Category: Mobile

Build with Chrome: LEGO Chrome Experiment

Google earlier this week released their latest Chrome Experiment in partnership with LEGO called “Build with Chrome”.

Now anybody who visits www.buildwithchrome.com via their Chrome browser can use their mouse or touchscreen to build something out of the virtual LEGO bricks and share them directly on Google+.

Why this is a smart Chrome Experiment

This is a simple product demonstration disguised as play. It shows off what the browser can do by putting it in service of something people already understand. Building with LEGO.

  • Low learning curve. If you can drag and drop, you can participate.
  • Touch-ready by design. Mouse and touchscreen both make sense for “building”.
  • Social distribution baked in. Sharing is part of the experience, not an afterthought.

What to take from this if you are building interactive brand work

  1. Make the capability tangible. Don’t explain performance. Let people feel it.
  2. Choose a familiar metaphor. Familiar mechanics reduce friction and increase time spent.
  3. Design sharing as a natural next step. If the output is personal, people want to show it.
  4. Keep the experience single-purpose. One clear activity beats a feature kitchen sink.

A few fast answers before you act

What is “Build with Chrome”?

It is a Google Chrome Experiment built with LEGO that lets people create virtual LEGO models in the browser using a mouse or touchscreen, then share them online.

Why partner with LEGO?

Because LEGO is an instantly understood building system. It makes the digital interaction feel intuitive, playful, and worth sharing.

What is the core marketing mechanic here?

Hands-on participation. The experience turns a browser capability into a personal creation that people can publish socially.

What makes a Chrome Experiment effective?

It demonstrates a technology through an interaction people enjoy, without requiring explanation, and it encourages sharing through an output people feel ownership of.

What is the transferable lesson for digital teams?

If you want people to remember a platform capability, wrap it in a simple activity that creates something personal and shareable.

Video Stamps

Unpacking post is a bit like unpacking gifts. So for this Christmas, Australia Post has created a video stamp that lets senders add a more personal touch to their packets via a QR code stamp that is linked to a custom video message.

J.C. Penney has already linked QR Codes to voice messages during their Santa Tags sticker campaign in 2011. And at the beginning of 2012 there was also a concept video doing rounds on YouTube about a similar DHL Christmas Video packet service. So I am just surprised that it took so long for a postal service to pick up on the concept and implement it. 🙂

Macy’s iBeacon: Retail Enters Micro-Location

iBeacon moves from concept to real retail

Apple is working to bring iBeacon technology into retail stores. But the first real-world deployment lands fast.

On November 20, Shopkick deploys an iBeacon system at Macy’s, effectively bringing beacon-driven retail experiences live before Apple’s own retail rollout becomes mainstream.

At Macy’s, the implementation is branded as shopBeacon.

What iBeacon makes possible in-store

iBeacon, introduced with iOS 7, uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signaling to enable micro-location services inside stores.

That matters because it changes what mobile in-store experiences can do. Stores can deliver information and value based on a shopper’s precise location inside the environment, not just on GPS-level proximity.

Micro-location enables location-specific deals and discounts, product recommendations by aisle or department, loyalty rewards triggered by presence, and contextual content that enhances the shopping journey.

The promise is simple. The store becomes a responsive, context-aware interface.

What makes Macy’s deployment noteworthy

This is not a lab demo. It is a live retail environment.

The shopBeacon trial runs as a closed beta at Macy’s Herald Square in New York and Macy’s Union Square in San Francisco.

This marks the shift from talking about beacons to operationally testing them in flagship stores, where footfall, density, and shopper intent are real.

In brick-and-mortar retail, micro-location only matters when it is permissioned, useful, and tied to measurable in-store behavior change.

The strategic signal for retailers and brands

Beacon technology is not another channel. It is an in-store intelligence layer.

If executed with permission and relevance, it can reduce friction in discovery and decision-making, increase the utility of mobile without forcing shoppers to search, and bridge physical browsing with digital personalization.

If executed poorly, it becomes noise. The win condition is not proximity. It is context plus permission plus usefulness.

A few fast answers before you act

What does “micro-location” mean in a store context?

It means detecting a shopper’s location at aisle or department level, not just “near the store”, enabling experiences that change based on where the shopper is standing.

Why is BLE central to iBeacon-style deployments?

Bluetooth Low Energy enables persistent, low-power proximity signals that make in-aisle triggers and experiences feasible without draining devices.

Is the main value just pushing offers?

No. Offers are one use case. The stronger value is contextual service, guidance, and relevance when it reduces shopping friction.

What should retailers measure in early pilots?

Opt-in rates, perceived usefulness, impact on dwell and conversion, and whether the experience feels helpful rather than intrusive.

What is the quickest way for this to fail?

When it becomes noisy, repetitive, or unpermissioned. Proximity alone is not value. Context and usefulness are the win condition.