Mondel?z International and Nabisco's Oreo, Trident and Ritz are betting big on augmented reality this summer as part of Nabisco's sponsorship of the musical group One Direction?s 2013 North American tour.

The consumer-packaged-goods brands are rolling out an augmented reality application called 1D VIP for iPhone and Android devices to bring packaging to life. Addtionally, a microsite and contest are being used this summer to target One Direction?s fans.

?Mondel?z International?s brands are always looking for opportunities to engage with their customers and provide unique memorable experiences,? said Stephen Chriss, senior director of U.S. media and consumer engagement at Mondel?z International, East Hanover, NJ.

?The mobile arm of this fully integrated partnership allows the brands to reinvent mobile experiences that matter to the fans of both the brands and One Direction,? he said.

?By giving fans exclusive access to content, such as voicemails from One Direction and a cyber-photo booth where fans can create images of themselves with the Band, it allows them to be truly engaged from point-of-sale, to in-home to in-concert.?

How it works
The app leverages augmented reality and image recognition to unlock content on more than 21 million packages of Oreo, Chips Ahoy, Ritz and Honey Maid products.

For example, when consumers scan a package of Ritz crackers, a video of One Direction loads and gives consumers access to the sweepstakes that Mondelez is running.

Consumers have the chance to win VIP tickets to sold-out concerts and attend a sound check with One Direction in three cities ? Philadelphia, Dallas and Los Angeles.

In order to enter, consumers first enter their email address and then fill out an entry form.

Augmented reality is also being leveraged with in-stadium components where consumers can scan a photo of the band?s ?Take Me Home? sophomore album to unlock content.

There is also a virtual photo booth section of the app, which lets consumers pose next to members of the band. The images can then be shared via Facebook and also appear in a fan photo stream section of the app.

Recipe content is also being distributed through the app.

The app also uses push notifications to keep consumers updated when new content will be available.

There is also a microsite for the campaign - http://www.1dvip.com/ - which is optimized for mobile and desktop devices.

The site includes information on the Nabisco?s sponsorship of the One Direction 2013 North American Tour. Consumers can keep up with news, videos and connect to the brand?s social networks throughout the summer via the site.

Digital and mobile media are being used to help spread the word about the campaign.

In addition to mobile, Mondel?z International has also appointed a One Direction fan to serve as a correspondent this summer. Throughout the summer, the correspondent will upload photos and content to http://www.1dvip.com to keep other fans up-to-date on the campaign.

Mobile strength
Mondel?z International has been building up its mobile repertoire in the past year since the company spun off from Kraft Foods and decided to allocate 10 percent of its budget to mobile (see story).

Since then, Mondel?z picked nine brands to work with start-ups to further their mobile initiatives (see story).

In addition, Oreo recently partnered with Nokia on a mobile messaging app that uses augmented reality to let consumers connect to each other (see story).

?Mondel?z International brands make it a point to partnering with the biggest names across all passion points that matter to our consumers,? Mr. Chriss said.

?1D VIP app and augmented reality experience is the ideal opportunity to provide this partnership multiple touch points, outside of the traditional tour sponsorship,? he said. ?We are able to engage and reward fans with content, videos and photos exclusive to them, only found on the 1D VIP app.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York