Yakult UK is introducing its first-ever Augmented Reality experience, along with a social media campaign, to enhance the brand’s focus on the Science of Wellbeing, launched through an out-of-home activity earlier this year.

Quiet Storm developed the creative idea for the AR ‘Magic Mirror’ activation encouraging people to experience “The science of breathing, brought to you by the Little Bottle of Science”.

Passers-by are invited to ‘touch’ a Yakult bottle they see on screen to trigger a 30-second experience that involves a breathing exercise. This will help participants clear their minds, all with the purpose of promoting wellbeing through a mechanic rooted in science, as Yakult’s little bottles, and a creative execution that reinforces the brand’s Japanese heritage.

Yakult worked with 3RockAR to produce the creative used on the agency’s unique AR technology, which will be featured at Bluewater Shopping Centre, following a successful first activation at Waterloo Station.

Yakult is also supporting the AR experience with a competition, offering a spa break for two via sampling with a card, whilst the brand’s social media will feature a variety of wellbeing tips for its followers.

The previous OOH activity focused on the Science of Wellbeing, created by Quiet Storm and with media planning and buying by Hearts & Science, saw the brand promote science-based exercises on tube car panels and taxis around London. These included saying the alphabet backwards to focus the mind and increase happiness levels, and riddles providing brief distractions, proven to improve productivity.

Reshma Patel, Marketing Manager at Yakult, said: ‘The experience really helped bring to life the Science of Wellbeing and the creative ensured people engage with the brand at a much deeper level to create memorable moments. Ultimately, we want everyone to understand that Yakult is about science and when we talk about wellbeing and offer tips, we make sure it is all backed by science and it can be trusted.’

Scott Powney, Digital Director at Quiet Storm, said: “This was an opportunity to use AR in a surprising way to reinforce Yakult’s focus on the Science of Wellbeing. Traditionally, the AR ‘Magic Mirror’ is accompanied by loud, in your face, attention grabbing creative, whereas the Yakult execution delivers a moment of relaxation in a hectic environment which is in line with the brand’s Japanese heritage.”

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A new augmented reality wall mural has been unveiled in Shoreditch, London to promote the launch of BIG BAD…, the new album from British rap artist, Giggs. By downloading an app via a QR code at the wall, fans can point their device at the wall and watch the hand-painted mural come to life with a scene based on the album launch video.

Located at London’s first dedicated augmented reality wall mural site, the installation has been provided by Gate Reality, an end-to-end augmented and virtual reality experiences production house, and AllOver, an experiential advertising agency focusing on handmade artisan OOH.

They were appointed by Island Records, a British record label owned by Universal Music Group and whose artists include, among others, Giggs, Dizzee Rascal, Ariana Grande and Mumford & Sons, to provide a unique experience promoting the BIG BAD… album release and to engage fans in an exciting and genuine way.

Akosua Scantlebury, Urban Division Manager at Island Records, commented: “BIG BAD… is an album of enormous ambition and arguably Giggs’s finest achievement. The album was introduced to fans through a high energy cinematic trailer, which set the tone for the whole campaign. At Island we really wanted to match that ambition with an interactive visual that stops people in their tracks. Through collaboration with Gate Reality and ALLOVER, I think it is safe to say we achieved that.”

The experience works by using augmented reality image tracking where the app is programmed to recognise the wall as the specific target. This target is then used as a trigger to launch the experience and to map the augmented objects to the specific real-life environment.

Gate Reality used green screen footage of Giggs from his album release video to create his giant form dominating the London skyline, along with 3D models of helicopters and tanks. Both the mural and footage were carefully designed and manipulated to make it appear as though Giggs is moving within the scene.

Ed Morris, Co-Founder & Director at Gate Reality, said: “Giggs has become recognised as one of the most vital and exciting artists around – his two previous albums reached #2 on the UK album charts and he’s collaborated with the likes of Drake, Ed Sheeran and Mark Ronson – and so we were delighted to be a part of this project. BIG BAD… is a very visual album and so this augmented reality mural is the perfect way for Giggs to engage his fanbase.

“By combining street art with mobile AR technology, we can give our clients and brands a platform to tell more engaging and shareable stories across physical and digital mediums, elevating the potential reach of localised out-of-home advertising. We look forward to using this site to bring more brands to life through this compelling medium.”

The augmented reality wall mural is located at 28 Redchurch Street, London.

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Brandwidth, the digital agency which specialises in providing practical innovation, has announced the launch of a new augmented reality experience for Toyota GB, which enables customers to ‘see inside’ the carmaker’s C-HR model.

The new Toyota Hybrid AR application uses AR technology and objective recognition software to overlay graphics of the inner workings of the Hybrid drivetrain onto physical vehicles, helping customers to gain a better understanding of how the system works.

The iPad app, which will be used in Toyota showrooms as well as at other locations including shopping centres and trade shows, brings to life the different drive states of the vehicle, showing how the various elements of the drivetrain interact with each other. By tapping on a drive state, such as ‘deceleration’ or ‘heavy acceleration’, customers can see which parts of the hybrid system are in use and how energy is passed between them.

The 3D experience also features a number of ‘hotspots’ which, when clicked on, enable customers to get in-depth information on key features of the system, such as the motor, battery and fuel tank.

Brandwidth worked with Toyota to develop the Hybrid AR app as part of an ongoing drive to educate the brand’s customers on hybrid technology and the benefits it offers.

The app currently supports the Toyota C-HR model, across all grades and colours.

Chris Wicks, Group Account Director, Brandwidth, said: “Toyota has always been a leader in automotive technology, selling hybrid cars for more than 20 years. Now, with the launch of the Hybrid AR app we’ve created, it’s breaking new ground in the use of AR to enhance customer experience in the car showroom. We’re delighted to have partnered with them on this exciting initiative – another great example of the innovative technology solutions we’re offering our clients.”

Stephen Duval, TCMS & Direct Marketing Manager, Toyota, said: “As pioneers in the hybrid space, we wanted to find a way to help our customers understand how hybrid technology works, and demonstrate the many benefits it offers. This innovative new AR experience, created in partnership with Brandwidth, brings the C-HR’s hybrid drivetrain to life in a simple yet highly engaging way.”

See the app in action here.

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KABOOKI, the company behind the LEGO Wear license, recently launched a limited edition clothing collection for adults. To promote the new clothing line, We Are Social helped launch ‘The Missing Piece’ – a playful pop-up shop with nothing inside it except a Snapcode on a plinth.

However, when customers loaded up popular camera app, Snapchat, the Snapcode acted as a portal into an augmented reality fashion boutique, where customers could browse and buy the limited edition range of streetwear clothing for adults.

The virtual boutique featured an interactive DJ booth, an arcade machine and, most importantly, exclusive access to the limited-edition fashion range. Visitors who ‘walked in’ via their phone were able to browse products placed on LEGO mannequins and buy online through an integrated ‘Shop now’ feature.

The launch coincides with London Fashion Week, and is a global first for the brand.

The campaign aimed to promote KABOOKI’s limited-edition streetwear collection across the UK, France and Germany, driving traffic to the LEGO Wear e-commerce site.

Birgitte Holgaard Langer, chief operating officer & chief marketing officer at KABOOKI, said: “We loved the idea of experimenting with a new and innovative digital customer experience together with the LEGO team. Approaching the adult fashion audience with this limited-edition clothing line through an AR experience is something we have never done before. We are very excited to see how this new audience will respond to the launch and the AR experience.”

“We’re an innovative, playful brand at heart and part of that is exploring new digital channels and technologies,” says Lea Sandell, Social Media Innovation Lead at the LEGO Group. “This was an unique opportunity to collaborate with KABOOKI on their brand new limited edition product for adults and tap into both the sense of style and the nostalgia of that audience – while exploring that interesting space where the digital and physical worlds merge.”

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This Halloween, Haygarth decided to give baking a unique digital twist with the first ‘Edible Augmented Reality Snapchat Lens Cake Topper.’

Haygarth’s Creative Technology team used Snapchat Lens Studio to create their own custom augmented reality filter to add an additional digital layer of fun interaction to a beautifully hand-crafted Halloween cake made by Stars and Sprinkles.

Scanning the unique Snapcode with the Snapchat app allowed the gathering hungry hoard to unlock a special Lens which, when pointed at the cake, would reveal a growling and snarling demonic pumpkin guarding the baked delights.

Snapchat recently updated their Lens Studio tools to support Image Marker tracking. That means that Haygarth were able to pin virtual augmented reality objects to a physical marker, rather than just have them floating in space. Image Marker tracking opens up lots of opportunity for bringing to life print media, posters, product packaging and other static media through the magic of easily accessible Snapchat Lenses.

For their Lens, Haygarth created a specially calibrated marker design which was printed onto icing sheets. This tracked perfectly and allowed them to anchor their animated 3D pumpkin character to the top of the cake while keeping it all entirely edible.

Click here to see the cake in action.

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Lucky Generals and Goodstuff have teamed up with virtual technology specialist Zappar to create an augmented reality (AR) mobile experience that educates young families about environmental sustainability and brings to life Yorkshire Tea’s passion for trees. This campaign also features a partnership with Guardian Labs, aiming to drive a deeper understanding of the project through longer form content.

The introduction of the AR experience comes during year four of Yorkshire Tea’s five-year pledge to plant one million trees across the UK and Kenya. Aimed at families with young children, the campaign looks to increase understanding of why trees are important in a fun and engaging way.

Using Zappar’s augmented reality platform, ZapWorks, the experience is accessed by scanning full page press adverts using the camera feature on Shazam. AR technology then transports users into the forests of the UK and Kenya. Users are given interactive challenges which include planting seeds, learning about various tree species, picking avocados for farmers to take to market and tapping to oxygenate clouds of carbon dioxide with trees. A friendly narrator acts as a play-a-long guide, highlighting the importance of trees at every stage.

The campaign will run across a series of magazine titles and supplements within newsbrands such as The Evening Standard, The Times and The Observer, as well as being distributed via activity sheets in schools across the UK. In tandem, a partnership with Guardian Labs will drive a deeper understanding of the project through longer form content.

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In a cruise industry first, P&O Cruises has launched an augmented reality campaign to promote its latest new ship, Iona, and bring to life its onboard experiences in interactive 3D.

The initial 3D renders for Iona were produced by content agency Sunday from which the augmented reality experiences were crafted by creative agency Founded. With technology delivered by  augmented reality pioneer, Blippar, this new campaign has been created to allow travel agents and consumers to experience Iona 18 months prior to the completion of the ship.

Almost 300,000 pieces of direct mail have been sent to travel agents and past guests with details of how to download the Blippar app, which will provide them with the ability to experience Iona in augmented reality. Once the Blippar app is opened and a phone is held over the image of Iona, the ship will burst into life and may be explored from bow to stern. Included in the AR are images of the SkyDome, the vast glass domed entertainment and relaxation area on the top deck, cabins and the Grand Atrium. As more Iona images and designs become available, new augmented reality experiences will be added. Anyone ‘blipping’ the ship before November 1 will have a chance to win a one-week cruise on Iona.

Christopher Edgington, P&O Cruises VP Marketing, said: “Iona’s scale and breadth of experiences will offer holidays like never before and this demands marketing like never before. With Iona going on sale two years before its launch, we realised that we needed to create new and innovative ways to reach and engage both existing and potential guests. The obvious solution to this was our first ever augmented reality campaign.”

Edgington continued: “A week after launch we have beaten our targets for number of blips and dwell time which proves that interactive marketing and the ability to get a much more intimate and inspiring view of the ship is a hit with our guests.”

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London-based specialist Digital Out of Home (DOOH) agency Grand Visual has been brought in by Coca-Cola in Switzerland to run a large-format Augmented Reality (AR) experience at Zürich’s main train station to celebrate the FIFA World Cup and the soft drinks brand’s continued support of the game. Lucky fans are being offered the chance to engage with a digital version of Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri on-screen.

Participants are being treated to a show of skill from Shaqiri and are then invited to get involved and play a few shots against the Swiss star. At the end of the experience, people have the chance to take a photo with the virtual Shaqiri, and leave their details to receive a copy of the photo and a chance to win a FIFA World Cup Official Match Ball.

The campaign was created by Top-Spot and London-based DOOH creative services firm Grand Visual, which also directed and built the bespoke creative technology set-up. Project initiation and promotion consultancy were performed by GroupM Out of Home. Media planning and buying was by Top-Spot and Mediacom. Anthem provided video assets and delivered a social sharing App to further engage audiences on-the-go.

Robert Percze, Senior Brand Manager at Coca-Cola Switzerland says: “Coca-Cola Switzerland is pleased to offer a new type of experience for football fans. It’s the perfect way to get people into a perfect football mood right at the beginning of the FIFA World Cup 2018.”

Dan Dawson, Chief Creative Technology Director for Grand Visual, adds: “It is great to be working with Coca-Cola again on a project that taps into the most coveted cultural event of the year. The appetite to innovate and collaborate, right from the start, has made the delivery of this project seamless. Clever use of technology has produced a memorable experience that participants can share online with family and friends.”

The Coca-Cola Company is one of the longest-standing corporate partners of FIFA, with a formal association since 1974 and an official sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup that began in 1978. Coca-Cola has had stadium advertising at every FIFA World Cup since 1950. FIFA and The Coca-Cola Company have now extended their long-time partnership to 2030.

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Mobile phone network Three will be running a pop-up ‘All You Can Pug’ brunch to celebrate Puggerfly, the star of its latest ad campaign and, the network claims, the world’s first Augmented Reality (AR) pet.

Three has teamed up with the Pug Café, UK’s leading pop-up event provider for pugs, to create an immersive experience for dog owners and admirers alike. A limited number of tickets are available, priced at £5, which entitles the holder to one 75-minute brunch slot including one main breakfast dish, bottomless pastries, prosecco and coffee or tea, as well as food for their dog, if they bring one.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Pug Dog Welfare & Rescue Association.

The pop-up ‘All You Can Pug’ brunch, which will take place on Saturday May 12th, follows the recent announcement that Three has added Snapchat to its range of services offered as part of Go Binge, allowing customers to snap, chat and share without using their data allowance. Three also unveiled the new star of its ad campaign, Puggerfly, a squishy-faced, purple-winged pug, created, according to the network, to embody all things social and fun.

Puggerfly allows users to access different consecutive Snapchat lenses across seven days, letting them nurture and love their Puggerfly as he grows from a ball-chasing, rainbow-pooping puppyfly right through to a fully-fledged flying Puggerfly. Snap’s 12 million UK daily active users can interact with the animated dog, no matter what network they are on. Users can feed Puggerfly treats, play ball with it, enjoy sloppy dog kisses and even watch it twerk to dance music. The seven lenses launched on April 26th, one per day; after the seven days are up, they will be available to Snapchat users via Snapcodes that will be incorporated into Three’s UK wide advertising and media campaign.

The Pug Brunch was created and managed by Three’s PR agency, W Communications.

Three’s ‘All You Can Pug Brunch’ will take place simultaneously in London and Liverpool, with dog owners and admirers invited to head to Covent Garden Grind in London and Love Thy Neighbour in Liverpool for bottomless brunch dishes and the chance to pet pugs. Guests also have the opportunity to capture photos of themselves with Puggerfly’s giant rainbow poo statue (recently seen roaming London’s capital’s streets), dress up their pampered pooches as Puggerfly, or sample all seven Puggerfly Snap codes.

Consumers can book tickets for the one day pop-up pug cafes via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/Liverpool/ and https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/London/.

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Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has extended its use of Augmented Reality (AR) technology to cover its Lindeman’s Gentleman’s Collection brand.

Following the success of the 19 Crimes Augmented Reality app, Gentleman’s Collection, which launched in 2015 and is widely stocked across UK grocery and convenience, has now been equipped with the same innovative AR technology.

Scanning the front label of the Gentleman’s Collection bottle with a smartphone or tablet will load a ‘Gentleman’s Guide to Augmented Reality’, as told by Dr Henry Lindeman himself, the founder of the Lindeman’s winery.

And with a nod to this new innovation and the success of the 19 Crimes AR experience, TWE has now launched a new app which will bring all of its AR technology “under one roof”. The ‘Living Wine Labels’ app, which is now available in the app store, will host all brand experiences for Gentleman’s Collection and 19 Crimes.

The 19 Crimes app has enjoyed significant success since it launched in October 2017, with over 20,000 people downloading the app in the UK alone and it being used by over 150,000 people.

The launch of the technology for the Gentleman’s Collection range will be supported by on-pack communication – all bottles will have an on-pack sticker, while the back label copy will inform consumers at the point of purchase about the AR and app. And, of course, Gentleman’s Collection will now visible on the new Living Wine Labels app

UK shopper marketing support will focus on promoting the AR technology in Father’s Day activation. For example, Nisa will be supporting it with an online campaign and in-store gift bags, while across Asda there will a sampling campaign as well as in-store gift bags.

From a consumer perspective, the brand will use lifestyle influencers in the UK to leverage its reach and introduce Gentleman’s Collection and its AR technology to a new audience; this will be further supported by a series of paid social media posts.

Kirstie McCosh, Marketing Director, Europe, says: “Following the huge success of the same activity with our 19 Crimes brand we are very excited to unveil the addition of Augmented Reality to Gentleman’s Collection. It brings another dimension to the shopper experience with Gentleman’s Collection – becoming a further talking point to share and enjoy with friends. From an in-store perspective, Augmented Reality elevates Gentleman’s Collection’s presence, appealing to and engaging consumers with an interactive opportunity.”

The ‘Living Wine Labels’ app is globally available and will host the relevant brands in specific markets. In Europe, the focus will be 19 Crimes and Gentleman’s Collection.

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) is one of the world’s largest wine companies, with a portfolio which includes Penfolds, Lindemann’s, Wolf Blass, Beringer, Gabbiano and Greg Norman Estates. TWE is focused on portfolio premiumisation and brand-led marketing and its wine is sold in more than 70 countries around the world.

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