As people connect virtually rather than in person, they’ve been using their devices more than ever. That’s the truth behind Snapchat’s assertion that, “In a year of new normals, Snapchat’s camera has played a pivotal role in bringing us together, even when we’re apart.”
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That’s the declaration made at the beginning of Snapchat’s Most Inspiring AR Campaigns of 2020. It goes on to list 12 creative applications of AR for marketing that include the following:
1. Gucci’s AR Shoe Try-on
2. NYX Professional Makeup Virtual Store + Try-on Experience
3. Black Pumas 5G Concert by Verizon
4. “Raise Your Voice” from the Rebuild Foundation
The project set out a collaboration on art inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and the pandemic. Snapchatters could use it to customize “AR masks, accessorize their Bitmoji avatars, and buy physical masks to support Black artists.” Also, for the anniversary of the March on Washington, Rebuild used Landmarker tech to display AR artwork at Capitol Building.
5. WHO Global Donation Lens
“The United Nations and World Health Organization launched the first-ever global donation AR Lens to raise awareness about the critical resources needed in the initial stages of the pandemic. The experience was triggered by scanning international currency notes, making the call-to-action feel clear and urgent.”
6. Biden-Harris Campaign Encourages Mail-In Voting with USPS
“To encourage Snapchatters to vote early by mail for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the Biden-Harris campaign ran a Snapchat campaign to unlock a lens experience by scanning the USPS logo. Snapchatters could see themselves in a Biden hat and shirt wearing Joe’s iconic aviators, and the rear camera activated an icon over the USPS logo that erupted into fireworks reading ‘Vote Early for Biden-Harris.’”
7. Ralph Lauren Augmented Retail
In August Ralph Lauren partnered with Snapchat and “Bitmoji to launch a global Bitmoji fashion collection featuring Ralph Lauren’s iconic outfits. For the holidays, the iconic Pony was brought to life with Snapchat Scan.
8. LA Rams AR Uniform Reveal
Two weeks before their hyped-up uniform drop, COVID-19 forced the Rams to cancel in-person plans for the big reveal.” Necessity becoming the mother of invention, they worked with Snapchat on “the first-ever AR uniform reveal, using the power of the Snapchat camera to give Rams and NFL fans across the country a way to get up close and personal with the team’s bold new look.”
9. Diwali Festival of Lights by OnePlus
10. National Saudi Day
“In celebration of the 90th Saudi National Day, several brands in KSA launched Snapchat campaigns dedicated to the special occasion, creating engaging AR experiences for the platform to drive anticipation and a sense of unity amongst Saudi Snapchatters. 12 Lenses were developed by partners (including Samba Bank and STC below) with the objective to inspire the world with KSA optimism, resilience and accomplishments.”
11.Hershey’s Canada Reeseter Egg Hunt
“Snapchatters were given the opportunity to hunt around their real-world environments for ‘Reeseter’ Eggs in a safe, playful way. After successfully collecting 10 eggs, players could swipe up to an instant-win microsite where they were given the chance to win a coveted Reese Easter Egg prize pack.”
12. Trolls: World Tour Takes Over the Snap Camera
When Universal Pictures released Trolls World Tour as a streaming option, it used Snapchat AR to animate the movie’s characters on the devices. It also “for the first time ever, extended the experience to the Snap Camera desktop app to bring some fun to the new world of video calls and virtual meetings.”