Jam3 and Fathom Film Group launched a realistic, interactive online journey called The Defector: Escape from North Korea, which gives a haunting first-person glimpse of what it's like for someone trying to escape North Korea.

Ever ask a friend or co-worker to write you a coveted LinkedIn recommendation, to boost your online business profile? It's up there with pulling teeth. A&W Restaurants saw an opportunity in this space and created a LinkedIn profile for its mascot, Rooty The Great Root Bear. Anyone who connects with Rooty will receive the ultimate LinkedIn gift: a free, personalized (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) recommendation.

Breaking news: The world didn't come to an end in 2012. Then I watched this year's Super Bowl ads and became convinced that creativity is holed up somewhere in an underground shelter, waiting out doomsday.