Here’s a great campaign for the launch of the MINI Countryman in Sweden that shows the power and interactivity of iPhone apps and demonstrates how location-based technology can be used to deliver a highly engaging and very viral brand experience.

The Geo-Social Network jungle now has a 500 pound gorilla in its midst. The launch of “Facebook Places” may well be the death knell for Foursquare and Gowalla who have been the darlings of the space to this point. Or will it? Facebook product manager Michael Sharon describes Facebook Places as a feature that lets you tell your friends about new places and inform them where you are via your mobile – much like Foursquare.

So is the 5th cycle of computing upon us? The term, coined by Morgan Stanley, refers to the next expected era of disruptive technological innovation driven by mobile internet usage, application utility and content consumption. If the recent onslaught of smartphone breakthroughs, geo-location enabled platforms and mobile community services in the marketplace are any indication, the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’

One would be hard pressed to find a “hotter” trend at this moment than location based (or geo-location) social media. But, beyond the adoption by the early social media technographic segments – brands and their agencies have yet to develop meaningful campaigns, yet alone platforms which full advantage of this technology or create deeper, more meaningful engagements.