the socializers

Layar Augmented Reality App Launches for iPhone 3Gs

Seminal AR announced today that they are offering their new augmented reality app, Layar, for free on iTunes. There’s only one catch – users have to have a 3Gs iPhone.

Using the built-in location-based map, users choose a layer to overlay their “real time” view, allowing them to view varying data including nearby bars and restaurants, wikipedia entries about locations in close proximity and even nearby twitter users.

Mashable covered the article best, so read on for more information: Layar augmented reality app

Going Viral With Video: Think Outside of the Box and Double Your Pleasure

Using video to virally propel a message, idea or promotion isn’t anything new in the world of new media marketing. Here’s an insider secret: The idea is to create something good enough, creative enough and sticky enough that people want to talk about it and share it. And the best way to do that is to be loud, funny and outside of the box. Complex and expensive graphics, design and transitions aren’t always the key. Being memorable is.

Create something that you’d want to send to your friends because it made you think, or because it made you laugh. People love to talk, and that conversation can easily be about your brand IF you make the talk worth buzzing about.

Sometimes videos just go viral on their own because they are THAT good. Here’s one example of a video that very accidentally went viral:

Since July 19, this video has received close to 13 million hits, over 100 unique clips and 50,000 comments. The wedding party-including the bride and groom-were even invited to re-create the moment on the Today Show:

JK Wedding Dance – The Today Show

And, after being parodied on the most recent episode of The Office, hits for the same link have spiked yet again.

Like photos, videos can be an extremely effective tool in telling your story. Just remember to make it creative, fresh and most importantly, something you’d pass along to your friends.