To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog, JWT Sydney and SEGA have launched a multi-platform campaign based around an augmented reality app that can be used in conjunction with out-of-home, TV, magazines, online banners and websites. The campaign has launched exclusively in Australia and the Sonic Vision app is only available in the Australian iTunes store.

The 'Sonic Vision - Catch the Blue Blur' iPhone app (www.sonicthehedgehog.com/getapp) allows fans to capture Sonic in the real world by locating augmented reality markers around the country using built-in maps and GPS.

To catch Sonic, players can point their iPhone at a poster and a gold ring appears on screen. Sonic speeds past onscreen and players have to respond quickly to capture him. The markers also appear on websites, banners, in magazines and on TV.

SEGA is also distributing Augmented Reality Markers to bloggers and gaming websites encouraging them to be part of the campaign by voluntarily embedding the markers (example below) within their pages to attract Sonic Vision players.

Capture Sonic Here - A Sonic Vision AR marker for blog owners

Fans can also submit their points to a leaderboard and follow the progress of other players, win Sonic prizes and share their scores on Facebook.

"JWT has recognised the rising prominence of mobile amongst gamers and created an experience that is a fitting celebration of a gaming icon like Sonic the Hedgehog," said SEGA marketing manager Neroli Baird.

The campaign also coincides with the much anticipated release of Sonic Generations for Nintendo DS, PS3, Xbox 360 & PC. Sonic Generations delivers the definitive gaming experience for Sonic fans new and old and is considered the ultimate celebration of 20 Years of Sonic gaming,

Aspiring young creatives were given the opportunity to win a trip to Cannes by creating a video that tells people why December's UN climate change summit in Copenhagen is one of the most important meetings in human history, and that the clock is ticking on our chances to save the world from the effects of climate change. For more information / background to the brief head here

Want to promote your entry? Post a link to your entry video into the comments section below. The first 10 videos that are posted into the comments field below will be promoted in the News section of Bannerblog on Friday 22nd May. It's first in best dressed. This is your chance to exploit the reach of Bannerblog.com.au for you're own selfish purposes! This offer will never to be repeated again!

Check out the official Cannes Lion YouTube Channel for all the entries

Note : The 10 videos you see posted on Friday 22nd are the first 10 we received in the comment section below this post. We will not accept entries in any other way. No correspondance will be entered into on these conditions and the resulting selection of 10 videos. We offer our help as a favour to young creatives & supporter of the Cannes Young Lions event.

Lynx (Axe everywhere else) has released a new fragrance "Instinct" along with a new campaign based on the adventures of a caveman called Flex.

Here's the current Instinct TVC production by Passion Pictures.

Catchy song. For those that don't remember the original film clip here it is

The BBH and Acne Digital in the UK has created a micro site/game called "The Roar Off" and invites guys to roar into the microphone to "earn their leather" or "Unleash the Man Leather" which doesn't sound as manly when you say it out loud :)

There was also a viral video to promote the UK's game but this didn't set the world on fire.

Soap worked on the Australian campaign which took a different approach creating a multi-player game in which the players walk around a pre-historic world "saving" cave babes from the impending Ice Age. In Lynx Primal Instinct the emphasis was on engaging the users over a longer period of time rather than a single one off experience. Oh and also catered for those that don't have a microphone.

Soap also worked with the media agency to have babe codes put into print Ralph and FHM ads in addition to online ads which rewarded users extra points. It also allowed Unilever to track response rates on the various media.

Players can also play a sexy game of Pre-Historic Paper, Rock, Scissors with the cave babes.

You can also check out the Rock, Paper, Scissors and Roar takeover banners from this campaign here.

This was Soap's first campaign for Lynx since winning the digital account in late 2008.

Disclaimer: I'm a partner at Soap and rather that write the post in first person decided to just throw this at the end.

Every couple of weeks, Trish from Kraft AU publishes a little email newsletter with a 5 recipes and some nice big pictures out to Australia and beyond. In it's current guise, it's faithfully published each fortnight with the help of the digital team at Wunderman in Melbourne. (Trish is a "food scientist", and scientists are really smart, usually, so it's good - well written, super tasty dish combinations, full course stuff)

So thats one thing, good food options each fortnight, yumo.

So when Trish was looking to spread the good word about her Kraft Kitchens email, the thinking was "Why not give everyone else the opportunity to add their own little finishing touch to some of her super recipes?" - Like a recipe wiki, where (not unlike the earths best encyclopedia) members can suggest new or alternate ingredients, methods, hints & or tips to a chosen recipe, or just agree/disagree with someone else's well considered alteration.

oh and if you add to the list of suggestions/changes/amends, you go into the running for dinner prize worth a $1000 (thats 3 zero's) for you and your "team" of foodie friends.

Great for Vegans and Vegetarians, lactose intolerants, celiac's, Nut allergic's and Buddhists +++ looking to for ideas that don't use whatever it is in the recipe that may offend them, like prawns or garlic...

Anyhow it's pretty good, it's at kraftkitchens.com.au and really interesting to see all the options you perhaps might never have thought on your own, the wisdom of crowds indeed.

ps. If you're into food, then you should sign up for the newsletter, but if you have an opinion, and tell Trish, you'd be signed up anyhow.

Get the economy back on track, get yourself a McCain '08 T-Shirt.

I made these using Spread Shirt, and put together the site using Big Cartel, as a little side experiment in e-commerce. This is after being inspired by all the election hysteria, and the massive social networking success that is McCainSpace.

Big Cartel is definitely worth checking out if you're after a non-lame, CSS customizable shopping cart.