The McDonald’s AAPI marketing campaign of the future combines augmented reality filters, neural radiance field (NeRF) technologies, and virtual reality (VR).
The McDonald’s brand continues to honour important cultural holidays including the Lunar New Year, Diwali, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month as a critical component of its mission to assist communities while also acknowledging and appreciating multiculturalism.
According to a press release, McDonald’s has teamed up with viral content maker Karen X Cheng, well-known for her unique and expressive designs, in commemoration of the Year of the Rabbit. The global-level fast food franchise hopes to strengthen ties with customers by providing them with an exciting metaverse experience and a fun augmented reality (AR) filter.
Cheng is enthusiastic about the opportunity to celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of the Asian American population by means of this campaign. In addition to her skill as a digital artist, Cheng is well-known for her work with A-list stars. She has made it into prestigious publications like Inc.’s 30 Under 30 and the Creative 100 by Adweek because of her dedication to narrative and creativity.
Her most watched clips include those in which she learns to dance within one year, creates the very first AI magazine design, and creates a virtual reality dance video geared towards the metaverse. Cheng’s first major corporate collaboration is with McDonald’s.
Speaking about the partnership in a press release, Cheng expressed that it is an exciting endeavour for her to work with McDonald’s on a project that embraces both her creative interests and her heritage. She said that it is a privilege for her to be given a creative canvas that enables her to share her personal experience and present her interpretation of the holiday to a larger audience as a lifetime Golden Arches fan.
The Year of the Rabbit campaign by McDonald’s has several different facets. First, there is the AR filter. With the help of this special AR Instagram filter, users can observe the change from last year, i.e., the Year of the Tiger, to the Year of the Rabbit (2023) whilst taking in breathtaking three-dimensional images.
One of the other offerings of the campaign is a metaverse experience. A unique 3D area, which is hosted on the virtual platform Spatial and accessible through a VR headset, PC, mobile device, or tablet, blends traditional Asian elements with a range of new features, such as 3D sculptures of all Chinese zodiac animals. Two unique events will be held on the platform on January 25 and February 2 of this year, consecutively.
Finally, there is an artificial intelligence-based TV commercial, in which NeRF has been utilised for the creation of a 3D setting. Users can easily rely on their smart devices to perform QR code scanning and gain access to AR filters. These allow them to experience the artwork in an innovative and engrossing way.
McDonald’s is continuing its trend of creating innovative virtual experiences every year, as is evident with the currently running Lunar New Year project.
