Surprise and delight with augmented reality
History and Heraldry, makers of Whatover Voodoo – a line of edgy, caring, and humorous keychain-sized voodoo dolls – came to CM&D looking for an exciting new way to engage with retail partners and customers. The firm was experiencing pressure from new competitors entering the market and was seeking a unique way to ‘surprise and delight’ its customers at the retail level. By combining one of the most popular social media platforms on the planet with the power of augmented reality, CM&D was able to help History and Heraldry find its magic spark.
Goal
Develop an in-store consumer experience that surprises and delights both retail partners and customers.
Action
Leveraging the latest in social AR technology, users get to see a Voody (the firm’s most popular voodoo doll) come to life and bust a move right before their eyes.
Outcome
A fun, accessible, and easily sharable AR experience that helps History and Heraldry stand out from its competitors directly at the point of purchase.
Why Web AR?
WebAR & Social AR technologies allow consumers to experience the power of augmented without needing to download an app. This technology gives businesses and brands the ability to easily deliver fun and engaging AR content with the touch of a single button – no downloads required. By simply scanning a QR code and tapping their phone screen, consumers are instantly transported to another world, time, or place.
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Interactive Storytelling
Immersive Brand Strategy
It was important to History and Heraldry (H&H) that the experience be easily accessible to a majority of their target market. Through research and data analysis, CM&D was able to identify an 85% chance that H&H customers would have a Facebook account. Both teams agreed that SparkAR (Meta’s AR platform – Facebook’s parent company) would make for the optimal distribution platform to support the final AR effect – a decision that also led to project cost savings.
Creative Direction
With Facebook identified as the preferred distribution platform, CM&D worked closely with the H&H team to develop a creative concept designed to engage with the company’s target demographic as well as align with popular cultural trends. The final experience gave customers the opportunity to meet Voody up closer as he performs three of today’s most popular dance moves – all easily sharable on social media with the touch of a single button.
Experience Design
To help ensure the final experience had a polished and professional feel, CM&D provided realistic 3D modeling and animation services, UX/UI design, voiceover script writing and recording, as well as developed three custom musical tracks to support Voody’s flashy dance routines.
Immersive Development
Web VR & Web AR
With experience design and asset creation complete, CM&D turned its attention to the development portion of the project. Pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on the SparkAR platform, the team designed a user experience that seamlessly integrated the 3D models and animations along with the VO tracks and musical scores. An effort that resulted in an AR effect that hit all the right marks. After completing a rigorous testing and quality assurance process, the experience was published live on through the Facebook app.
Engagement
Distribution Strategy & Development
Leveraging dynamic QR codes, the final effect could be easily integrated with both H&H’s existing and future print marketing materials, allowing consumers to engage with the experience directly at the point of sale. CM&D also provided H&H with assistance setting up a new Facebook instance to support the effect as well as guidance on how to leverage SparkAR’s robust user analytics tools.
An AR Mobile App Bridging the Digital & Physical Worlds
