In New York City and Los Angeles, city commuters have recently experienced an onslaught of squid raining down as part of a promotion for HBO’s new TV series, “Watchmen,” based off of the original DC Comics.
“Liveboards” are essentially digital advertisement boards located in bus stops in cities like LA and NYC. Using the real-time cameras on the liveboards, augmented reality (AR) can be overlaid with real-time footage of the city. The rain of AR dead squid was meant as a throwback to the original “Watchmen” by DC Comics wherein a giant squid appears in the sky over NYC.
This isn’t the first time that HBO has innovated its promotional material with the help of AR. Last winter, HBO utilised AR to hype up its Game of Thrones fans, pairing up with Magic Leap One—the same company that worked with Wilkins Avenue—to create a GOT experience. Snapchat has also gotten into the AR advertisement business, creating another GOT experience for NYC users this past winter with its AR lens, as well as other AR promotions like “The Dead Girls Detective Agency.”
Because of the immersive power of AR, it’s a powerful tool for reaching out to customers in the entertainment industries. Consequently, more and more companies are jumping on board to realise the potential of such technology, whether it’s fashion brands like Chantecaille or TV networks like CBS.
