Augmented Reality Cinema Advertising

At the worst possible time, Weischer.Cinema, together with the Cologne Cinedom and the software developer CinemaTaztic from Copenhagen, started an attempt. And yet, despite the pandemic, they succeeded: After a one-year pilot phase and three months of implementation, the interactive advertising format is now available nationwide in 21 cinemas of the UCI Group. 188 auditoriums are connected and turn the cinema screen into a multiplayer game before the film starts.

How Cinema AR Works

Cinema-goers download the CinemaTaztic app called REDyPLAY and register. During the pre-programme of the film, a commercial appears on the screen advertising the game with a code. If the users enter this code in their app, an avatar of them appears on the screen together with their username. By means of gestures or button control, players can take part in the game and win small prizes, such as a free portion of popcorn. The primary focus is on treasure hunts and small jump-and-run games.

For the user, the app is easy to use and the idea of having several players in a cinema hall who don't know each other compete against each other could actually enrich the cinema experience somewhat. What is exciting is that the course of the game is also visible to all other viewers. This means that the advertising message also catches on with the non-playing visitors.

The format has a longer duration than a normal commercial. The Valley Game from Ben & Jerry's, for example, lasts a full five minutes.

What brands offer

The energy drink supplier Battery relies on an easy-to-implement 2D look.

Coke pops bubbles in the game in classic FruitSlice style. The theme of the campaign is Coke Light, so you have to catch the light bubbles with light colours.

HBO also plays a classic game, namely a quiz. In Vikings-Fight, questions are asked about the series and the users decide on answer variants on their smartphones.

The PacMan clone is also easy to adapt to brands. The large energy points that make a character immune to monster attacks for a short time are, of course, Coke corks.

Lego goes ghost hunting in an interactive treasure hunt. The rather mundane game sequences alternate with lovingly designed animations. In between, the player has to scan picture elements from the screen to collect points.

The potential

Cinema retargeting is also very exciting. Of course, the app reads which films a user has visited as soon as the latter plays along. Geotargeting should not be a problem, nor should the reference to films or advertisements that a user has already seen. The clever combination of outdoor advertising and smartphone bridges the gap between mass media and possible individual communication.

The CinemaTaztic system has been in use in Northern Europe since 2013 and can be used. At CinematazTic they are optimistic. Mikkel Hagedorn, CEO and Co-Founder says:

"We expect that even more cinemas in Germany will soon offer the new gaming and advertising format together with Weischer.Cinema."

Source: meedia