Brief:

• Jack in the Box is sponsoring an augmented reality (AR) lens on Snapchat that urges customers to customize virtual burgers. Through Aug. 18, the Jack in the Box AR experience gives people a chance to win prizes, including a chance to see their virtual burger creations added to its menu, according to Next Reality.
• The branded AR experience is available in the Snapchat Lens carousel and is geotargeted to reach customers who are within the chain's store footprint. The AR lens lets people use their front-facing smartphone camera to pose with the brand's mascot riding a hot air balloon in the shape of a bacon double cheeseburger.
• The rear camera has the BurgAR game that gives customers a chance to create a customized burger with virtual images overlaid on their physical surroundings. Jack in the Box asks them to save the picture, return to the Lens and click on the "More" button to navigate to the contest website. Participants could win a $250 gift card and see their burger added to the chain's menu.

Insight:

Jack in the Box's campaign plays on the popularity of AR lenses and filters that urge Snapchat users to share images with their friends. The AR feature is a way to engage mobile users with an amusing activity while promoting Jack in the Box's contest and menu items, potentially driving people to its locations to see their creation on the menu.

Other quick-service chains have added AR features to their apps to entertain customers and position their brand as innovative and top-of-mind. Burger King in March let mobile users in Brazil earn a free Whopper for virtually setting fire to the ads of its rivals. The burger chain's app shows a "Burn That Ad" banner that mobile users can tap while pointing their smartphone camera at the print, coupon and billboard ads from competitors like McDonald's.

AR features continue to be a source of growth for Snapchat, indicating that their novelty hasn't worn off over the past few years. The company last year said about 70 million Snapchat users play with AR lenses on the app every day. HBO in April sponsored a more limited geotargeted lens to promote "Game of Thrones," which was only available in New York.