AR technology brings Kia’s robotic dog to the real world.
Kia has teamed up with the Petfinder Foundation to launch “Robo Dogmented Reality,” a one-of-a-kind Super Bowl ad campaign that will bring a cute robotic dog named “Robo Dog” into your living room using 8th Wall’s AR technology platform.
When you launch the AR experience, an adorable robotic dog with a serious case of puppy dog eyes comes to life in your personal space. Like a real pet, this robotic pooch comes with its fair share of responsibilities. You’ll need to spend time with your mechanical best friend—giving it belly rubs, scratching between its ears, and playing catch—in order to keep them healthy and happy. Think of Robo Dog as an AR version of the popular Tamagatchi Pets.
Because Robo Dog is powered through 8th Wall as an AR web experience, there’s no need to download an app. You simply open up the camera on your smartphone and point it towards a unique Kia Robo Dogmented Reality QR code to launch Robo Dog, much like how you would scan a QR code located on the table of a restaurant to open a menu on your phone.
Using a combination of different finger swipes, you can instruct Robo Dog to perform a variety of tricks, such as sit, flip, spin, and speak. You’ll also find a small drop-down menu that will show you the different toys you can use to play with your new AR pal.
To bring Robo Dog to life, Kia collaborated with digital marketing gurus David&Goliath who has worked with brands such as Jack in the Box and HBO, as well as 14Four, who has done incredible AR and VR campaigns for AT&T, Nike, and Adidas.
“The Super Bowl commercial was just the first chapter in this story. Kia wanted to give everyone an opportunity to connect with Robo Dog in their own living rooms. And get excited about the possibility of bringing a real dog into their home,” said Ben Purcell, Chief Creative Officer at David&Goliath.
What makes Kia’s Robo Dogmented Reality experience really special is that the entire campaign is under Kia’s celebrated Accelerate The Good Program, a program created to raise awareness and help shelter animals find their forever homes.
To help spread awareness, you share photos of Robo Dog that link directly to the Petfinder Foundation website. This organization helps people find and adopt real pets in need within their local communities.
You will also find a link to Kia’s all-electric EV6 vehicle with an AR heads-up display.
Kia’s Robo Dogmented Reality commercial will air this Sunday during the Super Bowl, but you can see the ad now through this link. You don’t have to wait until Super Bowl Sunday to adopt your own Robo Dog. You can do it right now using this link.
Super Bowl 56 will air on NBC, NFL.com, and on the Peacock App on Sunday, February 13th with coverage beginning at 12 Noon EST. The game will start at approximately 6:30pm EST.
Credit: Kia