Ford of Europe is launching its first 3D interactive mobile phone campaign through Wunderman, is for the new Ford Ka, and seeks to engage new young drivers and influence their choice of car.
The
campaign is focused on stickers that look a bit like QR Codes, but
arent. When a consumer points a cameraphone at one of the stickers,
provided they have the right model, they see a mobile URL
(gofindit.net) for a Ford Ka prelaunch site.
When they go to this
site, users can see films and photos created for the campaign. They can
also click on a link to go to another mobile site (fordka.mobi) from
where they can download an application that enables them to see a 3D
image of a Ford Ka when they launch the app and point their cameraphone
at one of the stickers.
Wunderman says the 3D Ka is viewable on
Nokia cameraphones released within the last two years, plus most
Windows Mobile cameraphones. In fact, the fordka.mobi site  lists 21
models of Nokia phone that the app will run on.
The stickers that
the phone needs to be pointed at in order to see the 3D Ka are
contained in packs that are being given out to individuals who match
the Ford Ka target audience in bars, clubs, universities and other
venues. Experiential youth marketing firm Dont Panic is handling the
distribution of the packs.
The campaign will launch initially in
the UK and roll out across Europe. Wunderman says it is the first
mobile campaign by an automotive brand to use augmented reality. As
Wunderman describes it, this is: a field of computer research which
deals with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data
(virtual reality) where computer graphics objects are blended into real
footage in real time.
The people we want to attract look beyond
the obvious to discover the hidden treasure and thats the essence of
the Ford Ka Find It campaign, says Ford Europe Small Car
Communications Manager, Claire Hepworth. Our augmented reality mobile
campaign is a key component of the pre-launch activity ahead of the
official launch in January 09.
Perhaps the best way to fully understand the campaign is to check out the video here.