One of the most exciting things about the digital age is augmented reality (AR). And one of the largest brands in the world, Nike, creatively hit upon a way for the public to experience their new athletic running shoe with the use of AR. It’s Nike’s Game of Go!
Nike developed an immersive augmented reality game called “Game of Go.” MediaMonks, a Dutch production company, along with Wieden+Kennedy, Nike’s agency, created it.
Participants playing it in Los Angeles got the chance to get on a treadmill. And that was custom-built for the experience. The purpose, or selling point of the game, was to have participants meet their “inner runner.” In short, it was a truly immersive way to experience a product, which was in this case, a running show.
For the AR game, the participants created their own avatars. And they also wore the Nike React sneakers, and then get on the treadmill to test their reflexes and speed.
Background
The game created an opportunity to promote the Nike React sneaker. Essentially, the thought was for the public to understand the latest technology built-into the athletic shoes. But since you can’t them for a a test run—literally, participants did it virtually. React’s energy-returning abilities necessitated the experience. Further it had to happen in a compelling way. And others who saw people wearing the running shoes and playing Game of Go had to want to give it a try too. Ultimately, the idea was they’d love it so much, they’d buy the sneakers. However, this went beyond the Los Angeles market. Meaning, people around the world also get a sense of everything through Snapchat.
The purpose of the sneaker is to make running more fun. And there’s a particular emphasis on the people who want to run but have not yet gotten around to doing it consistently.
Playing Game of Go
So the public could meet their inner runner! Nike’s game allowed participants to create their avatars, and then take a run into an augmented reality world. That world was filled with foam and bubbles. The foam, by the way, was a way for Nike to demonstrate and promote the foam technology in their running shoes.
The game was stationed at Microsoft Square in Los Angeles. Ultimately, three runners could play on the treadmills at any given time. The runners ran a 400-meter virtual race whole motion trackers kept registered their performance.
The fun part, which got people very excited was the 3-dimensional video that demonstrated for the participants and also the public which watched the race, the runners’ motions that were converted into real-time animation. So, as a participant moved, so did the animation.
Snapchat Augmented Reality Lens
However, the people in Los Angeles experiencing the game live were not the only ones to have fun. The game was also shared with the world as participants in other places and countries participated remotely with the use of a Snapchat Augmented Reality Lens. People clear across the globe had the chance to play Game of Go as well on their mobile devices.
During the three days that the game was activated, there were 25.6 million digital impressions through Snapchat AR.
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