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AUGMENTED REALITY
VW teams up with Amazon to deliver a web-based AR experience
By our News Team | 2021
The auto brand’s US marketing team is sending augmented reality driving into homes across America as it promoted the new Taos SUV.
Volkswagen in the US has unveiled was it calls a ‘web-based augmented reality technology (WebAR) experience’ that will bring a sensory experience of the company’s new Taos SUV model into the homes of select online shoppers.
The deal has been done in conjunction with delivery giant Amazon and, by scanning a QR code on the specially designed boxes, recipients can experience a virtual drive on a 3D map, while also adding unique sounds along the way.
Four musical moods—Road Tripping, Rhythm Kicking, Smooth Gliding and City Vibing—all with their own colour, accompany users as they guide their virtual vehicle through various hotspots on the map. By recording these drives, customers are able to unlock three months of Amazon Music Unlimited at no added cost.
Photo courtesy of Volkswagen
A music-driven ‘moment of joy’
“Driving and music have always been a perfect pairing,” said Kimberley Gardiner, Senior Vice President for Volkswagen brand marketing. “This innovative, virtual introduction to our new Taos gives potential buyers a unique, music-driven way to experience another moment of joy from this SUV.”
Similar to the company’s TV campaigns in the US, the WebAR experience theme is about the joy of driving, and how it’s more than just going from Point A to B.
“Our challenge was to evoke joy, creating a connection to the [TV] campaign through a different medium,” said Christopher Neff, Vice President of Innovation & Technology at The Community, the technology company that partnered with VW.
“We were inspired by the origins of the music box and added the visual spectacle of WebAR plus interactive music for a truly sensory experience.”
Over one million of the special boxes are being shipped to Amazon customers across the country. You can preview the experience through your mobile phone here.
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