IMMERSIVE BRAND DIGEST, July 5, 2021

It’s been quite a year since ADVRTAS launched the first issues of the Immersive Brand Digest pre-pandemic. We put the IMB Digest on hold as brands put the brakes on things. But as the west and parts of Europe come out of our pathogen inspired haze and panic, consumers and brands are eager to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. And who can blame them, it’s been a stressful year! We know, we lived it too. 😉 

That’s why we’re so excited to bring back the ADVRTAS Immersive Brand Digest (IMB Digest), because it means for some parts of the world, we’re seeing some kind of “normalcy’. We cover how brands are using everything in the metaverse to better connect with consumers and promote their products, services, and initiatives. It could be immersive 360 degree ads that are popping up on the digital ad landscape as we’re beginning to see more brands and agencies add them to digital ad budgets and media plans. Brands leveraging these new digital ad formats find them more engaging and have a better return on investment than other ad products. That’s probably because of the connsumer-driven nature of immersive ads and immersive content in general where the consumer is in control. With fully interactive ads, which can feature hotspots, 360 degree images and 360 video, VR and AR and 3D models, we’re seeing advertisers launch ad campaigns that really engage with audiences like never before.

We also highlight how brands are using webAR and webVR and how they leverage AR and lenses in social media and as immersive apps. We also take a look at innovative live activations and how creative minds are using immersive tech to push boundaries all in the name of connecting with the consumer. We wish we could transport ourselves to some of the global destinations where brands execute mind-bending, truly immersive mixed reality experiences made possible by the likes of MR leaders like MagicLeap and holograms (oft supported by Microsoft Hololens). You’ll also find some great cases of creative ways brands are using things like AI (artificial intelligence) to immerse consumers in their brands. 

So without further ado, we salute the teams behind these five recent fun, engaging, and clever marketing initiatives that are using immersive technologies to deliver a better brand experience and ultimately forge stronger connections between brands and consumers.

LEGO & SNAP

Lego and Snap are certainly no newbies when it comes to leveraging immersive technologies for marketing. But their latest endeavor looks to strengthening the brand connection by connecting lego fans to eachother! If you’re a lego fan or a Snap user, you’ll get a kick out of their latest initiative, a multiplayer AR brick building lens where you and a friend can build Lego creations in AR on Snap together. Sounds pretty fun to us! And what a way great way to reinforce a brand and its values to the market. 

INDOMIE NOODLES

Indomie Noodles, one of the world’s most consumed instant noodle brands, recently had an immersive 360 degree ad spotted in the wild in New Zealand. A simple yet clever execution, the unit is looking for the consumer to choose whether they’re “Team Red” or “Team Blue”, with the two being the brand’s two primary flavors. Consumers can click a CTA to place their vote on social media. An example of the unit appears below. We can see how a digital ad like this would catch consumer attention and sustain it, you’re in control the entire time and it’s kind of fun to see it react to your device movement or touch. 

LOUBOUTIN SHOES 

If you’re in the market for a pair of sneakers in the $600-$1,000 range then LoubiFuture is for you! The luxury brand combined augmented reality, 360 degree content, and mixed reality to create a full blown immersive brand experience to showcase the Spring 2022 line. While we don’t know all the facets of their marketing or media plan, and we’re sure it’s awesome; if we were part of the marketing team for Louboutin, we’d be sure to take portions of the cool, psychedelic LoubiFuture experience and use if for digital advertising, on landing pages, social , in store, and more. Get the return on the investment you made for this intense experience and carry out the conceit everywhere!!!  

LANCOME PARIS 

I loved seeing Oscar Falmer, Creative Technologist & AR/VR leader, experience this in Paris recently. In the flagship Lancome Champs Elysee store, the beauty brand, who also is no stranger to levering immersive technologies for marketing and advertising, showcased a magical immersive experience using MagicLeap technology. General Manager of Lancome France, Julie Adouin-Urdangaray, described the retail installation as one that enabled “clients to experience the brand like never before.” Those fortunate to don the well-sanitized MR headset, are taken on a delightful journey and showered in roses while spectators can witness the experience on big screens in store. (Boy would we LOVE to see this in an immersive display ad too!)

NISSAN QASHQAI

Nissan agency TBWA\London has executed what they hail as “Europe’s first automotive 3D experiential activity” this past June in the heavily visited Southbank neighborhood of London as part of the launch of the new Nissan Qashqai. For a week, visitors to the area were treated to a thrilling live display where a giant 3D cube conveyed the exhilarating experience of owning the all new electrified crossover vehicle. They could also scan a QR code to access an AR experience on their mobile devices. Check out the video below for peak at the 3D installation. And at the risk of sounding self serving, we’d REALLY love to see them use the ADVRTAS immersive qube unit to further the experience as a digital ad unit. Just sayin….

IT’S A WRAP!

That’s it for this issue of the ADVRTAS Immersive Brand Digest (IMB Digest), to subscribe click here. We look forward to sharing the next issue with you soon!

If you’ve seen a cool immersive execution by a brand, we’d love to hear from you! Drop us a line at marketing@advrtas.com.