The campaign uses WebAR technology to safely enable Officeworks customers to take a photo with a virtual Santa in-store or at home.
Officeworks has teamed up with Verizon Media’s branded content division RYOT Studio for a new augmented reality (AR) campaign that brings holiday spirit to this year’s socially-distanced festive season.
With current health concerns and social distancing requirements hindering traditional Santa meet-and-greets and photoshoots with the family, the campaign uses WebAR technology to safely enable Officeworks customers to take a photo with a virtual Santa in-store or at home.
Users are able to choose from various Santa poses to build their own unique scene then save the image to their phone, print it in-store or share with friends and family on social media.
The AR experience will be accessible via the Officeworks website, print and online catalogues, and in-store at point of sale.
RYOT Studio has also created immersive articles and native ad formats to further promote the campaign across Verizon Media’s editorial brands including Yahoo and HuffPost.
The immersive ads feature an in-situ Santa allowing readers to preview the immersive experience.
This campaign is the first to utilise Verizon Media’s new partnership with data intelligence company Near, which enables real-time footfall measurement and better understanding of the causality of online ad engagement or website visitation.
“This year, Christmas will most likely be a very different experience for many people so we wanted to create a special festive moment for our customers," Officeworks general manager marketing, data and insights Jessica Richmond says.
"This AR Santa activation is a great way to feel the holiday spirit, and it’s accessible whether you’re shopping from home or in store.
“It’s been great working with the RYOT Studio team to bring this campaign to life and we can’t wait to see how our customers will enjoy this new and immersive AR experience.”
Julia Edwards, head of strategic solutions at RYOT Studio, says the campaign takes an innovative response to shifting consumer habits.
“The way consumers are shopping this Christmas has completely changed with COVID, so it’s important for brands to be trialling different virtual techniques to stand out," Edwards says.
"Immersive formats turn passive audiences into active participants, which generates higher engagement that will really cut through the clutter during a busy online retail period.
“We’ve seen a strong demand in advertisers looking for the next generation of digital advertising and this collaboration with Officeworks leverages RYOT Studio’s latest suite of immersive 3D and augmented reality ad products. It’s a great example of how we combine our culture and code to form curated and effective solutions for our partners.”
Credits
Verizon Media
Head of Sales - Victoria: Luke Burr
Head of Strategic Solutions: Julia Edwards
Head of Data: Dan Richardson
Senior Strategic Integration Project Manager: Leah Yeung
Senior Sales Manager: Vartika Arora-Patel
Initiative
Associate Digital Director: Leona Irvine
Associate Director, Client Advice & Management: Danielle Galipienzo
Digital Partnerships Manager: Georgia Phillips-Cron
Matterkind
Head of Client Advisory: Luke Fitzpatrick
Senior Campaign Manager Alex Alderuccio
Senior Client Advisory Executive Jessica Ledden-Cooper
