Buick Promotes 2013 Encore in China with Augmented Reality ‘Hide & Seek’ Game

Buick Encore Hide & Seek

In a campaign reminiscent of 2010’s MINI Getaway in Stockholm, Buick has launched a augmented reality high and seek game across China to promote the 2013 Encore luxury crossover.

Buick has a long history in China, beginning in the early part of the 20th century as a car of choice for the country’s influential citizens. Buick was also the chosen brand when GM began regular production at its Shanghai GM joint venture in 1999. In 2011, GM sold it’s 3 millionth Buick since 1999, with over a million of those being sold in 2010 alone.

For the Encore Hide & Seek game, Buick hid virtual cars in 16 cities across China. Players downloaded the location-based game, showing the general location of the car in that city. After arriving at the location, players used the augmented reality feature to try to spot the virtual car on the street. Once found, the player had to hide the car at a location. The player that managed to hide the virtual car for the longest over the 7 day game period won the actual 1013 Buick Encore.

[via PSFK]

China

Labatt Blue Says Cheers to Canada Day with Augmented Reality Experience

Labatt Blue - Cheers to Canada augmented reality

Canada’s 145th birthday is only a few days away and she doesn’t look a day over, errr… let’s just say she looks damn fine.

Labatt Blue is celebrating the holiday by giving Canadians a chance to win a Classic Canadian Summer Vacation. The contest is being promoted by a series of ads running in Metro newspapers across the country this week.

The ads also serve as triggers for an augmented reality experience when scanned using the Mira AR app. The app brings four iconic Canadian landscapes (The Rockies, Prairies, Niagara Falls and Peggy’s Cove) to life, allowing users to tap around on their screen to launch their own mini Canada Day fireworks displays.

The Cheers to Canada campaign comes from Publicis Toronto, and the augmented reality experience was created by Halifax’s Ad-Dispatch.

The Mira augmented reality app can be downloaded free at the iTunes or Android Play stores.

Adidas Promote Team Scotland Shirt Launch with Augmented Reality

Adidas Scotland Shirt LaunchIn November Adidas launched an augmented reality experience to promote the new official Team Scotland home shirt at the Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow.

The experience allowed shoppers to interact and have their picture taken with members of the Team Scotland.

Recent projects from National Geographic and Walt Disney have raised the bar for immersion and interactivity in AR experiences. Considering how amazed everyone was with the Lynx Fallen Angels AR campaign in London earlier this year, it will be interesting to see in which directions this technology will unfold in 2012.

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Virtual Fireman Turn Up the Heart in Penningtons ‘Magic Mirror’

Penningtons Magic MirrorShoppers at the Penningtons store at Heartland Centre in Mississauga were pleasantly surprised to find a little something extra waiting for them in the fitting room. As the women checked out the fit of their clothes two firemen slid down poles on either side of their reflection in the mirror.

The pair of virtual firemen flirted with the surprised women, offering a red rose and champagne before disappearing. The experience is part of Penningtons ‘Styled to Surprise’ campaign created by the creative folk at DDB Canada’s Toronto Office.

Canadians who register and share the video at StyledtoSurprise.com before December 5th are eligible to win a $1000 shopping spree Penningtons.

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Disney Brings Live Characters to Augmented Reality Experience to Times Square

Disney Parks - Augmented Reality in Times SquareNovember 18, 2011 marks the 83rd anniversary of Disney’s Mickey Mouse’s debut in Steamboat Willie in 1928. It also marks the launch of Disney’s ‘Let the Memories Begin‘ campaign. To celebrate both events Disney brought a state-of-the-art augmented reality experience and a whole crew of well-known Disney characters to their store at Broadway and 45th street.

Visitors who stepped onto the sidewalk marker were projected onto the 2000 square foot digital billboard where they could interact with the Disney characters. Unlike other AR experiences, many of the Disney characters were performing live allowing then to interact and respond to the participants on the sidewalk.

Photos of the experience will be captured and emailed to the visitors, elements from the campaign can be followed on Twitter through the hashtag #DisneyMemories.

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Macy’s ‘Believe-O-Magic’ AR App Brings ‘Yes, Virginia’ Characters to Life

Macy's Believe O' Magic Augmented Reality AppWith the holiday shopping season lurking just around the corner, Macy’s has released the ‘Believe-o-Magic’ mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android.

The app uses augmented reality marker technology at special ‘Believe Stations’ within Macy’s stores nationwide to bring the characters from the animated movie ‘Yes, Virginia‘ to life. The app can then be used to capture a picture of the character and your child to create a customized holiday card that can be sent to family and friends directly from the app.

For those not able to visit a Macy’s store, a marker can be printed from the ‘Million Reasons to Believe’ website that provides a sneak preview of the in-store augmented reality experience.

The ‘Believe-O-Magic’ app can be downloaded free for the iPhone or iPad at the iTunes app store or at the Android Market.

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Randy MathesonI am a Nova Scotia raised Creative Guy, currently Director of Emerging Media at Delvinia, a Digital Strategy & Customer Experience Design Firm in Toronto. I’m a huge fan of the creative use of digital technologies in social media, marketing, sports and entertainment. I use this blog to share the more interesting examples that I find. If you’re in need of a break, join me over at Madtini.com for a cocktail.

Starbucks’ New Mobile App Will Bring Your Coffee Cup to Life

Starbucks Cup Magic - Augmented RealityIt’s still only early November and while Christmas is still over 6 weeks away you can walk into any store and find the sights (and maybe sounds) of the holiday season all around you. I’m not sure of the exact day it started, but the Starbucks in our building has had their red Christmas cups out for a few weeks, along with the usual window decorations, and of course the Christmas coffee blend.

Starting November 15, you’ll be able to bring those red cups (and apparently 47 other Starbucks products) to life using the Starbucks Magic Cup app. Use your camera phone to focus the app on the cup and you’ll see short animated clips appear on your screen. If you’ve been in a Starbucks recently you’ll recognize the characters (an ice skater, a boy and dog sledding, a fox and my favorite a squirrel) from the door clings, cups and packaging. Tap on the screen and you can interact with the characters. Collect all five characters and you qualify for a prize. The app also features holiday ecards and special offers from Starbucks.

The Starbucks Cup Magic app was created by Blast Radius and will be available for iPhone and Android on November 15.

Via Agency Spy

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Randy MathesonI am a Nova Scotia raised Creative Guy, currently Director of Emerging Media at Delvinia, a Digital Strategy & Customer Experience Design Firm in Toronto. I’m a huge fan of the creative use of digital technologies in social media, marketing, sports and entertainment. I use this blog to share the more interesting examples that I find. If you’re in need of a break, join me over at Madtini.com for a cocktail.

National Geographic Launches Content-Rich Augmented Reality Experience in Hungary

Live Augmented Reality for National Geographic Channel / UPC from Appshaker Ltd on Vimeo.

National Geographic Channel Augmented RealityEarlier this year we saw Lynx generate a stir at London’s Victoria Station with an augmented reality experience that layered models from their falling angels campaign into live video of curious commuters.

A few weeks ago a similar experience was launched in Hungary by the National Geographic Channel and European cable distributor UPC. The augmented reality experience enabled people to immerse themselves into a variety of National Geographic Channel content including a petting a leopard, dancing in a conga-line with an astronaut, watching a dolphin do flips, interacting with large and small dinosaurs and even cowering from an intense lightning storm.

The experience was put together by UK creative agency Appshaker, who have previously developed augmented reality experiences for clients such as Ford and Budapest Bank.

Related Posts

Randy MathesonI am a Nova Scotia raised Creative Guy, currently Director of Emerging Media at Delvinia, a Digital Strategy & Customer Experience Design Firm in Toronto. I’m a huge fan of the creative use of digital technologies in social media, marketing, sports and entertainment. I use this blog to share the more interesting examples that I find. If you’re in need of a break, join me over at Madtini.com for a cocktail.

HarperCollins Canada Launch In-Store Augmented Reality Experience at Indigo Bookstores

HarperCollins and Indigo Books Host In-Store AR Experience for The Dark EndeavorHarperCollins Canada has launched an augmented reality experience in conjunction with the launch of Kenneth Oppel’s latest young adult novel ‘This Dark Endeavour: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frakenstein’.

The large bookshelf installation pictured here can be found at Indigo locations in Toronto (Eaton’s Centre), Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa. Android users can use the ‘This Dark Endeavor’ app to scan the shelves looking for the mystery book that will bring the animated secrets to life. Smaller posters and bookmarks that also trigger the AR experience can be found at more than 300 other locations of Indigo, Chapters and Coles Bookstores across Canada.

When I visited the installation at the Indigo Books store at the Eaton’s Centre in downtown Toronto, I was disappointed that the two available Android phones were out of commission. One was waiting for a software update and the other had been unplugged and the battery was dead (I own an iPhone and I was without my Android toting friends). Thankfully, I was able to experience the AR on Kenneth Hoppel’s web site using my laptop’s webcam and a printed marker.

The project was brought to life by the Toronto office of Dentsu.

The ‘Dark Endeavor‘ app is available as a free download in the Android app Market.

Volkswagen Canada Unleashes Out-of-Home AR Experiences for the New Beetle

Volkswagen Canada Beetle Augmented RealityIf you’re in Toronto over the next few weeks and you’re near Dundas Square, you’ll see large billboard advertising the launch of the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle. The displays come to life when viewed through an Augmented Reality iPhone app available at VWjuicedup.ca.

When viewed through the AR app the tall billboard located to the west of Yonge Street opens up and a massive skateboard ramp pushes itself out of the building. A red VW Beetle speeds down the ramp and performs spins and tricks high in the air. It really is pretty cool when you see the ramp appearing above your head.

The smaller billboard located on the north-east corner of Yonge and Dundas will show a beetle ripping back and forth through the other signage above and around it, while a smaller transit shelter cracks up, revealing a deep tunnel and a beetle speeding directly toward the viewer.

All three OOH experiences are triggered not by an ugly marker but by an unobtrusive rectangle that fits in nicely with the existing creative. Instructions to download the app are clearly communicated on the billboard, and I like the use of a vanity URL being used to access the app store.

The creative is from Toronto’s Red Urban with animation by Bully! Entertainment. The technology is licensed comes from London-based AR innovator String.