It’s not perfect, but Fanta’s Virtual Tennis is one of the first real examples of a company using augmented reality in a new and unique way to advertise their products:
To play the game, just download and print the Virtual Tennis Court, download the game to your mobile phone from http://m.fanta.eu and get a friend to do the same. Then, start the game, point your phone towards the game board, and play away.
Currently Virtual Tennis only works on the various versions of Nokia’s N81, N82, N95, 6120 and 6121 since it needs a high-quality camera and a high-speed processor to run correctly, but as more and more mobile phones start to meet these requirements, I’m predicting that we’ll see many more mobile campaigns incorporating some sort of augmented reality into them in the future.
For now though, it’s just good to see companies that are willing to push the edge and try out new things, because it means that others will soon follow, and the technology can continue to grow and expand.
The Good:
- Fanta is using a new technology in a fun and unique way.
- By trying something that no one has seen before, they can greatly increase their target market.
The Bad:
- High and restrictive technological requirements eliminate most users.
- A virtual tennis game is not a good match to the specific product (a soda), so it becomes more of a brand play.
The Future:
- Augmented reality gets incorporated into a company’s mobile strategy and used in new and unique ways to draw in consumers and give them something fun that they can play with.
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Wed, Jan 28, 2009
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