Dumbest QR codes

QR codes can do a lot. They can take you to a website, they can contain SMS messages, plain text, contact info, event invites, Google Maps locations, YouTube videos, social content and much more.

QR codes need to be scanned therefore they should only be in locations where they can be easily and safely used. They should also be big enough and clear enough that even a lower-quality phone can scan it.

With QR codes if you’re creative sky is the limit. If you’re not creative this is the result..

How are you supposed to scan this?!?!

And this?

Not sure many phones would read this...

They could have made it a little smaller?

This is on Facebook HQ roof!

I'm sure many would love to scan this.

And last one, my favourite...

No comment!

For more weird and funny QR codes check this site.

Hi magazine. An online mystery.

Every week I read, like many of you, Hi magazine. Something caught my attention in the past weeks. In each issue, usually in the first pages, there is a section dedicated to the readers, with their letters to the editor as well as the messages they send through Facebook and Twitter. Nothing strange here really as most papers do it, here are a couple of scanned images from past issues:

According to what it says above the Facebook and Twitter URLs are facebook.com/hi_oman and @hi_oman. I visited both so that i could become a fan/follower too but I discovered that they don’t exist! I've asked around and found out that both Facebook and Twitter have different addresses; check them out here...Hi on Facebook and Hi on Twitter. Both have been updated once, or maybe twice, since December 2011 and there's pretty much zero interaction. 

Strange, isn't it?

It got me more intrigued...I checked on the people who left comments on Hi’s wall and,  guess what, they also don’t exist. The various people named in the above images like Mahindra PP, Rachel Parns, Fannyfast, Khalid76ar do not seem to be on Facebook. And the same applies for the tweeps like @hallook, @grongii, @Mefreak, @sophiebaby, etc.

Even stranger isn't it?

Another Facebook (and this time Twitter too) mystery!

Mercedes-Benz turns into…invisible!

As part of a marketing plan to call attention and promote its zero-emissions F-Cell model, the German brand covered the entire side of the car in LED panels and mounted on the opposite side of the vehicle a digital camera.

The F-Cell model got the ultimate camouflage...invisible for the environment.

The stunt, costed about 265,000 US$, involves the “invisible” Mercedes B-Class F-Cell car around the streets of Hamburg using the same trick that was used in one of James Bond movies “Die Another Day”. Passersby all looked quite amused.

If you want to have a look at the fastest non-moving car then click here.

Take off to Bollywood

A couple of weeks ago, February 26, it was the Republic Day of India and lots of celebrations took place all around the world.

Finnish airline Finnair did something quite simple but original and entertaining. On the January 17th Finnair flight AY201 from Helsinki to Dehli a dance crew wearing traditional clothes surprised passengers by dancing and singing “Deewangi Deewangi” from the Bollywood blockbuster “Om Shanti Om.” Most passengers seemed to enjoy it while some others look a little...lost!

Indians might be separated by the various languages and culinary traditions, but something they all have in common is their warm and kind hospitality; probably that is the message that Finnair wanted to convey.

The video went viral and as of today it was seen by more than 4.5 million people. A very good result if you think that Finland has a population of 5.5 million people. Check it out.

Quick guide to the new Facebook Pages

If you hang out on Facebook you must have heard of the big change for Pages...the new  layout and timeline. The change was implemented several days ago and until March 30, 2012, everyone can still use the current design. The new change in design is already well known among the Facebook community as personal Profiles look pretty much the same.

What are the changes then? There are many but the most important are:

• A big Cover Photo (851 x 315px) with your Profile Picture, see an example below from Muscat's coolest boutique TOTEM.

Please note: you cannot use the big photo as an advert, it cannot contain calls to action, cannot include any contact information, including web address, products prices, or any references to Facebook features like “Like our Page”, copyrighted info, etc.

• The applications you previously had as tabs on the left hand side of your page will now appear as boxes just under the cover pic. You can choose what order to put the boxes, I suggest your arrange them based on importance. This is an example from Kia Oman.

Please Note: the size of customised tabs has been increased to 810px wide but you will still be able to keep them as they are, i.e. 520px. This change will give a greater design freedom.

When posting new updates you will now be able to:

• "Highlight" updates to give them more prominence by extending them to 2 columns.
• "Pin" your status update: You can “pin” status updates to keep them at the top of your updates for up to 7 days.

Please note: Pin and Highlight will be very useful for brands as they can drive visitors to a specific tab with a link in the post.

• Pages can add milestones with images, to any point on their timeline. Brands can use this to highlight important date in history and events. This is a great opportunity to educate the public, humanise the brand and remove a perception of corporate anonymity.

The last big change is that you can now send private messages to Pages. When on a Page, click the “Message” button below the Cover Photo to write and send your message. This is something to watch out for as spammers could take advantage.

There are a few negative aspects too in my opinion such as not having the choice of setting a default landing tab and not being able to date an object in the ‘Timeline’ prior to 1905. Having also a 2-column layout will fragment conversations.

Let’s see if these changes will improve engagement and interaction between brands and their fans.

There are many other changes such as the Activity Log and the New Admin Panel; you can find them all in details here as well as a nice video tutorial here.

Need help paying your mortgage?

American marketing company Brainiacs From Mars is using houses as an advertising channel hoping their original idea will convince companies to hire them to run their advertising campaigns.

What’s so unique about their idea? In southern California 44% of homeowners owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. So Brainiacs From Mars’s CEO Romeo Mendoza’s ingenious idea is to advertise his company's name and services on the front of people's homes in exchange for paying their mortgages every month for as long as the houses remain painted.

“It’s definitely a two-way street,” Mendoza said. “We are able to help the homeowners and the homeowners are able to help us.”

The firm has only painted one house so far but the campaign has already surpassed the BFM’s wildest expectations after receiving more than 38,000 applications! 

On Facebook their page is becoming quite popular and more and more people are sending pics of their houses.

 

I think it’s a good idea if it stays within the city codes. I wouldn’t like to have my house painted though.

2012. We're ready.

Cool ad campaign by British Airways in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The advert, known as “The Race” and part of a bigger campaign called “2012. We're ready. To Fly. To Serve”, was recently launched on Facebook followed by Google+ before making its TV debut. Outdoor, print and online adverts also formed part of the campaign.

The 60-second TV ad features a little girl's luggage racing with other luggage from other nations to the arrivals hall. It’s a way of showing the great spirit of teamwork needed by British Airways staff to deliver hundreds of flights a day, all over the world.

 

Well done BA.