR codes to activate multimedia exhibit

Visitors can access information such as what the building does to react to temperature and weather via the QR codes, which are displayed throughout the exhibit. Each pillar in the exhibit has a unique URL, such as http://esbtour.com that visitors can access via their smartphone. 
New York's Empire State Building has unveiled a multimedia display that incorporates QR codes to let visitors engage with the exhibit after leaving the physical space. 

Mobile initiatives
There are mobile calls-to-action – a mobile URL and QR code – that starts with signage in the pre-ticketing area of the queue and carries through to labeling on each of the pillars with specific links to relevant parts of the mobile experience corresponding to the theme of that pillar/exhibit.
“Browser equipped mobile devices are becoming ubiquitous even across traditional age/socioeconomic/psychographic segments,” Mr. Monberg said. “A business person might have a RIM device and a young person might have an old Sidekick. Here is an image of a transformational cube in the Empire State Building, where users can get a URL to find out more information:

“A major takeaway of the Empire State Building sustainability story is what individuals can do to effect change on a personal level,” Mr. Monberg said. “There is nothing more personal to us than our mobile devices.

“While there is much talk of cosmic augmented reality apps today, this is a way of implementing a real life experience augmented by a specific mobile-driven guide,” he said. “It builds anticipation for people waiting for tickets and it allows people waiting in the pre-elevator queue on busy days to more deeply engage with the exhibit – mobile content can have an intimacy that a large glass pillar has a tough time delivering comprehensively. 

IKEA 2010 Catalog launched on the iPhone

A couple of weeks ago I posted a video of a fake iPad with an IKEA application on it. Here is the real thing. IKEA UK has launched the 2010 catalogue on iPhone and iPad, which you can download from here. The mobile catalogue lets consumers browse through living rooms, check out different offers, search the catalogue and create bookmarks for products they would like to buy. I have not tried it myself but I really hopes that it comes with a shopping list feature. As I think I have mentioned before, I am really looking forward to when they port their kitchen creator app currently running on PC to the iPad. Thats going to be a killer application. Together with the launch of the 2010 catalogue IKEA launched a Guerilla campaign using 3d art in London. The idea was that a living room would pop up from a 3d art quilt, which then consumers could sit on, while their friends took a picture. Its moments like this I really appreciate finding videos that can illustrate it better than I can describe it. Have a look at below.

Toy Story 3 mobile app yields over 1,7 million downloads

Most of us saw the creative iAd Steve Jobs presented at his Keynote for Toy Story 3. Personally, I have not seen it pop up yet, so please let me know if you have seen it running on iAd.

Disney recently acquired Paolo Alto based app developer, Tapulous, to create the company's mobile apps. The success of the Toy Story 3 is a testament to a job well done. The game has had over 1,7 million downloads since its launch on June 15.

The game lets consumers find new toys, new activities and new adventures. Disney is also selling ad-on games in the app giving the opportunity to earn money from it. Finally there is a link to a mobile web site where you can see movie information, watch trailers and find out where the movie is playing. The app can be downloaded from  iTunes. 

NikeID continues on iPad

Niké is one of those brands how have taken iPhone and iPad to heart. NikéID as a concept is one that I am really fond of. It has a clear and measurable return on investment.

Playing around with this app I was able to design my own shoe and then purchase it through Niké. Whats crucial here is app quality. The application crashed on me and I had to start over my design. Then touch sensitivity led me to assume that you cannot customize the soles of the shoe, leaving it red. Not really my style. Quite surprising since you can on their website. Regardless this is one of my favorite appvertising concepts. It looks great, has a sharing feature through Facebook and a clear ROI, which I think are 3 core factors for a successful app. You can download it on  iTunes.

Layar is rolling stones with Exile on Your St.

One of the first bands to launch an Augmented Reality campaign is Rolling Stones for their release of Exile on Your St. With a creative use of the Layar application Rolling Stones is able to reach both Android and iPhone users. The application lets fans create virtual posters promoting the album on different locations.
When posting the locations fans are able to write a personal message and include a clip from the album, which Layar users can see from a radius of 2km.

The Rolling Stones specific layar was created by Howard Ogden who also created the Beatles Tour for the Layar application. You can see more of his work on  augmentedreality.co.uk. One great example of his work is for the Les Miss in London, where he illustrates how you can get a call to action from a poster at the theaters location. The video below illustrates how. 

I am a huge fan when it comes to Augmented Reality and I am really keen on seeing this industry take of when it comes to mobile marketing.

Lekar from IKEA is just brilliant!

IKEA has quickly stepped up their game when it comes to mobile marketing. We have seen some campaigns before playing with mobile coupons and Augmented Reality, but now they have launched a couple of really good looking applications. First of is the game Lekar.

I think this campaign is brilliant. It clearly shows that IKEA has given it an extra thought. The concept is quite simple. The game Lekar (=games, in Swedish) is a mobile game that have a couple of interactive games for children such as the classical chair game, charades and find the hidden treasure. The idea is that kids are playing around in your home and getting to know your furniture.

What I like about this application is that it can save you when you are planning games for your kids birthday party or sleep over. It lets the kids play around and be active instead of sitting in front of a computer. Targeted to kids but gives a great value to parents.

According to IKEA this application works both on your iPad and your iPhone and you can download it from here. To complete this campaign IKEA have created a nicely looking commercial with kids from several parts of the world describing the game. 

Sekai Camera in 2010 and beyond: API, iPad and Android versions, iPhone update, Sekai Apps

According to Tonchidot, Sekai Camera now boasts well over one million users worldwide, and the number is poised to grow soon. In May, Sekai Camera for the iPad came out (yes, augmented reality on the camera-less iPad/screenshot below). The iPad-optimized app (obviously) can’t deliver the full experience but allows you to “visit” cities around the world and view and create air tags that other iPad and iPhone users can interact with.

And just a few days ago, Tonchidot released Sekai Camera on the Android Market (screenshot below) That version offers a couple of Android-exclusive features and is available in 47 different countries. ISO 1, an Android smartbook made by Sharp for the Japanese market , just went on sale and comes with Sekai Camera pre-installed.

But Sekai Camera version 2.4.1 for iPhone is probably the most relevant for most existing users. The update, which hit the App Store just today, comes with iOS4 support and push notification.
But perhaps most importantly, it features the first game that works within the Sekai Camera ecosystem. Tonchidot says that the title, a casual game called “KA-BOOM” (screenshots below), is just the first in a series of “Sekai Apps” that will be launched in the near future. The basic idea is to roll out games that combine mobile, location, augmented reality and social elements within Sekai Camera. Augmented reality-based gaming is something that has the potential to become huge and that no other company has ventured into on this scale. Tonchidot calls this concept “SoLAR” gaming and has already signed on a number of Japanese gaming firms that will deliver more content in the coming weeks.

And Tonchidot is cooking up even more stuff. Sekai Camera will go to the web soon (users will be able to see air tags and connect Sekai Camera to other social networks through a web service)