Marketers Jump on Avatar Bandwagon with Augmented Reality
Over the past few weeks I have began to see many commercials for products on television helping spread the word for the new Avatar movie. I began to wonder how and what advertisers were joining the James Cameron project bandwagon. It seems like Avatar’s mystique and epic feel is the attraction but also Cameron’s name alone can sell the movie as an evolution and what product wouldn’t want to be apart of that?
In Avatar, Cameron uses stereoscopic 3D for its production. This is an evolutionary technique in film making where Cameron creates photo-realistic computer-generated characters by using motion capture animation technology and observe directly on a monitor how the actors’ virtual counterparts interact with the movie’s digital world in real time and adjust and direct the scenes just as if shooting live action.
Just like Cameron’s new technology there is something new hitting the world of marketing known as augmented reality but is it ready for prime-time brand marketing? Augmented reality, or AR as it is commonly known, is a hologram-like technology that allows consumers to interact with 3-D images displayed on any monitor (Think Princess Leia in the first Star Wars with R2-D2’s projection and the emphasis line “Help us Obi-Wan, you’re our only hope”).
20th Century Fox and a plethora of brands are about to test the emerging technology’s use as a marketing tool to promote the Dec. 18 release of Avatar. Why shouldn’t the marketers push the boundary with a film that is doing the same?
In recent months brands ranging from Lego to Topps trading cards to Toyota have experimented with AR. Now big boys like, McDonald’s and Coke Zero, are joining the bandwagon with a marketing partnership with Fox for their big movie event – Avatar.
A few weeks ago I spoke with friend and fellow blogging colleague at FirstShowing, Alex Billington. In that conversation we spoke about 3D being a gimmick, fad or evolution. Our skepticism, as well as personal feelings towards 3D, led us both with the argument that 3D is just an annoying distraction that takes away from experiencing the film’s story. Augmented reality is in the same boat in my opinion especially with its marketing value yet to be determined. Is it a passing fad or truly useful in creating richer digital-marketing experiences? The jury is still out in my opinion.
The biggest issue is that a majority of consumers don’t have webcams, which are needed to play with AR on your computer. Not to mention that PC-based AR is less compelling than the new mobile AR-based utilities that are coming about, but consumers need smartphones for that, and smartphone market penetration and presence in the marketplace is still its infancy as well.
Coke Zero is using an expansive program that includes a commercial, airing on TV as well as theaters, not to mention their digital site AVTR.com. Coke Zero is running and producing the site, with minimal branding, where consumers can go to utilize AR-enabled packaging created by Coke Zero.
In an article from AdAge they talked about this and mentioned the technology should resonate with and create buzz among Coke Zero’s target customer, 18- to 24-year-old males. But the brand is focused on primarily keeping it simple, as it will likely be the first time many consumers are using the technology.
Once consumers have downloaded an application from AVTR.com, they can simply hold up the can or bag to a webcam to get a virtual ride from one of the film’s main modes of transportation – a Samson Helicopter from the movie that Sully flies in – According to the advertising trade, in some countries, primarily Asia, lobby displays in theaters will allow consumers to explore AR in theaters. in the Coke Zero TV spot that combines promoting the movie demonstrates how the technology works.
Outside of Coke there is the one and only, McDonald’s, who will be employing a similar approach according to the ad trade. Its campaign will kick off during the movie’s Dec. 18 opening weekend, which is why we have not seen it yet. Everything from a special Happy Meal that take kids to an Avatar-branded site that will be part of the quick service McWorld virtual world to a young-adult-oriented Big Mac promotional tie-in that will redirect consumers to McDonalds.com/Avatar.
On TV McDonald’s will support the promotion with two spots even counting int special ads for the hispanic and Asian american markets. Some say that the marketing means will just enhance the means to market and not the movie itself and that is probably the case but we think its still a great way to get general consumers aware of the big picture which is Avatar. It worked with the trailer release during a huge sports weekend and should succeed in getting more mainstream attention. Will many people interact? Not sure as I think it depends on the demographic but you do not have to interact to be aware.
Other domestic Avatar marketing partners include Panasonic, the film’s technology partner LG, which will launch an “Avatar”-themed campaign for its new Projector Phone Dec. 11, and Mattel, which rolled out an Avatar line of action figures earlier this year.
