INSIDE THE CAMPAIGN: HOW HOLOGRAPH AND ARIZE BROUGHT THE HALO GALAXY TO LIFE IN AR FOR LUCOZADE ENERGY

We often play video games to escape, let off some steam, and have some fun. It’s easy to lose ourselves in a good game, immersing ourselves in worlds beyond our own. But thanks to a successful campaign from digital experience agency Holograph, TED (the in-house creative agency at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I) and extended reality experts ARize, UK consumers were able to merge their favourite video game’s galaxy with their own reality via an immersive augmented reality experience.

HOLOGRAPH AND ARIZE BRING THE HALO GALAXY TO LIFE IN AR FOR LUCOZADE ENERGY

INSIDE THE CAMPAIGN: FIND OUT HOW WE DID THIS

We often play video games to escape, let off some steam, and have some fun. It’s easy to lose ourselves in a good game, immersing ourselves in worlds beyond our own. But thanks to a successful campaign from digital experience agency Holograph, TED (the in-house creative agency at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I) and extended reality experts ARize, UK consumers were able to merge their favourite video game’s galaxy with their own reality via an immersive augmented reality experience. Science fiction video game and media franchise Halo has been a top choice of gamers around the world since it was first released in 2001. With 16 different versions of the game made available over the past two decades, it is easy to see why it is one of the most played video games of all time. Through this campaign, fans of the game were able to immerse themselves in an all-new experience based on the game’s latest release, Halo Infinite, all thanks to one of the UK’s top energy drink brands. Consumers and Halo fans who purchased a bottle of Lucozade Energy between May and August 2022 were able to take part in an online competition for a chance to win a range of exciting prizes. Consumers could simply scan the on-pack QR code to launch an immersive AR experience that placed the player into the Halo world. After entering their details, entrants could choose if they wanted to take part in the AR-powered experience. If the answer was yes, this launched their device’s camera and motion sensors, transforming the person’s space into the Halo Galaxy. They were then tasked with a recon mission to search their space for a prize. Once found, they were taken to a redemption portal where they could claim their reward.  Entrants who opted to not participate in the AR experience were still able to play for a chance to win. Instead of their own space transforming, these entrants experienced the Halo Galaxy via an engaging animation. Every entrant was a winner in this campaign, as every bottle granted the consumer 2XP (two in-game experience points) and in-game downloadable content. 101 lucky winners received an XBOX console, while a further 101 players won a 12-month game pass.

ARize provided the Web AR technology that allows players to experience the game virtually via a browser-based experience without the need to download any additional software or apps. This technology also can also support desktop browsers. Speaking about the campaign, ARize CEO Aryan Behzadi says: "We are always eager and excited to partner with companies who want to take advantage of being on the forefront of technology, and to give the everyday-user a whole new experience in different sectors. In this particular case, we were very happy to be able to design and implement an AR experience for the end-users right on their phone without any other app, or things to be downloaded or installed, making this experience completely seamless." This isn’t the first time Holograph and ARize partnered up to bring a fan favourite game to life. The Halo campaign follows a successful partnership that brought beloved board game Monopoly to life in AR. This campaign, which initially ran from March to May 2022 but was then extended until 9th August 2022, was the first-ever AR campaign in the UK for Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I (SBF GB&I) and their Ribena brand. After the campaign received almost 250,000 entries from 80,000 entrants and over 62,000 AR views in its initial three months, SBF G&I were keen to continue creating immersive experiences for their customers via their other beverage brands. SBF GB&I's Sr Developer & Digital Projects Manager Chris Watterston shared the company’s vision for the Halo campaign and shed some insight into how the company may continue to leverage advanced technologies in future experiences: “What an explosive and exciting campaign­! If our recent Ribena + Hasbro partnership wasn’t enough, we’ve achieved yet another remarkable milestone. The Lucozade Energy + Xbox and Halo partnership gave gamers and gatekeepers the chance to ‘Unleash Their Inner Hero’. From our digital ideation to AR story boarding, we set out to bring the widely recognised Halo holographic galaxy to life. We gave consumers a chance to win with every bottle purchased, through QR Codes, AR engagement and exploration. Everyone involved are proud to have had the opportunity to work on such an activation, from two awesome brands, with extraordinary results. But nothing prepared us for the results and the response from the gaming community. Our target audience were GB&I only but, we received huge waves of engagement from excited gamers in over 110 different countries from around the world!” The food and drink manufacturer has long relied on Holograph to create memorable online experience for customers. This campaign furthers a working relationship that has included not just the Ribena Monopoly campaign, but also the highly successful Ribena ‘Big Berry Bash,’ Lucozade ‘Winning Never Tasted So Good’ campaign, and Lucozade Sport ‘Kit-Out Project.’ More information on those campaigns can be found here. For Holograph CEO Marc Woodhead, the Halo campaign is the next step in creating the immersive experience the consumers of today and tomorrow will expect. He says: “We’ve been very fortunate to create some fantastic experiences for Suntory’s beverage brands through the years, but these AR campaigns have taken things to a new level. Today’s customers are more digitally driven than ever before, so brands are having to think differently and try new things to engage them. Working with ARize on the Halo campaign and the Monopoly campaign before it has enabled us to get really creative with how we deliver those experiences to customers and to really push the limits of our creativity. Halo is one of those video games that even non-gamers have probably heard of, and that has a very loyal fanbase among its consumers. The pressure was high to deliver a campaign that felt authentic to the Halo Galaxy, and SFB GB&I’s TED team really gave us the freedom to create that for their Lucozade brand. I suspect fans of Halo will really enjoy it, as will customers who aren’t familiar with the game.” Woodhead’s instincts seem to be on point, as the campaign received 240,000 visitors, 186,000 entries by 54,000 entrants within its first three weeks alone. Customers will have the chance to immerse themselves in the Halo Galaxy until 12th August 2022.

ABOUT ARIZE Founded in 2018, ARize is an industry leader in the 3D and AR industries. With an ethos of putting the power into the hands of the creators, their vision is revolutionizing e-commerce, blockchain technologies and metaverse spaces. ARize is on a mission to bring 3D and AR capabilities to everyone, supercharging the visual experience it brings. For more information about ARize, their products and services, please visit http://www.arize.io or contact us at https://arize.io/contact.html  You can follow us on Telegram Community Chat, Telegram Announcements, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Medium, Discord, Facebook, Reddit & YouTube. ABOUT HOLOGRAPH DIGITAL Everyone has a story. Holograph’s involves helping brands tell theirs via exceptional digital experiences. Throughout the years, we have accomplished this by developing proprietary websites and eCommerce systems for businesses of all types, sizes, and geographies. We never settle, and neither should you. That's why we continually extend our Digital Experience Platform (DXP) to ensure we push the boundaries and deliver you the most highly innovative products and 'connected' solutions we can. Learn more on our website and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. ABOUT SUNTORY BEVERAGE & FOOD GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND Suntory Beverage & Food Great Britain and Ireland (SBF GB&I) is one the leading soft drinks businesses in the UK and Ireland. SBF GB&I was formed in 2014 as Lucozade Ribena Suntory and is part of Suntory Beverage & Food Europe. Our much-loved soft drinks brands include Lucozade Energy, Lucozade Sport, Ribena and Orangina. Our business is driven by our “Yatte Minahare” spirit and our role is to have a positive impact on the lives of our consumers by providing them with a responsible choice of great-tasting drinks that people can feel good about while enabling them to lead active lifestyles. For further information, please visit: suntorybfe.com/gbi or follow @SuntoryBF_GBI