DENTSU LONDON / SUWAPPU
5 April 2011
Intriguing agency IP promises the convergence of media, communications and product
- Brand
- Dentsu London
- Media Type
- Mobile
- New Technologies
- Product Category
- Leisure & Entertainment
- Source
- News
- Agency
- Dentsu / London
- Berg / London
- Tags
- toys
- agency IP
- augmented reality
- technology
The fledgling London office of monolithic Japanese ad agency Dentsu has teamed up with design consultancy Berg to unveil an original product - Suwappu - a series of vinyl toys capable of producing 3D, interactive content when viewed through the camera of a smartphone or tablet device.
Downloadable apps recognise visual markers in each figure's face and body, which then trigger the augmented reality renderings of virtual content around the physical toy. Still with us? Good, because despite still being in beta, these unassuming little critters are currently attracting attention from a range of potential partners such as toy manufacturers, media owners and marketers, which means they may end up on a breakfast table near you soon...
The exact nature of the content will depend on the application, but Dentsu claims that there is no reason why episodic story lines - perhaps relating to a TV programme for example - couldn't be downloaded and then acted out by the figures. Hinted at by their name, the Suwappu's bodies split in half and are interchangeable, meaning that users can create their own mashed-up scenarios which could even play out relative to their location (as detected by the phone's GPS). Perhaps most compelling, however, is the prospect of Suwappu figures connecting to social networks, pulling info from Twitter feeds or Facebook walls which they would then use to develop their own social identity, unique to each owner.
'We're interested in Suwappu as characters, as merchandise, and as a new kind of content platform. Deer, Badger, Fox and their friends carry a lot of what's most exciting for us about the convergence of media, communications and product', explains Beeker Northam, executive strategy director, Dentsu London.
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COMMENTS /
mimi kim
Speaking of AR, check this out!
M.
Not new technology with a lame premium. This has been going round for years now and this is by no means the most notable use of the technology in the premium world. This is a little bit too much exposure for this second hand idea
Will
Hi 'M', thanks for your comment.
Obviously AR is an established technology, but what I think may be interesting about this project is the potential it holds. The agency seems to be fairly honest about keeping the canvas relatively blank at the moment and letting the partnerships it forges dictate exactly how/what the platform is used for.
Ultimately, up until now we've seen AR applications in digital marketing, toy manufacturing and entertainment, but arguably none which connect the dots between them all...
Will
John C
Very cute and clever. I'm intrigued as to what Dentsu London expect for this though, in terms of how it will generate income for them. I don't want to dampen the 'making future magic' ethos, because it is fun, but will their corporate hobby craft attract the big spenders? Or are Dentsu just filling in time in the hope that a serious communications brief will land on their desks and pay the bills soon? Interested to see to how and when this works for them. I bet there are some serious faced fellas in Tokyo interested too.
LL
Cute