Valentine’s Flash Mob Spreads the Love at Indigo Books in Toronto

Indigo Valentine's Flash MobIt seemed like just another day at the Bay & Bloor location of Indigo Books, until a young man carrying a bouquet of roses began singing ‘Happy Together’ to a what seems like an Indigo employee. The people at the store may have thought they were about to witness a very creative engagement proposal, until the man jumps up onto the counter and another half dozen performers join in on the performance.

Just as things seemed to be over, a performer disguised as an author signing books stands up and begins singing the Stevie Wonder classic ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ as he hands out gifts to startled shoppers. The performance with Calvin Harris’ ‘We Found Love’ and wraps up with Roy Orbison’s ‘You Got It’.

It’s too bad that the ending comes off sounding so commercial with the song’s lyrics changed from ‘You Got It’ to “Anything You Want, We Got It”. But in the end it’s a promotion afterall.

HarperCollins Canada Launch In-Store Augmented Reality Experience at Indigo Bookstores

HarperCollins and Indigo Books Host In-Store AR Experience for The Dark EndeavorHarperCollins Canada has launched an augmented reality experience in conjunction with the launch of Kenneth Oppel’s latest young adult novel ‘This Dark Endeavour: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frakenstein’.

The large bookshelf installation pictured here can be found at Indigo locations in Toronto (Eaton’s Centre), Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa. Android users can use the ‘This Dark Endeavor’ app to scan the shelves looking for the mystery book that will bring the animated secrets to life. Smaller posters and bookmarks that also trigger the AR experience can be found at more than 300 other locations of Indigo, Chapters and Coles Bookstores across Canada.

When I visited the installation at the Indigo Books store at the Eaton’s Centre in downtown Toronto, I was disappointed that the two available Android phones were out of commission. One was waiting for a software update and the other had been unplugged and the battery was dead (I own an iPhone and I was without my Android toting friends). Thankfully, I was able to experience the AR on Kenneth Hoppel’s web site using my laptop’s webcam and a printed marker.

The project was brought to life by the Toronto office of Dentsu.

The ‘Dark Endeavor‘ app is available as a free download in the Android app Market.