Pepsi announced that its annual summer campaign, featuring augmented reality (AR) filters launched from QR codes on Pepsi bottles, will be moving from Snapchat over to Instagram. This move is likely motivated by Facebook’s announcement at F8 this year where at the end of this summer, Instagram AR will be out of closed beta, and developers using Facebook’s Spark AR platform can share their creations to Instagram.
“We are so excited to work with Instagram and bring some of their newest technology directly to our most loyal consumers. We know our fans love sharing their favorite moments on social media, and the summertime lends itself to so many post-worthy moments and occasions,” said Todd Kaplan, VP of Marketing, Pepsi in a press release from the company. “The breadth of our Pepsi #Summergram statements and custom AR filters will ensure that there is something for everyone – no matter what you’re doing this summer – to help people unapologetically enjoy their best summer moments.”
Even as Instagram tries to cater to the growing community with new updates, Snapchat does have a better reputation among AR creators. Brandon Sears, CEO of Scarlet Social, a digital media agency, said to Digiday that he finds Snapchat to be “much more personal” in how they work with AR creators.
“Snapchat is really a great welcoming place and the community is amazing,” Sears said. “I think many creators are also wary about supporting Facebook due to many reasons, as a Snapchat Lens Creator, for instance, it can sometimes feel like you might be betraying a friend.”
Facebook’s push into AR could prove to be a fruitful effort for brands to gain a wider audience reach by increasing engagement – an approach that Snapchat has used for Game of Thrones, Chiquita, and the Shazam! movie. By leveraging an entirely new marketplace of social media users, Instagram could see itself being a new creative showcase for talented AR developers.
