Brief:
- Hyundai's campaign for the 2020 Sonata will feature an augmented reality (AR) experience at the Music Midtown festival, which runs September 14-15 in Atlanta. Concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment is developing several new AR products to engage fans, both at home or while attending a live event, with artists and brands, per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
- Hyundai, the first company to use the products, will show a 3D model of the car in Live Nation's AR Livestream, which lets fans experience a live event while at home. Viewers who click on the AR livestream in the Music Midtown app and point their smartphones at a flat surface will see a 3D version of select performances along with the new Hyundai model.
- Live Nation's AR experiences also include AR VIP Access, to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at a live show; AR Fest Lens, to show a digitally rendered schedule of artists who will perform at different stages of a music festival; AR Intermission, for brands to create entertainment experiences between sets; and AR Photo Opp, to let attendees snap photos and decorate them with AR filters.
Insight:
Hyundai's sponsorship of a Live Nation AR experience gives the automaker a new way to connect with younger customers, even those who can't attend a live event like the Music Midtown festival. Unlike video ad inserts into a livestream, an AR experience gives mobile viewers more control over what they see, including the ability to move virtual objects around to see a 360-degree immersive view of different surroundings.
Hyundai isn't a stranger to AR technology, as seen with the immersive car manuals it introduced in 2015, and last year's investment in WayRay, an AR startup that is developing holographic displays for cars. Other automakers such as Mercedes Benz are also dipping their toes into AR to connect with younger generations who are buying their first cars. The luxury brand recently released an AR filter on Instagram to advertise an entry-level car for millennials. By next year, 100 million U.S. consumers will shop using AR online and in-store amid an expansion of high-speed 5G mobile service, according to a forecast by Gartner.
As smartphones and social media have become an important part of musical festivals, Live Nation's AR products can integrate into viewers' livestreams of performances on Periscope or Facebook Live, as well as selfies to posted to Instagram or Snapchat. Recording artists too are experimenting with integrations of AR and live performances, as seen with Eminem's Coachella performance in 2018 and U2's Experience + Innocence Tour that relied on mobile apps.
Live Nation's AR Livestream is among the company's efforts to expand its audience among smartphone users. This fall, the company will launch a concert and festival series that's only available on Twitter, which is expanding its live and on-demand video programming of sports, gaming, entertainment and news content. The lineup will include 10 concerts, along with moments from festivals including Governors Ball, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo Arts & Music Festival and Electric Daisy Carnival.
