Niantic launches 'rewarded AR' to support AR for in-game brand ads

June 20, 2023—Niantic，提供增强现实（AR）技术和《口袋妖怪GO》的创造者，最近宣布将在康城创意节期间推出其新的“奖励AR”广告格式，同时该公司也是官方AR合作伙伴。

"Rewarded AR Ads" is a new ad product from Niantic that uses a smartphone's camera to immerse players in branded content in the real world. According to Niantic, the AR ads are powered by 8th Wall, its AR development platform, which has been used by several high-profile brands to create WebAR marketing campaigns that engage millions of people around the world.

Now, Niantic is offering Rewarded AR ads that can take place in real-world games like Pokemon GO. Players can interact with the interactive experience in these ad units as they move around the real world to unlock in-game rewards. Niantic says this will help better reach players closer to key physical locations, providing improvements in delivering branded AR experiences.

The company says the goals of rewarding AR ads are:

• Enhance brand influence through immersive product stories;
• Aiding purchasing decisions with AR visualizations; and
• Drive conversions and sales by driving store traffic.

To simplify the AR ad development process, Niantic has partnered with key development agencies to provide brands with a fully managed creative production process.

"AR offers an exciting new way for people to engage, driven by fresh innovations in spatial computing. Niantic's platform combines mobile augmented reality ad formats with a seamless blend of the real world," said Niantic's Sales and Marketing Director. Erin Schaefer, Vice President of Global Operations said. “Viewers can engage with rewarded AR ads for immersive and enjoyable brand experiences, discover new products or engage with interactive features. This will help to better reach people close to key physical locations, delivering immersive brand experiences , leading to better results.”

The successful case of Caiquan K’s AR advertising in “Pokemon GO”

Niantic noted that early branded AR campaigns performed well, as evidenced by a pilot project aimed at increasing Caiquan K convenience store brand awareness and product consideration for a new coffee offering.

Players of "Pokemon GO" see a floating reward AR advertisement in the game. After clicking on the ad and turning on the phone's camera, players can interact with a 3D dish ring K coffee cup placed in front of them. After interacting with the giant product visualization, the player is prompted to buy coffee at a nearby Caiquan K shop. According to Niantic, rewarded AR campaigns have an average engagement rate of 76% and an average completion rate of 95%.

"We're always looking for new and meaningful ways to engage with our customers and give them reasons to make it part of their day. Our partnership with Niantic on Pokemon GO opens up some exciting possibilities gender,” said Margaret Barron, vice president of global marketing at Caiquan K. "Reward AR integrates Caiquan K into this hugely popular gaming environment, providing timely and relevant offers, enhancing brand awareness and loyalty, and we are very pleased with the results so far."

According to Niantic, Rewarded AR ads help provide brands with deeper consumer engagement and stronger brand impact than static banner ads or video-only ads. According to an early user survey conducted by Niantic this year, people prefer rewarded AR ads, with about 80% of players saying AR ads are "a great idea."

Niantic will be showcasing its rewarded AR ad at this week's Cannes Festival of Creativity. For more information on Niantic, its 8th Wall platform, and new rewarded AR advertising solutions, visit the company'swebsite.