Brief:
- Hemp company DiemCBD will launch an augmented reality (AR) game for attendees of NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 race over Memorial Day weekend, per an announcement. The app has players collect virtual tokens, like the gameplay of Pokémon Go, for coupons and free products while exploring the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- DiemCBD is offering discounts and giveaway on products infused with cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis plants that relaxes the body without hallucinogenic effects.
- DiemCBD's CBD-infused products include oil, tinctures, capsules, gummies and vaporizer pens. The company collaborated with marketing company Swag'r on the AR app, according to its announcement.
Insight:
With the introduction of an AR experience, DiemCBD is urging attendees of the Coca-Cola 600 race to gamify their visit by walking around the raceway and collecting virtual tokens for discounts and product giveaways. AR apps provide a more immersive experience for mobile users while giving brands direct control over their marketing messages. Gamification of activities like live events adds to the entertainment value and can prolong brand exposure among mobile users. AR games equipped with geolocation features, as seen in 2016's hit game Pokémon Go, can help to guide smartphone users to visit specific locations, such as a store or pop-up booth at an event.
DiemCBD isn't the only brand to create an AR experience for a NASCAR event. Coca-Cola last year sponsored an AR experience in NASCAR's mobile app that let racing fans immerse themselves in highlights from the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The NASCAR Playoffs AR Experience Refreshed by Coca-Cola gave smartphone users the sensation of stepping through a virtual portal and into a 360-degree view of the event, which extended the brand's presence beyond consumers physically at the race to also reach those at home.
AR games have grown increasingly popular over the past few years since Apple and Google released software tool kits to help app developers more easily create and incorporate AR experiences into their apps. Brands have added popular immersive features such as virtual scavenger hunts, photo filters and lenses. Recent examples include convenience store chain 7-Eleven, which last month added "Pokémon" features to its loyalty app as part of a promotional tie-in for the movie "Pokémon Detective Pikachu." Clothing retailer Tillys last month gave high school students a chance to win prizes by competing in an AR mobile game at its 229 retail stores. In addition, as part of its promotion tie-in with the National Football League, Pizza Hut introduced an AR-powered Beanbag Blitz app that worked with its pizza boxes.
