Esquire Magazine just came out with an AR-featured (Augmented Reality) issue. David Granger, Editor-in-chief at Esquire, appears in the video above to explain how the technology works. This is an innovative and exciting option for print magazines, because (like I mentioned in the last post) today more than ever, people are getting their information online. So a print magazine can immediately become interactive when you point the QR code to your webcam on your computer. It takes a second or two to recognize the code, and then a world of additional multimedia content is unveiled.

There has been a lot of talk about the interactive advertising initiative. It’s a great idea, and not just because it got a lot of people talking about it and buying the magazine to discover it. It’s mainly cool because that form of traditional media is dieing right now, and they are scrambling to figure out ways to adapt to today’s digital environment. That being said, I see it more as an advertising campaign that includes several viral videos similar to this first one rather than an “enhanced editorial plan.”

The aspect that amazes me the most is the amazing job they’ve done building content with celebrities — who doesn’t love Robert Downey Jr?? Seriously the guy is an incredible actor and has a great personality to build a campaign around. This is the real added value of the initiative and possibly the hardest thing to replicate for other publications and creative agencies.

by Jonathan Marshall

The Sun Newspaper decided to go with a very unique twist on Apple’s commercials in their latest advertising campaign. In one of their viral videos, they basically used Apple’s personality and recognizable brand traits for the foundation of their video, and then inserted their appropriate content. They used a similar background music, the same basic format, a similar concept (explaining how to use the device), and then began bashing Apple by describing the advantages of using the magazine over the IPHONE.

Thumbs up to their creative agency that came up with this concept. It’s funny because I, like many people nowadays, get all of my information online. I realize this is somewhat generational, but it seems like I hardly ever see people read through all thte way through a newspaper anymore, our attention spans suck. And the idea of doing so seems more and more foreign these days.

As ridiculous and equally frightening as the premise of this commercial may seem — people really do have to re-educate themselves on how to consume their information through more traditional forms of media like the newspaper or print magazines. Just goes to show how Apple has contributed to that shift of social interaction with their innovative products, clever campaigns and solid brand strategies.

by Jonathan Marshall

In its latest outing for Toshiba, Grey London collaborated with The Mill to film “the world’s highest commercial,” shot 98,000 feet above Nevada’s Black Rock desert.

To capture the spot’s footage, two Toshiba hi-def IK-HR1S video cameras and a lightweight chair were suspended from a high altitude helium balloon and floated into space until the chair EXPLODED from extreme atmospheric pressure 98,268 feet. That by itself is awesome…

According to Grey’s Creative Director on this project- it was about demonstrating that they can show something unbelievable while saying next to nothing for the entire ad. It’s about making this gigantic leap in the mind of the consumer. Going from a technology company that always talks about how great your life could and should be, to actually showing them something they have never seen before. Branding 101.

For all of those Brand Experts out there, this campaign is a clear and dramatic brand statement that supports their tagline, “Leading Innovation.” That’s what they do, “that’s in Toshiba’s DNA,” – their company is built on it.

Pushing the technical limit with the highest high-definition commercial in the world was the goal. What better way to SHOW innovation, experience and expertise than to use their own product to accomplish this feat.

Exceptional concept, goal and overall execution.

by Jonathan Marshall

While vegetarian business professionals are just plain annoyed by this- it adds a whole new dimension to future business lunches. I am going to have to agree with Jason Kincaid of TechCrunch when he wonders why on earth people even bother with trying to innovate in the business of business cards. I mean- is this a clever idea? Yes. But that’s kind of where it stops – who wants a smelly, hot and sticky piece of beef jerky with faded contact information on it rotting in their pocket all day? Not to mention, the creators are going to laser-in a “Do Not Eat” disclaimer on future cards…. Now I definitely don’t get it.

Regardless, it made me do a triple take when I saw the pictures and read the article, so props to MeatCards for grabbing my attention and I will be interested to see what kind of advertising campaign they decide to go with if these cards become a big hit. Check out what Jason Kincaid has to say about MeatCards, the business card industry and our more conservative business card options in his blog below.

I’ve made no secret about my disdain for business cards. In an age where we can swap photographs and movies in a matter of seconds wirelessly, why are we still fumbling with clumsy pieces of paper that are both easy to lose and environmentally unfriendly? Today, it looks like I might be eating my words (or, as the case may be, yours).

Enter MeatCards. Two weeks ago a number of blogs caught wind of this bizarre and potentially amazing creation, bringing meat and lasers together to create the most protein-rich business cards ever. Some thought it was a hoax. But it’s very real.

I reached out to the guys behind MeatCards, and as luck would have it they were preparing for their first run of prototype cards (styled after the design from American Psycho, of course). So I sent in my information, and they printed out the prototype seen above. In the interest of preserving a shred of privacy, I’m blurred out a few digits from my phone number, Email, and our mailing address. But most of the text, like my name and the TechCrunch information in the upper right hand corner, hasn’t been touched. Obviously the laser etching isn’t quite perfect, but it mostly gets the job done. More samples below.

I haven’t received my MeatCards yet, and thus have been unable to taste the goods for myself. But I have been assured that they should in theory be edible, albeit with a strange laser-burnt aftertaste. That said, the guys behind MeatCards seem to be interested in finding a way to mark the cards with “Do Not Eat” to make it clear that they don’t want you to eat them – it just opens them up to too many possible legal problems and regulations. But they can’t stop you from doing it.

So when can you order one for yourself? The product is still in the testing stages, but according to its homepage they should be going on sale some time soon. Make sure to check out this awesome Flickr set to see how it’s done.

And for a more conventional business card, check out the cards Google is currently giving away. Check out Jason’s article and more information from TechCrunch.