I usually applaud brands for testing out emerging media, but this augmented reality use for Mariah Carey’s new perfume “Lollipop Bling” gets a huge thumbs down. First of all, is this meant for fans of the board game “CandyLand”? (i.e. ages 1 to 7) Its hard to tell who this ad is targeting since Mariah is in a sexy pose (surprise suprise) but then it looks like Lisa Frank invaded her photoshoot. (Feel free to check out the ad’s site at LollipopBling.com.)
But that’s besides the point. This four page ad just projects weird flying fruit images over your webcam face and allows you to take a picture of yourself. There doesn’t seem to be a main point to this ad, nor does it make me want to buy the perfume any more. All you get are descriptions of the fragrance smells, which doesn’t really do anything for a consumer.
I think its really important to make an augmented reality experience personal, however MC’s campaign leaves me confused due to the crazy creative and really poorly recorded song that she sings. It doesn’t extend the brand any further than a regular ad would (in my opinion) unless Mariah Carey is really hoping to re-create the “My Little Pony” experience.
In the video below, you can see what the augmented reality experience is. The girl seems slightly confused by what she is doing, and in the end, doesn’t really seem all that excited that she just took a picture of herself with floating fruit and a cartoon city.
I hope that any beauty or fashion brand considers a few guidelines about augmented reality campaigns before they attempt another lackluster ad campaign such as Mariah’s.