To promote the launch of its 2014 catalog, IKEA has released an AR app that “builds in” furniture of the new collections into the room—virtually. The IKEA Catalog app saves the time and pain of choosing the furniture in-store and returning the purchase due to a bad room fit. With the app, consumers will be able to see how a new sofa or a chair integrates into the interiors without actually taking the piece of furniture into the house.

The smart auto brand and the Danish furniture manufacturer BoConcept are re-imagining the urban outdoor space with a new artistic project, launched in support of their latest “My urban living room” creative collaboration. The two brands have tapped contemporary designers to create state-of-the-art outdoor installations, modern home space, in the street of four European cities. The extravagant open-air pop-up spaces are designed to highlight BoConcept’s smartville furniture collection and the smart fortwo edition BoConcept, the products that emerged from the brands’ tie-up.

The U.K. edition of the global “Not Normal” campaign showcases different unconventional incarnations of MINI cars, which have been re-imagined by the brand’s fans for pleasure, not for money or fame. Still, fame is to come to some of them, drawn by the latest marketing effort, developed by iris Worldwide. The brand has sourced around the web some images of the avant-garde MINI-inspired inventions—ranging from a cake to a “bug” MINI car with human legs— to turn them into ads.

Google launches the fifth installment of its annual Google RISE (Roots in Science and Engineering) Awards to inspire a new wave of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and CS (Computer Science) education of school pre-university students across the globe. The tech giant is encouraging international organizations that foster CS studies among K12 students to submit for a chance to receive a $15,000-$50,000 grant for their expansion.

With mobile devices and advanced computer technology available now, knowledge can be accessed distantly and at any time. Still, people sometimes need wisdom to be packed and delivered to them in portions, preferably in the physical dimension. The focus is gradually shifted to teaching on the go, and more mentors are hitting the road to bring their expertise to the public across the country or sometimes even across the globe. Brands gladly support or even initiate such initiatives aimed to break into the cluttered informational realities of consumers, teach the curious minds something new and let them evolve as creatives.

Mr. Simon Bolton, a silver-haired noble English gentleman, who dedicated a few decades of his life to the advertising industry, met with us on a chilly Tuesday morning earlier this week to talk about TBU’s business plans in Moscow, to discuss opportunities and threats from the latest Publicis-Omnicom merger for WPP, and to share his vision of a sustainable brand.