Avatar - Experience Pandora After the Movie Ends

by Judith Allison

A blockbuster movie wouldn't be complete without third party tie-ins. With the recent release of the 20th Century Fox movie, "Avatar", this is the case as well. Two tie-ins of note come from McDonald's and Coke where customers can get specially printed labels and cards that are printed with augmented reality images. These cards connect the recipient with interactive online experiences.

McDonald's has what is called a "Thrill Card" that comes with the AR code which when displayed in front of a computer webcam, it connects you with the McDonald's interactive experience of Avatar. Coke has a similar release that connects customers with the Coke site.

McDonald's AR cards connect to Pandora which shows a setting of the movie. With the help of Total Immersion in Los Angeles, they set out to deliver AR to 40 markets worldwide. It is believed to be one of the largest deployments of augmented reality technology at present.

Delivering the Avatar promotion, McDonald's has taken this on at an unprecedented level of worldwide involvement. It is considered one of the most expansive utilization of Ar ever presented, and has the potential of reaching hundreds of millions of people globally.

This release is the beginning of a new type of marketing where durable goods hit the market in conjunction with movie releases. These AR experiences extend the movie experience, adding a complex set of digital experiences that add to the fun of the actual movie.

There is interactivity in these AR experiences are controlled by tilting and moving the cards which take you through the world. Customers are invited to touch things like the mysterious Anemonids, and they can watch light cascade through the Pandoran rain forest as they interact with the bioluminescent Anemonids. They can also navigate the ancient vine bridges and find woodsprites.

The soda giant has used their Coke Zero brand to provide customers with special AR enabled cards that immerse the person in an Avatar experience. Through this new technology, customers can maneuver in a Samson helicopter, unlock more AR experiences and get further into the experience by displaying the card in front of a webcam.

Consumers can also use a computer keyboard, get into different actions and scenes and use activating symbols in conjunction with a webcams in order to start the AR experience. With this next step in technology, movies will no longer end with the credits. Movies like Avatar will continue to be experienced by consumers through the use of this high-tech add-ons.