Not quite what the name suggests, a Brajacket is an advertisement disguised as a dust jacket for a book.

According to Trends in Japan, Brajackets are one of the hottest new trends in Japan. Created by an advertising agency (Setup Inc), Brajackets offer consumers a free cover to keep their book nice and neat, and advertisers a space to advertise that goes everywhere readers do.

Made from high-quality, coated paper that makes designs and colours pop, Brajackets come with a built-in bookmark. They're available from stands in bookstores. Free, and no purchase necessary. New designs come out a few times a month, and the most popular ones are gone in a matter of days.

Brands that are already using bookvertising include Perrier and Haagen-Dazs (shown above), Adidas, Canada Dry, Universal Studios, Levi's and famous Japanese rock band Mr. Children and a host of movies and musicals.

A simple idea that gives consumers something useful while creating a playful new space for advertising, this one could be copied to any city that has lots of people reading on subways and trains.

For other innovative (if slightly frilly) forms of advertising, check out coolertising, breadvertising, bikevertising and carvertising.

Website: http://www.b-j.jp
Contact: info@b-j.jp

Tapping into consumers' gravanity, KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) is inviting customers to create their own baggage labels using a favourite holiday snapshot, company logo or creative design. Less imaginative customers can pick one of KLM's preselected images.

Passengers who've booked a flight through the airline's Dutch website can use their confirmation number to claim two free luggage tags. An online tool lets them upload an image and order their personalized tags.

The three most original designs win two tickets to a European KLM destination.

The entire ordering and fulfilment process is run by IceMedia, who also created Shoot & Share, the personalized promotional photo postcards we featured earlier. According to IceMedia, most people upload holiday snaps, a picture of themselves, their children, or their pets. KLM's personalized labels are currently only available to customers in the Netherlands, but the promotion might also be rolled out internationally. The concept is also available to other brands in other countries.

Gravanity continues to be a fun way to capture consumers' attention. For a very similar example, check out what Postbank did with ATM cards. Oh, and why not start the world's first gravanity-agency, specialising in campaigns that are truly customer-centric?

Secure Singles has developed a 'personal emergency notification system' for the dating world.

A tool that singles can use to protect themselves, Secure Singles allows users to store information on the people they're planning to meet. Before going on a date, they can set a text alert that will go to friends, family or the authorities, if the user doesn't check in to cancel it. The message, which is sent by email, instant message or sms, includes details on how to access stored information on the date: contact info, employer/occupation, photos, phone number, address, location of date, etc.

Users can also add a 'Secure Singles Seal' to their online profiles to ward off anyone with bad intentions, and schedule text messages to be sent to themselves during a date to offer an easy way out if they feel uncomfortable.

The service, which is currently free, was developed by Secure Networks, a team of safety-concious parents and single professionals who wanted to make it safer to meet online suitors offline. A sister service is 321notify.com, which isn't just for daters, but anyone who could use a bit of extra security.

According to a spokesperson for Secure Singles, there are more than 100 million single people living in the U.S. today and 40 million of them are using online dating and social networking communities. A service that ensures personal safety and peace of mind sounds like something those online communities should partner with or buy now! Time to start something similar in your own neck of the woods?

A ChargeBox is a set of lockers designed to charge batteries of phones and other mobile devices.

Created by British Boxbrands, ChargeBoxes have six lockers with each locker containing four different chargers. The user picks the appropriate locker for their device, opens the door and attaches the device to a charger inside. Payment is then made either with a GBP 1 coin or by sending an SMS to a specific code. Once payment has been received, the door can be locked and charging begins. The device is charged for 40 minutes, or less if a user is in a hurry and doesn't need a fully charged battery. The locker aspect, which means users can leave their device behind, makes ChargeBoxes more useful than the charging kiosks we covered a few years ago.

The system offers a charging solution that covers 90 percent of handsets on the market, and also replenishes batteries of Blackberries, PDAs, iPods and PSPs. The first machines will be placed in easyInternetcafes, Novotel hotels, Vodafone stores, and various airports. One hundred ChargeBoxes are being launched this month and BoxBrands has ambitions to have over 1000 in the UK by the end of 2006.

In a world that's addicted to communication, and where mobile devices have reached almost universal adult penetration, drained batteries are a definite chokepoint. While we've seen similar examples of public charging points, they're far from commonplace, and would be a welcome addition to hotels, gyms, airports, train stations, hospitals, coffee shops, cinemas, festivals, shopping malls, etc.

If you're a vending machine enthusiast, this should be right up your alley. And if you work for a mobile phone network, why not sponsor ChargeBoxes in high footfall locations? Good for your brand, and you'll benefit directly if consumers are able to spend more time on their phones. ;-)

Not long ago, we featured two small companies dedicated to creating custom-made avatars. A third example of this creative cottage industry was recently spotted in the UK.

Bless This Chick creates mini-portraits that illustrate someone's online or offline identity. Customers send Bless This Chick details of the person to be illustrated, pay by PayPal, and receive a hand-drawn portrait by email a few days later.

What are they for? Consumers can stick their chick on their personal website or MySpace page, add it to their email signature, or use it as an avatar on blogs or chatrooms. Bless this Chick also creates a webpage for customers, where they can order personalized products such as t-shirts and underwear.

The chicks often portray not the actual person, but their online identity, by way of an online nickname or handle. For example, nicknames for a few of the chicks shown above are britchick, EvilIndieTwin, chiliflea, and sleepysteph.
Priced at an allowance/pocket money friendly GBP 3.99 for one portrait or GBP 9.90 for five, Bless This Chick is sure to be a hit with children and teenagers. And as we said in our previous article, this is a great concept for creative minipreneurs, as start-up costs are minimal. All you need some skill in illustration, and a fun website. It also helps to target a specific audience, like Bless This Chick does with girls.