AR company develops classic arcade game for beer cans
There’s a trend in the bar industry of opening adult-themed arcades with classic arcade and pinball machines available to play while serving up drinks. Well, a new augmented reality technology company is bringing the arcade game to the packaged beer can itself.
The mobile app Swigr, from Immertia, based out of Australia, has introduced a way to gamify a can of beer with a game inspired by the classic arcade game “Space Invaders."
The company can develop the game for a retailer’s private brand and told Store Brands that it has previously worked to design AR programs in the branded space with various brewers such as Paulaner in Germany, and smaller ones in Hawaii, Philadelphia, New Jersey, North Carolina, New Zealand and Australia.
The clever marketing tactic from Swigr can elevate the engagement of a retailer’s private brand beer can or bottle. A user with the Swigr app, scans a brand’s label to activate a game called ‘Beer Invaders,” modeled after the game Space Invaders, on the phone.
When scanning the label with the phone, the game appears on the phone via augmented reality. The user taps the screen to fire away at aliens. Additionally, a second AR skin can be added to highlight a direct marketing message from the brand.
The game also enables a way for a player to have their initials in a top scoreboard just like the classic game. From a marketing perspective, the game can be customized to fit a brand’s colors and look, the company said, and there are “Buy Now” capabilities, enabling brands to capture in-moment sales from their bottles and cans. A click of a button can be added to purchase products from the brand’s website or anywhere it’s sold.
"Innovative and simplified platforms that allow for easier connection between brands and customers are a crucial component to the ongoing success of any brand, even more so across the beverage industry given the disruptive influence the pandemic has had on the way people socialize," said Dave Chaffey, founder and strategic development lead at Swigr.
A video of the game can be viewed here at the site for Immertia, the company behind the app and technology.