Quaker taste tests augmented reality to drive cross-channel engagement
Quaker Oats Company is tapping Blippar?s augmented reality capabilities to drive online engagement among its customers.
Located on Quaker Oats packaging, consumers can scan the Quaker man with their smartphone and take a milk mustache selfie to unlock Quaker recipes. By being firmly established in the physical realm, consumer packaged goods companies such as Quaker are tapping technological tools to drive brand awareness and attract Millennials.
?We wanted to provide a surprise and delight moment through augmented reality in the grocery aisles for a really fun and dynamic way for consumers to interact with the Quaker Oats Man, known as Larry, as he dons his latest accessory of a milk mustache,? said Elena Parlatore, senior manager of digital and social marketing at Quaker, Chicago.
Breakfast bonuses
After users download the Blippar app, they can scan the Quaker man on the boxed packaging. The smartphone?s camera is then activated and users take a selfie. The augmented mustache then comes into play.
Once the photo has been taken, users will be redirected to Quaker recipes, such as lemon blueberry oatmeal muffins, a protein-packed berry burst smoothie, banana bread oatmeal and more. While Quaker features recipes on its box packages, the brand is attempting to be innovative and incorporate technology in its very physical brand.
To bring the program to life for consumers and in the grocery aisles, Quaker worked with Blippar to create an augmented reality experience allowing consumers to interact with Larry, the Quaker Oats man, in a unique and dynamic way.
The Blippar app also helped to push offline consumers to online through both on-pack and in-store and united conversations with a single hashtag of #QuakerwithMilk.
The use of augmented reality is part of a greater collaboration between America's Milk Companies, dairy farm families and Quaker Oats, which has the goal of encouraging Americans to make their oatmeal with low-fat milk instead of water or to eat it alongside a glass of milk for a boost of protein.
The Milk Mustache ad that features the Quaker Man?s mustache can be seen in People Magazine's Best Dressed issue, which hit newsstands September 19.
Augmented reality capabilities
Beauty brands have been tapping into augmented reality capabilities this year by leveraging print ads and revamping them to appeal to tech-savvy audiences.
Procter & Gamble?s Olay is embracing image-recognition platform Blippar and its augmented reality capabilities to promote the brand's Fresh Effects products with print ads in a number of beauty magazines, such as Hearst?s Seventeen and Elle magazines.
Marketers have been experimenting with numerous mobile tools to revamp their print ads for the past several years. Olay?s ad features conversion capabilities to encourage viewers to obtain a free skin consultation via the app and then proceed to buy the products (see story).
Earlier this year, Procter & Gamble's CoverGirl leveraged augmented reality to shorten the gap between its print ads and transactions.
The skin care company used Blippar's technology in its print ad in Cosmopolitan?s March 2014 issue. The ad invited readers to blipp the page to find their ?perfect blend" (see story).
Similarly, Discovery Channel?s renowned programming block Shark Week utilized Blippar to enhance physical ads with augmented reality capabilities and attract Generation Zers.
As the cable network's fans look forward to Shark Week every year, Discovery Channel likely tried to recruit younger viewers through a mobile capability. Smartphone users could scan the ads and instantly become a part of the augmented reality experience (see story).
?By partnering with Blippar, we were able to intersect mobile technology through an on-pack and in-store experience for our consumers,? Ms. Parlatore said.
Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York
