I’m still pretty sceptical about the mainstream appeal of Augmented Reality. Yeah yeah yeah I always blog about it but I’m a geek okay
There seems to be too much faffing – what with downloading software, printing stuff out, turning on your web cam, etc etc. But I’ve recently come across two very interesting AR outdoor campaigns. This seems like a great idea to me. Consumers get all the rich experience, minus all the faffing.
In this example, passerbys become a part of the film Coralineleaving them with a lasting impact (and button eyes!). Besides Augmented Reality, the signage also utilises audio, gesture-based interactivity, video, and holographic displays. Found via.
This was an outdoor advertising campaign for the TV series Vampire Diaries. It appeared in Los Angeles and New York and utilized augmented reality to make your reflection disappear (just like a vampire!), leaving background figures, cars, etc still in plain view. It also featured Bluetooth. Found via.
What I like about both of these campaigns is that they use sophisticated technology, but in a way that has mainstream appeal. The people in these videos have probably never heard of Augmented Reality, and quite frankly that doesn’t matter.
I’m warming to Augmented Reality but only when it’s either a) Useful (such as this USPS and IKEA), or b) entertaining (but easy to interact with).
I have been working alongside Initials on a really exciting campaign to support the launch of Doritos iD3: a limited edition mystery flavour. The alphanumeric name and mysterious black packaging invites consumers to guess the mystery flavour at www.doritos.co.uk/iD3 for the chance to win a chuffing £20K reward.
But guessing the flavour is just the beginning…
iD3 is not only an original product launch. It is also a three-part episodic online adventure for Doritos fans which uniquely blends film and gaming (starring Layer Cake’s Tamer Hassan). The iD3 adventure allows fans to become the hero in their very own ‘choose your own adventure’. Set in London’s shady underworld, the player goes undercover to help unlock the truth behind a mysterious case of mistaken identity, with huge prizes to be won along the way. Check out our thrilling trailer…
Doritos is no stranger to inviting consumers to play with the brand, and the iD3 advergame delivers just this by putting consumers in the driving seat of their very own personalised adventure. And the mystery flavour is a unique product innovation which will no doubt get consumers talking and engaging with the brand on a deeper level.
The adventure itself pushes the boundaries of technology. Each adrenalin-filled episode blends slick live action footage with 3D interaction, giving the whole experience a distinct high-production cinematic feel. The advergame is uniquely integrated with Facebook Connect, which enables a more personalised experience for Doritos fans by dynamically inserting content from your Facebook profile into the film. It also pushes c0ntent out to Facebook, as a result making the game more social.
We’ve created a number of secret levels and experiences (including the Konami Code) for experienced gamers (not me then…).
Even the support for the campaign is shrouded in mystery – with grassroots seeding and an exclusive blogger outreach programme. A live Twitter feed and Facebook fan page will keep Doritos fans up-to-date with the adventure.
The campaign has only recently launched, and yet Doritos iD3 is already gaining attention on blogs, forums, reviews, and of course Twitter. What’s more, there is high engagement on our Facebook fan page, with hundreds of fans guessing the mystery flavour. It just goes to show that the best ideas are the simple ones, and like Walkers ‘Do us a Flavour‘, they come across as somewhat obvious. Although in reality finding and creating them takes great understanding and insights. And the activation of the idea has to be engaging and involving.
To guess the mystery flavour and play the game, you’ll need to pick up a special pack of Doritos iD3 – each pack code gives you 6 lives. Seeing as I’m a part of this little project, I do have a few free player codes I’m willing to give away to my readers (though you can’t win prizes with my dummy codes).
To promote the new Simon Pegg flick ‘How to Lose Friends and Alienate People‘, Paramount have launched a rather neat ‘anti-social networking’ Facebook app. Okay…so it goes against the niceties of social networking love, but the devil in me loves this.
The app offers great features such as creating insults for your friends, doodle on a friends profile picture, giving crap gifts (aren’t they all crap?), cheating at Scrabble, and it even suggests friends you don’t really like to remove as a friend. Genius.
This is a simple but cool idea. Take a film, and make an interactive movie experience by allowing people to text message in the next line of the movie. A great example of people sharing digital experiences in the real-world.
I’m not sure if this is ‘bloody’ brilliant or just plain creepy.
“To promote the exclusive thrillers and horror films on 13th Street, the toilet of a nightclub in Hamburg was specially prepared. Just after entering the room, the light suddenly goes out and the room is bathed in Black light. And now a bloody crime scene becomes visible on the floor and walls: “See what others don’t see. 13TH STREET. The Action and Suspense Channel.”
Certainly memorable but perhaps a little too invasive?!
Okay, well not the real Loch Ness monster…now that would just be silly wouldn’t it!
The Loch Ness monster has surfaced in Tokyo Bay – created using a water screen and water jets. This is the latest in movie marketing gimmicks, this time to promote The Water Horse. So are movie promotions getting more exciting or just over hyped?
We all enjoyed the ARG campaign for Cloverfield movie, and the hype has indeed made it a box office success, but if you read the reviews they tend to start something along the lines of… “it was never going to live up to the hype”. The films ‘herky-jerky’ camera work requires a lot of commitment from the audience, and it’s just not everybody’s cup of tea.
Before a movie hits the big screen, it’s tricky business striking a balance between sparking genuine buzz and generating over hype in movie marketing. Nonetheless, it’s a tough industry to crack and I’m thoroughly enjoying the innovative and often brave campaigns we are beginning to engage with.
Consumers are demanding more and more and are living in a highly charged media mix culture. Let’s face it, we’re bored with flashy movie websites with wallpapers and screensavers. That all seems all a bit lame now. As our expectations rise, I expect nothing less than real world Loch Ness monsters, complicated hunts across multiple platforms, and even bloody limbs in public places. Are you excited? I am…
