Nivea are offering personalised wrapping paper via an app on Facebook. It's a clever idea; pick a friend, choose gift pack, and then the app will create wrapping paper based on your interactions, e.g. wall posts and photos. Simple and direct. Unlike JCPenney's use of QR codes.
This is one of those rare occasions where QR codes are actually useful. Simply put, Deeple is a QR code based lost and found service. Put a tag on your keys, your bag, your bike - whatever you want - activate the code, and if you lose it, hopefully someone will find it, scan the code (or head to the website and enter the ID code), and find you. It's simple, it's easy, it's useful. Perfect.
I have one tag to give away to one lucky person, so first come first served.
Although the site is only in Danish right now, I have it on good authority that an English version is coming soon.
If you don't read The Ad Contrarian already, you should.
"When is the last time you were engaged with a product you hadn’t yet used? When have you ever spawned a conversation about a brand you had no experience with? When have you joined a community devoted to goods you’ve never tried? The answer is, probably never. That's because the twits have it all backward. And that's why the purpose of advertising remains, as it has always been, to sell someone something."