Category: Mobile

Augmented Reality. Hyperlinking the real world

A French company called Capturio turns a t-shirt into a business card. You point your phone at what someone is wearing, and the “link” is the fabric itself. No QR code required.

Right after that, Blippar in the UK takes the same idea to printed images. A newspaper page, poster, or pack becomes the trigger. The result is a 3D augmented reality overlay that appears on-screen the moment the image is recognised. Again, no QR code.

Is the end near for the QR code?

QR codes get put to good use in countless innovative projects. But the drift is clearly towards technology that produces similar results without visible codes.

Capturio. A business card you wear

Capturio’s concept is simple. The physical object becomes the identifier. A t-shirt behaves like a clickable surface in the real world.

Blippar. Turning print into a trigger

Blippar creates augmented reality effects from printed images without “activating” anything via a QR code. The interaction is straightforward:

  1. Download a custom app, in this case the Blippar app.
  2. Scan a Blippar-enabled printed image, identifiable by a small Blippar logo, using an iPhone, iPad, or Android device.
  3. Start interacting with the augmented reality 3D overlay on the screen.

Telibrahma. The same pattern shows up in India

In India, Telibrahma uses the same approach to increase experiential engagement for brands via traditional media like newspapers and posters.

Why this matters. Hyperlinking the physical world

The bigger idea is not the novelty of 3D overlays. It is that physical surfaces become links. Clothing, posters, newspaper pages, packaging, storefronts. Anything that can be recognised can behave like a gateway to content, commerce, or interaction.

A few fast answers before you act

What is “hyperlinking the real world” in this post?
Using image recognition and AR so physical objects like shirts, posters, and print behave like clickable links without QR codes.

Which companies are the concrete examples?
Capturio (France), Blippar (UK), and Telibrahma (India).

How does Blippar work at a high level?
Download the app, scan a Blippar-enabled image (marked with a small Blippar logo), then interact with a 3D AR overlay.

What traditional media does this apply to?
Newspapers, posters, and other printed images.

The TimeKiller App

For the last two years in a row, SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) has won the award for being Europe’s most punctual airline. With their ad agency SWE Advertising Stockholm, they created a great little time wasting utility app that isn’t actually made for its loyal customers, but for their competitor airline customers. 😎

The idea was to poke a little fun at SAS’ competitor airlines by suggesting to their customers that they’ll need this app from SAS because chances are, their flight will be delayed and they will need something to kill their time with…

Subway “Daredevil Delivery”

Subway was facing massive competition from other fast food chains in China. Mobile agency iconmobile was given the task to claim the mindsets of their target audience in an innovative way that also triggered sales.

A mobile game was created to let users step into the role of a subway delivery guy. Rather than just providing an emotional benefit, the app also included…

  • a map that provided direction to shops nearby
  • a click-2-call order function
  • a mobile coupon channel to trigger sales according to the users behaviour

Why the mechanics matter

The idea combines three practical conversion tools with gameplay. A nearby-store map reduces “where do I go”. Click-to-call reduces “how do I order”. Coupons reduce “why now”. The game gives all of it a reason to be opened in the first place.

What to borrow for mobile campaigns

  • Attach utility to entertainment. Games can drive attention, but the built-in tools drive action.
  • Keep the path to purchase short. If ordering is a tap away, intent has less time to cool down.
  • Use behaviour to time incentives. Coupons work better when they match what the user is doing in the moment.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Subway “Daredevil Delivery”?
A mobile game campaign in China that put users in the role of a Subway delivery guy, paired with tools that could trigger real orders.

Which agency created it?
iconmobile.

What features connected the game to sales?
A nearby-store map, a click-to-call ordering function, and a mobile coupon channel based on user behaviour.

What is the key lesson for mobile?
Pair a fun mechanic with immediate utility, so the experience can convert curiosity into action without friction.