Photo courtesy Astral Out-of-Home
Montreal-based Astral Media has teamed up with Ad-Dispatch in Dartmouth, N.S., to develop and launch what they call the first universal augmented reality (AR) app for out-of-home (OOH) advertisers across Canada.
Astral Out-of-Home introduced the free app, dubbed Iris AR, with the unveiling of a new ad campaign for Drambuie liqueur on August 20. With graphics strategically installed on transit shelters in trendy Toronto neighbourhoods, including Queen Street West, the campaign encourages passersby of legal drinking age to download the Apple iOS or Google Android version of Iris AR onto their smart phones, then point the devices at the posters to view special visual effects.
“AR connects consumers from the physical world to the digital world and gives OOH advertisers the opportunity to engage their audience in a meaningful way,” says Debbie Drutz, Astral OOH’s director of new media markets and innovation.
The company is also encouraging users to save the app on their phones, as more related content will be offered in the future.
“By bringing this new app to market, we can invite consumers to experience AR with only one download, across all OOH products in Canada,” says Drutz.
