Brief:
- Constellation Brands' Victoria beer unveiled a web-based augmented reality (AR) experience as part of its Day of the Dead campaign. The feature lets people bring custom bottle labels to life in celebration for the annual Mexican holiday, according to details by AR developer Groove Jones.
- Mobile users must scan a QR code on Victoria packaging for six-packs or 12-packs and confirm their age in order to active the experience. They can view several AR animations by scanning multiple bottles, which display different themes of "life," "death" or a combination of the two.
- Because the web-based activation doesn't require mobile users to download a separate app, it can potentially reach a larger group of consumers. Constellation Brands worked with Upshot Agency on the campaign for the holiday, which is celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.
Insight:
Because Victoria's AR activation uses web-based technology, a wider group of people with different models of smartphones can see the animations without the need for a separate app. Eliminating that friction point removes a barrier to entry for mobile users, who now want seamless experiences that don't require downloading clunky apps for only a few uses. The activation is a sign of how AR content can be readily delivered on smartphones, a trend that's likely to grow as more consumers upgrade to next-generation 5G service that quickly delivers richer content.
Victoria is the latest beer brand to feature AR content in a campaign for Day of the Dead. Modelo, a sister brand made by Grupo Modelo, last year combined AR technology with out-of-home (OOH) advertising in a campaign that brought painted billboards to life. Modelo asked consumers to visit locations in select cities throughout the U.S. and scan festive murals to see them spring to life on smartphone screen. With more people staying closer to home during the pandemic, such an OOH activation may be less practical this year, pushing brands like Victoria to develop immersive activations that function on beer bottles at home.
The AR campaign comes as beer makers see higher sales at retail, partly offsetting steep declines at bars and restaurants that have either closed or are operating at limited capacity. However, Constellation Brands still saw a 6% yearly decline in revenue to $1.96 billion in the quarter ended May 31, per its earnings announcement. Beer volumes also slipped, though its Corona brand saw double-digit growth with the launch of a hard seltzer line. Despite a controversial launch during the early days of the pandemic, Constellation pressed ahead with the Corona Hard Seltzer campaign, saying consumers understood there wasn't a link between the coronavirus outbreak and its brand name.
