February, 2012
Show your love for someone this Valentine’s Day with an augmented reality created with a simple Starbucks cup. The creation of this mobile application shows Starbucks’s continued dedication to becoming digital. This campaign allows people to photograph the Valentine’s Day cup and make hearts move from on the cup around the screen, and then send this augmented reality to friends. To learn more about Starbucks’s mobile growth visit Mashable.
February, 2012
Law & Order produced an iOS game application to support the seven episodes of the Legacies season. Within the application, and for the price of $12.99, users can access all seven episodes and place themselves in a game which follows the season. Users can log-in as their favorite characters on the show, investigate cases and find different endings to cases shown on the series. To learn more about this digital mobile application, please visit TellTaleGames.com.
February 2012- The Transparent Screen Android app gives you the opportunity to use your phone as usual, while being able to see the image of your camera transparently on the entire screen. The transparency of the image can be adjusted depending on the desired level of visibility. This app is free on the Android Market. For more information, please see TechCrunch.com.
February, 2012
Verizon Communications and Coinstar, the owner of Redbox DVD kiosks, will be introducing an online streaming-video service that will directly compete with Netflix the second half of this year. The service will allow users to stream video content via the web, mobile devices and downloads, with the option of physical DVD through rental kiosks. Verizon will own a 65% stake in the service and Redbox will hold the other 35%. For more information, please see Adage.com.
January, 2012
Facial recognition company Face.com has released “Klick” a new App for iOS 4.3+ that links to Facebook and automatically identifies your friends names when taking photos. Immediately sharing with your friends is optional, but to use the app you must configure it with your Facebook account. Klick supports some Instagram-like photo filters that can make photos more artistic. It also offers feeds from nearby photos and friend’s photos with the option to tag from the camera roll to Twitter, email, Facebook and publically on Klick. For more information, please see TechCrunch.com.
January, 2012
Tiffany & Co. is asking users to share what they find to be “true love” through their Valentine’s Day mobile application. The application shares love stories, tips on keeping a successful partnership, and a map where users can mark their initials on their favorite romantic spots. Users can also upload their own images and put a special Tiffany & Co. filter on it to make it more romanticized. The application also features a link to the Tiffany & Co. store where mobile purchases can be made. To learn more, please visit LuxuryDaily.com or the iTunes App store.
January 2012
Chevrolet introduces The Chevy Game Time app, leveraging the mobile space where many viewers existed during last year’s Super Bowl. The app will quiz users with trivia and poll questions on the Super Bowl game, teams and commercials. Correct answers will enter users into a drawing for thousands of prizes from Chevrolet, Bridgestone, Motorola, Papa John’s and more. Users are also assigned a “license plate” number upon download of the app. Consumers’ license plate numbers matching license plates in Chevy’s commercials will win a Chevy’s vehicle. For more information, please see AdAge.
January, 2012
Express has added QR codes to store windows and clothing tags inorder to encourage downloads of the store’s app and promote their social sites to their consumers. The QR codes placed on the windows of the New York stores and placed on tags for clothing lead to the mobile landing page where consumers can learn about and easily download the Express app for iPhone, Android, or Blackberry platforms. Express hopes that the app downloads will lead to more memorable in store experiences as well as increase engagement with the fashion retailer’s social media sites. For more information see Mobile Commerce Daily.
January 2012
Tiffany & Co. launches their user-curated campaign, encouraging photographers and consumers to upload photos to their What Makes True Love microsite. Photographers have been uploading candid photos of couples in New York and Paris. Beginning January 25, consumers are able to upload photos to Instagram, and using the hashtag #trulovepictures, have a chance to be featured on the site. The microsite also features real-life videos, stories, romantic movies and songs, and a map where consumers can pinpoint where they fell in love in New York. The campaign is complete with a Tiffany’s station on Pandora. For more information, please see Luxury Daily.
January, 2012
Karl Lagerfield and Net-A-Porter partnered to develop a mobile application that was multi-faceted: users could play an interactive game, preview the collection, a transformational photo opportunity sweepstakes and video. The interactive “Find Karl & Win” game requires users to roll a digital marble over Karl’s faces to score points; those with the highest score are entered to win a $1,000 N-A-P gift card. Users who scan Karl icons on the company website can watch videos featuring the designer. Participants of the photo transformations, to “Karlify” themselves, are entered for a chance to win a piece from the collection. To learn more, please visit LuxuryDaily.com.
January, 2012
Walgreens will support their pharmaceutical sales by promoting mobile prescription refills for iOS users. To support the new application, Walgreens has placed a number of mobile advertisements on Apple’s iAd network, even though users can download the app for Android devices. For convenience, once the prescription is ready, users will receive a text alert to let them know they can pick up their order. To learn more about this new application, please visit MobileCommerceDaily.com.
January, 2012
Wikipedia has chosen Monmouth, Britain as its first attempt at using QR codes to provide awareness about a city. Wikipedia has placed QR codes around the town to allow locals the ability to write articles about what the city has to offer. They call this QRpedia, which was unveiled in April 2011. These codes are currently placed around the world in museums and other institutions to mobilize information for individuals that are seeking to learn more. To learn more about this endeavor please visit Mobile Marketer.
January, 2012
To compete with iOS’ “Siri”, India-based Dexetera has partnered with Q&A site ChaCha to provide support for the mobile application, “Iris”. The mobile app for Android users will provide answers to inquiries sent via the application. ChaCha, a human-managed site, has answered nearly 2 billion questions since launching in 2006, and should be a worthy question and answer partner for the Iris application. To learn more about this collaboration, please visit FierceMobileContent.com.
January, 2012
Lexus is making vehicle payments easier with the addition of an iOS mobile payment application called myLFS. Within the application, Lexus owners can pay their bills, view special offers from the company and also reach company contacts for inquiries regarding their statements. For added security, owners must submit a number of responses to inquiries before the will be registered for the app. To learn more about how Lexus is making the brand experience more simplistic, please visit LuxuryDaily.com.
December, 2011
The new Steven Spielberg movie, The Adventures of Tin Tin, has launched an ‘Art Book’ iPad app to accompany the coffee table book The Art of The Adventures of Tin Tin. The coffee table book features exclusive full page images of the behind the scenes art that went into making the full length 3D feature film of the old comic book. The iPad app features the same illustrations and images as the coffee book, but also includes 3D characters, scenes, and vehicles of the movies that users can rotate and explore on their iPad. Exclusive video content and 360 degree experiences are also hidden throughout the app encouraging users to truly “explore” the world of TinTin to discover exciting and engaging content. The revolutionary book app is only $5.99 in the iTunes app store as opposed to $40 for the coffee table print edition. For more information please see TechCrunch.
December, 2011
Sincerely, the company behind the photo-printing app Postagram, has released a new mobile photo app called Dotti. The app is designed to look and feel like an old-school disposable camera. Users get 12 photos to shoot that can be sent off and made into high-quality 4×6 prints for $4.99. Photographs are returned to their owners by mail in less than a week. For more information, please see TechCrunch.
December, 2011
Spotify, the music download service, is now available for the Blackberry market according to Spotify’s blog. However, the app will only work on select models; the Bold 9780, the Bold 9700, the Curve 9300, the Bold 9000, and the Curve 8520. The newest of these models is over a year old! Spotify has not released an official statement as to whether newer Blackberry versions will be able to download the app. For more information, please see TechCrunch.
December, 2011
Following the popularity of goop.com, creator Gwyneth Paltrow has released the goop City Guides mobile app. The application, centered on New York City only at this time, is the go-to guide for all of Gwyneth’s favorite things in the city. The application has interactive maps, walkthroughs of city streets and the ability to share new sites within the app. To learn more about this new app, please visit iTunes.com or goop.com.
December, 2011
Nordstroms has updated its mobile app to include a holiday gifting guide as the front page. The gifting guide aims to help consumers shop this season by providing gifting suggestions for groups of people such as men, women, newly weds, mothers and more. Nordstroms’ app allows users to purchase an item with an easy “one click purchase” option, or easily reserve the item for pickup at their nearest store. The company is also offering free shipping for any items purchased through the app this season. Nordstrom’s update to their app comes after the successful launch of their Facebook app “Norstroms Santa” which also helps consumers with holiday season gifting. For more information see Luxury Daily.
December, 2011
Miso, social TV start-up, has come out with a new feature called SlideShow which allows users to view relevant content along side their favorite TV shows. For example, if a user were watching the MTV series Awkward and a new song began to play, Miso would pull up a card with the artist’s name, song name, and link to Spotify. Miso is currently an app that can be linked with DirecTV, U-Verse, and Roku. For more information, please see AdWeek.
Starbucks has become quite a trend and an addiction, and now the addiction has become convenient. Starbucks has launched a mobile app that allows customers to just “scan and go” by using mobile pay for all their Starbucks purchases. The app has been a huge hit, bringing in over 3 million transactions in the first 9 weeks, and growing. For more information please visit Mashable.
December, 2011
Instant Santa, an app for iDevices, will bring holiday humor this year for mobile users. The app instantly places Santa in any photo. Users can select a number of poses by Santa (including lying down, dropping off presents, or even chugging a beer) to insert into their photos. A standard Santa image is free to those who want to use the app, but for 99 cents, users can download “Good Santa” and “Bad Santa” images. The app also allows for instantaneous social media uploads. To learn more, please visit Mashable.com.
December, 2011
Heineken is helping social media users extend warm wishes during the holiday season via their Heineken Holiday App. Available for download on the brand’s Facebook page, the application is actually for Android and iPhone users, but greetings can be shared socially. The application also houses holiday recipes and cocktails to serve at seasonal gatherings. Finally, once the festivities are over, the app will source taxis for guests through “Taxi Magic”. To learn more about this app, please visit Facebook.com/Heineken.
December, 2011
Bravo TV’s Top Chef has launched an iPad application called Top Chef University to teach everyday users tips and techniques from the show’s contestants. The app houses 10 video tutorials on cooking techniques and comprises of over 200 lessons, all based on 20 different skill levels. Video tutorials also come with lessons in key terms, tips for particular recipes and an area to take notes. To learn more about how this app sets itself apart, please visit TopChefUniversity.com.
December, 2011
With the new Muppets movie premiere on November 12, the franchise developed an iPad application that allows visitors to “Muppet” themselves. Called “Muppet Mail”, users create a Muppet version of themselves that they can then email on occasion-themed templates to friends and family. The application ties into Facebook to alert users of friends’ upcoming birthdays. The app is currently available for download on iTunes for $2.99.
December, 2011
PBS Kids and WBGH are currently testing a new augmented reality app for iOS that gets kids excited about math. To play the game, called Fetch! Lunch Rush, users must have pieces of paper with special marks and numbers on them. The app will then provide mathematical equations that the children solve by hovering their phone or iPad over the paper. The game will then award children points for correct answers. Rather than having the children focus solely on the app, the use of augmented reality encourages children to move around and interact more in depth with their learning experience.
December, 2011
Walmart has launched it’s Shopycat App that provides gifting recommendations for your friends this week. The app works by mining a person’s Facebook history (interests, comments, likes, etc) and generating suggested gifts based on what it finds out about the person. The suggested gifts are then all available for purchase on Walmart.com or it can suggest the nearest Walmart store that has the item. The app has been in testing since August and Walmart hopes that the months of making extensive tweaks to Shopycat’s gifting algorithm, the app will be be able to correctly guess the perfect item for your friends or loved ones this holiday season. For more information on Walmart’s Shopycat, see AdAge.
November, 2011
Hugo Boss is taking social media to the next level. The high-end menswear designer is increasing their social media fan base by providing a mobile check-in contest to allow fans to win a shopping trip in New York City. Customers that check-in at one of the worldwide retail locations will be entered into the raffle. For more information, please see Luxury Daily.
November, 2011
Spotify, the music streaming service, is now offering its own apps. The apps will be based around HTML5 and Javascript standards which run inside Spotify. Some examples of available Spotify apps are Rolling Stones (providing “best of” lists), TuneWiki (providing song lyrics) and SongKick (providing concert dates). For more information, please see Gizmodo.
November, 2011
Beck’s, the German beer company, has created an app to promote sober driving. The idea combines the beck logo, a key, and a common problem with having a few beers and attempting to drive, placing your key in your car door. In the app, users must try and keep a key in a keyhole for 25 seconds while it moves around their mobile screen. If they cannot the app automatically locates a taxi service within their area. For more information, please see AdsOfTheWorld.
