Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Doritos bag augmented reality - finally some decent marketing ideas!!

You already know if you read this blog even a little that i'm big into 2d bar codes and into augmented reality marketing opportunities, but because i'm not a brand manager i'm not in a position to do anything about it, and when i talk to FMCG and advertising agencies about why these technologies are so cool and the fantastic potential for consumer interaction, they are all like...no we want to wait until its more widely deployed (.....pussies!!).

And then when you do get crap like the Pappa Johns 'car tour augmented reality campaign' it makes me want to get all 'wolfenstein' on their asses and roam the halls of their marketing agency with a double barrel shotgun.

It kills me as a technology person that these great 'value add' enhancements aren't being deployed, if i hear one more brand manager say we dont want to implement QR code campaigns until the readers are deployed on the handsets..... it just makes me want to scream "well if you actually put some worthwhile content out there people will actually feel the desire to download a reader to their handset in order to access that specific content".

You know advertising..... it used to be an art about about creating desire, not just reach and ad spend.

Anyways.... It was with great 'desire' that I read this article today and wanted to run out an buy a bag of Late Night flavor Doritos


https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/109223/doritos-bags-enable-virtual-3-d-concert-experience.html
Bags of Doritos Late Night are functioning as "tickets" to enable consumers to access and interact with virtual, 3-D performances by the bands blink-182 and Big Boi.

Specially marked bags of the brand's Late Night varieties bear markers that are recognizable by augmented reality technology -- technology that enhances video imagery with computer-generated graphics in real-time. The concerts are being billed as the first-ever augmented reality experiences to showcase live-action video within a 3-D, interactive environment.

Users log onto Doritoslatenight.com and point the printed marker on the bag at a Web cam to launch virtual performances that seem to "pop directly out of the bag." In addition, the technology allows users to change the video performances experienced (two songs by blink-182, one song by Big Boi) each time simply by changing the way they hold or move the snack bag.


It's exactly the same technology that I've talked about here and here but just done well.

Well FMCG and Brand managers it's over to you now. If you need some help i'm happy to answer questions but this isn't about the technology, F the technology, this is just about creating customer interaction and brand awareness but most of all it's about creating desire.

Oh of course feel free to go back to your normal 'budget spreadsheets' as you know better because spend and reach is all that matters.


Cheers,
Dean

3 comments:

  1. Dean - hey - I recognize you from my infrequent Yi-Tan attendances. I know the guys who shot the video for this campaign - Mekanism, in SF. Very technical shoot, apparently, but what a seriously badass result.

    Now if I could only find one of those bags...

    Also a big fan of 2d bar codes. Let me know if you ever have the need to develop some branded/original entertainment that incorporates 2d barcodes or AR into the audience experience.

    Man, what a gobbledygook-strewn sentence that was.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Saw this linked from the Mediapost article. Appreciate your comments here Dean. My first thoughts were "that's ridiculous", followed by "that's amazing". I love that companies like Doritos are happy to try new things. Cheers Dean

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yep, it would be just as easy for them to show the concert video 'on your computer'... however then you wouldn't have had to have bought the chip bag PLUS you dont get the ability to move the video in 3 dimensions (i still haven't found a bag yet here in NY so not sure how well this works).

    But yes it is pretty cool and there will be a lot more of these coming about.

    ReplyDelete