Tesco's face-scan fiasco

Some say it's creepy and invasive, others say it's the way of the future… and they're both right. British supermarket chain Tesco is installing face-scanning cameras at its 450 gas stations across the UK to target customers with customized ads. How? Well, the cameras can determine a shopper's gender and age range by analyzing facial features in an anonymous fashion, and then bring up ads that have been programmed for that scanned demographic. The technology has reminded many of the movie Minority Report, in which ads in stores address commuters by name after scanning their eyes.

Unwrap joy

This Christmas, Cadbury has debuted their first ever festive-themed ad over in the UK – and it's a bit cute. Set in a quiet London street, the spot follows a group of local children unwrapping their homes, cars and trees which have been wrapped in purple wrapping paper. The children set about unveiling their street with gusto, discovering delicious Cadbury chocolate along the way (including chocolate from their new Christmas range – 'Mousse Snowman', 'Chocolate Santa' and 'Snowman and Santa Hollows').

The unique story of Sarah and Paige

The Skype collection of ads known as the 'Stay Together' series focuses on family and friends keeping in touch around the world. When Skype began creating the series, they asked users to submit their stories on how they kept in touch using the service. Though they received more than 1,000 entries, none were more touching than the story of Sarah from Nappanee, America and Paige from Auckland, New Zealand.

Keeping our eye on new tracking technology

Want to use your tablet when you've got a melting ice cream in your free hand? Perhaps you've broken an arm, or have no arm at all... using a tablet, computer or phone in these circumstances can get pretty tricky. The Eye Tribe Tracker, which is currently in development, aims to let your eyes do the tapping, swiping and clicking for you by detecting the movement of your eyes. And it won't cost you the planet either – this device will set you back just $99. No wonder they're been taking pre-orders since September, despite the fact that the product won't be released until some time next year.

Home on the streets

The Salvation Army have taken to the Canadian streets in highlighting the issue of homelessness. Bench seats, car parks, and nooks on busy roads are no place for anyone to live, so a simple message has been placed in these areas along with a method of donating to the Salvation Army. All that's been required to get the attention of the public are some simple stickers placed around the city looking like street address signs.

A Christmas you'll never forget

Have a tissue at the ready. UK retailer John Lewis is famous for their touching Christmas ads, but this one is just too sweet for words (and has been cleverly woven into many marketing channels). Their comprehensive £7m campaign tees off with this 2-minute animation entitled "The Bear and the Hare", which is a story about how the first snowflake of winter effects the friendship of two woodland buddies. Winter is all about hibernation for the Bear, so he's never experienced Christmas... until Hare leaves him a present that lets Bear enjoy the festivities for the very first time.

Every letter tells a story

Why does a building site have to be ugly? This installation of large, illuminated letters were exhibited around a building site in London's Victoria, with every letter telling a story about the area. "We wanted to end up with a visually rich and eclectic set of letters to sum up the area," commented Tim Donaldson of Hat-Trick Design, "the mix of past, present and future, heritage (royalty, architecture, famous residents), culture, art, green space, wildlife…"