How to use AR technology as a sales tool for your brand
By using augmented reality (AR) and making it available to selected influencers, we built an innovative communication campaign for the Garnier brand.
CHALLENGE
Garnier introduced the phenomenon of textile masks coming from Asia to the Czech Republic already in 2016. It quickly became the market leader. The client came to us with the assignment to help further develop its potential for growth and to bring a "fun moment" to the time spent with the mask. The problem is that women don't want to wear masks on social networks. So although they experience their fun moment, they do not share it.
SOLUTION
We understand that no one looks like a superstar with a mask on their face. So we decided to change that with the help of AR technology. To ensure the highest possible engagement of the campaign, we carried out thorough research on trends. We immersed ourselves in the thinking of today's millennials and came up with a concept that changes their perception of wearing a mask.
STEPPING INTO THE UNKNOWN
We have been creating digital campaigns for Garnier for three years now. And we don't want to sound too boastful, but we think we're getting quite good at it and we know how to build such a campaign, what works and why. But we shot ourselves in the foot with the AR filter. For more than one reason.
- A big campaign (with a media budget in the order of millions) based on an instagram AR filter had never been done in the Czech Republic, so there was nowhere to draw inspiration from.
- We'd experimented with AR filters before and created a few filters internally, but Instagram's approval process was still a mystery to us.
- We did not invent one, but two filters - one for a full face mask and one for a mask that covers the nose and mouth.
- The maximum filter size must be 4MB - this is quite limiting in terms of creative possibilities
- The deadline for creating the entire concept and for production was deadly - less than 30 days before Christmas
- We produced the filters in-house without the help of external contractors
THE WORK DID NOT END WITH THE FINISHED FILTERS
When the tenth version of the filter, with which both we and the client were satisfied, was finally approved, we did not take a breather. For the filter, you need an instructional video for Instagram in addition to the icon, which can make it get stuck when loading your perfect filter. The video must be shot using an instagram camera at first try. So forget about complicated production and don't count on post-production manipulations, such as editing or colour effects.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT NO ONE LOOKS LIKE A SUPERSTAR WITH A MASK ON THEIR FACE.
So we decided to change that with the help of AR technology.
CAMPAIGN
The innovative approach to the campaign involved the use of authentic shots, enriched with AR filter technology, which many users already knew intimately thanks to influencers from their feed, and which they could now try out on the Garnier instagram profile.
The influencers played with the filter, tried it out, discovered how it changes when blinking, what it does when you open your mouth, and how to change its movement. This resulted in the creation abundant material, which we then used to create the hero video.
The innovative approach to the campaign involved the use of authentic shots, enriched with AR filter technology, which many users already knew intimately thanks to influencers from their feed, and which they could now try out on the Garnier instagram profile.