An Augmented Shaq Is Used To Market Muscle Milk In Ohio

As augmented reality apps gain buzz, marketers are jumping on the bandwagon. Last year, we saw augmented reality campaigns for everything from BMW sports cars to TOPPS baseball cards. Usually these involve printing out some sort of barcode or symbol and sticking it in front of your Webcam, which triggers a 3D image on your screen projected into your office or living room.

Now Muscle Milk is getting in on the AR action with a campaign targeted to consumers in Ohio. On each bottle of the high-energy drink, there is a square with the number “33.” When you show that to your Webcam, Shaquille O’Neal will pop out of the bottle like a genie on-screen and give a little song and dance about some Ohio landmarks like the Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame. (He now plays for the Cleveland Caveliers).

It’s not really that impressive. The Wow factor of these things should wear off soon. I personally like the Topps baseball card implementation better myself (see video below).