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How come I’m not surprised? Neither are you I reckon. But … what, in Reality, is Augmented Reality???

In Avatar, James Cameron’s epic SciFi movie, the director uses stereoscopic 3D technology to produce the film’s immersive special effects. With this evolutionary — yes, it IS evolutionary, not revolutionary — film making technique, Cameron could create, for the first time ever, photo-realistic computer-generated characters. How? By utilizing motion capture animation technology and observing directly on a monitor how the actors’ virtual counterparts interact with the movie’s digital world in real time, enabling him to adjust and direct the scenes just as if shooting live action.

Just like Cameron’s new technology, there is something new hitting the world of marketing: “Augmented Reality.” AR, as it is commonly known, is a hologram-like technology that allows you to interact with 3D images displayed on your monitor (Think Princess Leia in the first Star Wars movie with R2-D2’s projection and the emphasis line “Help us Obi-Wan, you’re our only hope”). But…

Is AR ready for prime-time marketing?

We’ll know soon: 20th Century Fox and a plethora of other brands are testing this emerging technology as a marketing tool to promote the Dec. 18 release of Avatar. Why shouldn’t the marketers push the boundary with a film that is doing the same?

In recent months brands ranging from Lego to Topps trading cards to Toyota have experimented with AR. Now big boys like, McDonald’s and Coke Zero, are joining the bandwagon via a marketing partnership with Fox for their big movie event – Avatar.

Coke Zero is using an expansive program that includes a commercial, airing on TV as well as theaters, not to mention their digital site AVTR.com. Coke Zero is running and producing the site, with minimal branding, where consumers can go to utilize AR-enabled packaging created by Coke Zero.

Once you download an application from AVTR.com, you can simply hold up the can or bag to a webcam to get a virtual ride from one of the film’s main modes of transportation – a Samson Helicopter from the movie that Sully flies in – According to the trade, in some Asian countries theater lobby displays allow consumers to explore AR right on the spot. n

Outside of Coke there is the one and only, McDonald’s, employing a similar approach. Its campaign kicked off during the movie’s Dec. 18 opening weekend with a special Happy Meal that takes kids to an Avatar-branded site, that happens to be a quick service McWorld virtual world; and a young-adult-oriented Big Mac promotional tie-in, that redirects consumers to McDonalds.com/Avatar.

Other domestic Avatar marketing partners include Panasonic, the film’s technology partner LG, which also launched an Avatar-themed campaign for its new Projector Phone Dec. 11, and Mattel, which rolled out an Avatar line of action figures earlier this year.

But … isn’t 3D just an annoying distraction?

Have you seen the movie? Do you think 3D is just an annoying distraction that takes away from experiencing the film’s story? Could Augmented Reality be in the same boat, since its marketing value is yet to be determined? Is it a passing fad or truly useful in creating richer digital movie and marketing experiences?

You are the jury — let’s hear YOUR opinion.

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• ‘Avatar’ passes $1 billion worldwide (pbpulse.com)

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