Click here to view the embedded video.

There was that 3D projection mapping experience on an LA Hotel a while back. And in October, the brand brought a print ad to life with the help of a handy iPad.

This time out, Lexus is going a bit simpler, keying into QR codes - the scanning of which reveals models kinda-sorta hidden in SI print ads for the new IS.

Still, the pursuit of perfection could have added a little more punch to the reveals than just having the models strut toward us. Integrating with the car in some fashion - or really just doing anything a little more interesting - would have been a better pay off for going to all the trouble.

Okay, it's still pretty cool. And it's apparently just the opening act. According to ADWEEK, the Lexus IS is also included in Sport Illustrated's first-ever 3D projection mapping experience on the facade at Caesar's Las Vegas.

Get the full scoop here.

Mobile marketing is so much more than advertising.

As readers of my books THE ON-DEMAND BRAND and BRANDING UNBOUND know, I don’t consider mobile advertising very compelling. So it
won’t come as a shock that there isn't much in the way of pure-play mobile ads in this year’s list of top 10 mobile marketing initiatives.

For me, mobile isn’t about taking an ad model from the old-school Internet – namely a "ad banner" – and plopping it onto a business-card size screen, or even the larger screen of an iPad.

It’s about creating unique and differentiating branded experiences that drive home your value proposition in amazing new ways.

To that end, here are 10 of my favorite mobile promotional initiatives for 2012.

Agree with my list? Disagree? What initiatives would you ad to the list?

Let us know!

TOP 10 IN MOBILE MARKETING 2012

10. Heineken Personalized QR
Code Stickers Become Ice Breakers at Music Festival

Talk about a conversation starter.

9. ‘Dance Cam’ Mobile App
Lets you Create Music Videos on Your Phone

Because there are few things more entertaining (and, often, disturbing)
than watching folks dance on the Xbox Kinect system on games like Dance
Central. So why not mobilize it?

8. Starbucks Brings Mobile
AR to Valentine’s Day

It’s the AR, Cupid.

7. Red Tomato Fridge Magnet
Orders Pizza For You

Freaking genius – and no
mobile app, or even phone, required.

6. Retailer’s
Shadow-Activated QR Code Boosts Sales 25%

Effective? Affirmative.
Clever? Beyond a shadow of a doubt.

5. Axe Body Spray Uses QR Code ‘Peepholes’ For A
Mobile+Social Sensation

Not for the faint of heart.

4. Kit Kat Launches GPS-Based ‘Golden Ticket’-Style
Promo

Kit Kat will do a heck of a lot more than just
give you a break.

3. VW’s Creative ‘Crate Code’

You’ll love the payoff. Or
the payload, as the case may be.

2. Wonderbra Decoder App Gives You X-Ray Vision

School-age boys the world over might think an
age-old dream has come true.

1. Project Re:Brief App Lets
You Truly Buy The World A Coke – Anywhere, Anytime

You gotta love this mobile-age edition of Coke's
classic "Hilltop" spot (video at top).

Rising Stars Ad Units

New ad units being supported for standardization by the Interactive Advertising Bureau. I think the big issue around rich media is that it becomes too expensive to produce, when clients could put that money into more long-term site assets.

Mobile Display Advertising Up 128 Percent in Last 2 Years | Adweek

More stats on the growing mobile ad market. Money is pouring into these media units because they’re working. And right now, I think they’re working because they’re unique. Of course, banners once ‘worked’ and were quite unique. The obvious challenge is, How does mobile advertising scale as users see more and more ads?

Television Executives Predict Bulk of TV Content Will Be Available Online and Via Mobile Within 2 Years | Adweek

Bravo. I have to say I’m often baffled by major TV shows that don’t have their content available online, especially on their own site.

For Hipmunk, it’s all about the users– and the UI — Tech News and Analysis

I wouldn’t normally post about a new travel search site, but this is a great example of how a killer user interface can make all the difference. Definitely check out the site’s flight search technology.

DIGIDAY:DAILY – Web Video’s Dangerous Role Model – Display

Even if you don’t plan or buy media, trends like this do a lot to shape creative budgets, which of course determines what you can do production-wise. If web video goes the same route as banners, look for production budgets to go through the floor.

Chief Almir | Most Creative People 2011 | Fast Company

Many of the most striking examples of how mobile and social are changing the world come from the least likely users. That’s probably the single biggest indicator of the potential power that I can think of.

Infographic: Where Is Inbound Marketing Headed?

Whether you call it content marketing, inbound marketing, brand experiences, or word of mouth, these charts show rapid acceleration for this type of marketing.

Record Makers | Adweek

Good examples of buzz-generating campaigns. They shift what the idea of content is about, to much more of an experiential role.

TN3 Gallery – jQuery Image Gallery

Making a website as visually impacting as possible without using Flash has been a real issue now that iPads are the dominant tablet. That could change, but the need for more universal solutions will likely continue to be an issue. This is a series of good examples of how an image-based gallery can be presented that will work across all platforms.

Digital Archaeology: 12 Forgotten Designs That Changed The Web [Slideshow] | Co.Design

With recent developments like mobile web and social media transitioning from early adopter to mainstream, I often see direct parallels between these new technologies and the early days of the Web. What this exhibit does, more than anything, is remind us that whatever the coolest gadget is right now, in no-time, it’s going to feel like an 80s brick cellphone.

Even Calvin Klein's trying QR codes on for size.

The fashion retailer - often dinged for racy billboards - has replaced three of its billboards in NYC and Los Angeles with giant QR codes with the headline "Get It Uncensored."

Snap a photo with your smart phone and you get an exclusive, 40-second commercial featuring models that can then be shared with friends via Facebook and Twitter.

Clearly this is a test - I'm not sure a standard-issue commercial is that compelling as a response deliverable to a QR code - TV can do that. But it points to some exciting possibilities for CK.

Indeed, in my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, I look at highly interactive experiences that brands like Coca-Cola, Domino's and others are enabling through QR codes and other forms of 2D barcodes.

Still, Calvin Klein may just put them in fashion with a whole new wave of innovative brands.

Read more about CK's billboard QR codes here.