Procter & Gamble to Use Augmented Reality to Make Print Advertising Interactive

Procter & Gamble has revealed plans to use augmented reality technology to make print ads for its Always Infinity brand of feminine pads interactive. What appears to be a prototype of the new ads (unless P&G has significantly scaled back its stated technological ambitions for the campaign--see the quote from the company below; [itvt] was unable to reach P&G to resolve the issue before we went to press) is available as a .PDF file at http://www.always.com/infinity/content/always/infinity/pdf/3dMagic.pdf. It invites visitors to print it out and then go to always.com/3D to "see a 3D magic trick." The prototype ad contains a magic-themed icon--incorporating a magician's top hat and wand--that visitors to the site can hold up to their Web cam in order to unlock a 3D-style augmented reality animation. The animation makes the icon's magician's hat jump out of the page and its wand dance around and emit sparkles, and then makes a rabbit pop out of the hat: the animation can be viewed from different angles by moving the print ad around in front of the Web cam.

According to promotional materials from P&G, the Always Infinity campaign will use its augmented reality elements to "showcase the features of new Always Infinity pads" (i.e. will feature a more ambitious use of augmented reality than the one described above). According to a report in advertising-industry trade publication, MediaPost, the campaign will run in Seventeen, Star, Teen Vogue and a number of other women's magazines.