Used in a variety of areas such as entertainment, television, tourism, engineering design, robotics and other industries, Augmented Reality (AR) is integrated in applications and products with the goal of creating a system in which the user cannot tell the difference between the real world and the virtual augmentation of it.
AR is the real-time integration of digital elements onto an existing real-world environment which changes the perception of our reality. Expanding our physical world, adding layers of digital information onto it, AR renders our real world information and presents it in an interactive way so that virtual elements become part of the physical world. Unlike Virtual Reality (VR), AR does not create the whole artificial environment to replace real with a virtual one. AR appears in direct view of an existing environment and adds sounds, videos and graphics to it using the camera on devices such as smartphones, ipads, smart glasses or other display devices.
From Google to the social platforms, Snapchat and Facebook, AR has become part of our digital life with ads and branded experiences, opening the door for brands to use a new means of creativity and immersive storytelling to reach users in a way they appreciate, interact with and respond to.
Augmented reality is a good way to bring products, brands and users closer together. With AR, you blur the limits of reality: you can either digitally bring a product in the user’s environment or project the user in the universe of the brand. AR also offers a lot of potential for services brought to users by the brands and new ways to engage consumers in a more positive and active state.
Discover Biborg's AR campaigns below :
1. SEGA - Persona 5 Royal - AR Camera Effect
Supporting the worldwide release of the expanded Persona 5 Royal, Biborg collaborated with SEGA to create an Augmented Reality (AR) effect available on Instagram and Facebook, from April, 2020.
The interactive AR experience included a suite of six effects that invited the user to ‘Wear the Mask’ and become a member of one of the six Phantom Thieves; Joker, Skull, Oracle, Crow, Panther and Kasumi, the new Phantom Thief integral to Persona 5 Royal.
Find out more here. Try the camera effect on mobile here: Instagram, Facebook.
2. Facebook - Cogito - AR Game
Biborg created an AR game using Facebook's AR features, found on the Instant Games platform. The interactive drama, titled Cogito, plays out over several days and is set in the near-future where technology exists to connect people's brains via a mobile app. Much like ridesharing, people can pay you to harness your brain processing power by solving puzzles on the platform, giving the clients a brain boost. In the game, you sign up to Cogito to earn a bit of extra cash and very quickly get involved with a mysterious client who opens the door to a dark and dangerous world which puts you and your brain in immediate danger.
Primarily targeting developers but also public users, the objective was to demonstrate what Facebook can offer with the combination of the Instant Games platform and Spark AR tech. The goal was to create a richer and more complex game experience that combined the best of both worlds.
Find out more here. Try the Facebook camera effect on mobile here.
3. YouTube - AR Party Planner
For the promotion of the new YouTube AR Try On feature that was announced during the Cannes Lions 2019 event, Biborg and Google collaborated on an interactive AR campaign - The AR Party Planner. With this new Try On feature, users can try out products while they watch.
Biborg created an installation that was present at the Google Beach. The experience was driven by the story of a fictional creator, Lou - a young, dynamic, self-confident Creative Director. As Lou carries out her makeup and accessory choices, corresponding AR filters appear below the video so viewers can test them out virtually - lipstick, sunglasses, caps and piercings.
Find out more here.
4. Bandai Namco - Jump Force
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the weekly Shōnen Jump best-selling manga magazine, published by Shueisha, Bandai Namco reunites the most powerful manga heros: Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, Naruto and much more in the crossover fighting game, Jump Force.
For the occasion, Bandai Namco and Biborg collaborated on a Facebook camera effect which was released on the 15th of February. The objective was to highlight the avatar function present in the game that allows players to create their own character by mixing the different elements of the flagship licences.
Find out more here. Try the Facebook camera effect on mobile here.
5. Social Point - Dragon City
First time collaborating with the video game developer, Social Point, Biborg was briefed for the production of a Facebook camera AR tool and a promotional video demo that was to highlight the main dragon of the Dragon City game.
For the Christmas holiday occasion, Biborg imagined a concept whereby users eat tomatoes by opening their mouth, gradually transforming into a dragon and delivering the message : "Wishing you Joy and Fire". The objective was for users to send warmth to their friends by sharing their personalised video, spreading the word and increasing awareness around the game.
Find out more here. Try the Facebook camera effect on mobile here.
6. Coty - Rimmel - Ink Me
In order to promote its new collection of temporary face and body tattoos, « Ink Me », Rimmel London, sought out the expertise of Biborg to create the brand’s first Facebook AR camera effect. Launched in 2018, the special lens allows users to virtually apply products from the new glam collection, which features temporary tattoos, stamps, pencils, black and gold eyeliner and then take original selfies.
With the tool, fans can use the camera effect to create looks inspired by the brand ambassadors, Rita Ora and Cara Delevingne, or create their own. Each look is entirely unique as users can mix and match styles on different zones of their face.
Using AR, the lens divides faces into different zones so users can virtually test out different products with precision on their eyes, chin, lips, cheeks, forehead and nose in order to create a truly personalised “Ink Me” look.
Try the Facebook camera effect on mobile here.
7. Ubisoft - Assassin's Creed Odyssey
For the launch of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Ubisoft and Biborg collaborated on the conception and development of a personalised experience using Facebook’s AR ads tool. The activation invites users to slip into the shoes of the protagonist warriors Kassandra or Alexios, customise their appearance and share it on Facebook. The experience itself allows users to play with the effects and personalise a variety of their character’s features, including helmets, armor, greaves, gauntlets, weapons as well as skin colour and gender.
Find out more here. Try the Facebook camera effect on mobile here.
8. King - Candy Crush Saga
King, Facebook and Biborg collaborate on the launch of the interactive gamified Facebook camera effect using AR Studio, for one of the most famous mobile games in the world, Candy Crush.
The aim of the game is to catch candies of the same colour in the player’s mouth as they are thrown in from the bottom of the screen. Each time a candy is consumed, the player’s face expands. When a player has eaten four matching treats, their face will transform into one of the game’s iconic striped candies and it will turn into a colour bomb for five candies. Each round is more difficult than the last with the tasty treats moving more and more quickly around the screen. Players can also share their scores and challenge their friends.
Find out more here. Try the Facebook camera effect on mobile here.
9. Ubisoft - Assassin's Creed Origins
For the Assassin’s Creed Origins campaign, Ubisoft, Facebook and Biborg created an AR effect using the 3 key characters of the game - Bayek, Hetepi and Ptolemy XIIII. Users were invited to transform and discover these main personalities through interactivity. The user was invited to raise their eyebrows which launched a different reaction for each character. For the Hetepi camera effect, when you raise your eyebrows the wall of hieroglyphs lights up, for Ptolemy, the Order of the Ancients appear and for Bayek, a sandstorm erupts.
Find out more here. Try the Facebook camera effect on mobile here.