Another edition of the Super Bowl was just presented to the viewers. But this year, things were different! As the COVID-19 pandemic continues its threat, only 22,000 audiences were allowed entry to the Raymond James Stadium for the 2021 Super Bowl. Moreover, the usual household watch parties happening over the most anticipated sporting event were mostly suspended. Consequently, several companies had second thoughts over their in-game ad campaigns, while some completely abandoned their Super Bowl LV venture.
In today’s digital age, however, brands are not restricted to run their ad campaigns in one single format or during a particular event, for consumers can engage with them via numerous social platforms across the web. Especially during the current season, NFL fans reportedly have relied more on social media to follow their teams, thus developing new consumer habits.
In 2020, the NFL widened its social augmented reality tools to give its fans a new engaging, sharable, and immersive experience. As per Snapchat, AR filters and lenses from various NFL partners reached over 45 million users during the weekend of the Super Bowl and amassed 101 impressions in total.
Pepsi Goes On With Their AR Marketing During 2021 Super Bowl LV
This year Pepsi dropped their regular 30-second ads and instead, adopted digital marketing strategies for their in-game campaign. They made it explicitly clear that digital include AR tools in the current marketing environment. Keeping up with the growing popularity of AR, Pepsi put a QR code on every Super Bowl edition cans, which would lead the consumers directly to PepsiHalftime.com. On the website, fans could access exclusive videos and artists’ shows, along with special Instagram AR filters.
Verizon Runs Immersive 5G Augmented Reality Super Bowl Experiences
Verizon harnessed the power of augmented reality through the exclusive NFL smartphone app. The app allowed both viewers at home and the audience at the stadium to access “Verizon 5G SuperStadium” via iPhone 12. Users could view the live game from seven different camera angles (5 if accessed from home), as well as project AR overlays of the Next Gen Stats for the players.
Facebook Augmented Reality Intrigues Fans’ Imagination
Facebook wowed millions of NFL fans chatting over the game on Messenger with a brand new set of augmented reality camera filters. The social media giant reported that fans using the app can access the End Zone filter and picture themselves as one of the wide receivers from the Chiefs or Bucks catching the winning 80-yard touchdown pass.
Broadcast AR Surprises during the 2021 Super Bowl LV
Similar to social media AR, broadcast networks’ AR advancements garnered significant attention at this year’s Super Bowl. CBS Sports and Nickelodeon had the most amazing AR broadcast graphics that delighted millions of NFL fans.
The Implication of AR popularity on Your Business
This year’s Super Bowl LV revealed the unlimited potential of AR tools. Consumers these days have access to advanced technologies like 5G, photorealistic AR, and LiDAR scanners via smartphones and interact with augmented reality over social media platforms regularly. Simultaneously, AR tools are being used increasingly for gaming platforms, films, live events, and even commercial broadcasts. Therefore, it means that you can leverage the popularity of AR in your next ad campaign or marketing strategy, for the Super Bowl LV has introduced AR to a whole new range of consumers and reinforced the habit among existing users. The demand has never been higher. So, figure out how it could benefit your business while enjoying the game.
