Facebook and Instagram augmented reality filters and avatars: Now available in 48 states. Meta said this week that those features were turned off across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Messenger Kids and Portal in Illinois and Texas due to facial recognition and privacy laws in the two states. The company added that it will develop an opt-in…
Editor’s note: Today’s column is part of a series with Snap on augmented reality. Below, Rose Ahn, vp of partnerships, shares tips on taking the technology’s current capabilities beyond an ad campaign into a fully integrated commerce strategy. The last two years have shown us there is always a tipping point when the masses will…
Meta’s Spark AR platform added new capabilities this week for creators using it to craft augmented reality effects across Instagram and other surfaces. The company said the new releases can be combined with hand and body tracking, which debuted last November, to help creators build more immersive, realistic AR experiences. The updates introduced this week…
Snapchatters can now add the three most requested assistive devices–canes, hearing aids and wheelchairs–to their Bitmoji. Snap Inc. said in a blog post last week that users with the latest version of the application can adorn their avatars with stickers featuring a cane, hearing aids in several colors or 3D poses with a wheelchair. The…
Retailers have been increasingly turning to augmented reality as a way for consumers to try on products remotely, especially as the pandemic has made the prospect of visiting a physical fitting room potentially dicier at times. Much of these efforts have focused on categories like makeup, shoes and sunglasses, where this technology is somewhat easier…
A flying camera named Pixy was the star of the annual Snap Partner Summit Thursday, and this year’s theme is Back to Reality. Snap described Pixy as a pocket-sized camera that operates without controllers or complicated setup, floating a few feet above a person’s head and capturing photos and videos, which are then downloaded to…
The National Football League stepped up to the podium to detail the mixed reality and social media initiatives that are in place for the 2022 NFL Draft, which kicks off in Las Vegas Thursday night. The league teamed up with metaverse artist Gabe Gault, son of former longtime speedy wide receiver Willie Gault, on an…
Snap Inc. outlined its financial results for the first quarter of 2022 last week, reporting revenue of $1.06 billion, up 38% from the same quarter last year. Chief financial officer Derek Andersen explained in his prepared remarks, “The slowdown in the rate of year-over-year growth observed post the invasion of Ukraine was broad-based, with the…
Microsoft 365 became the first brand to introduce a community effect organically on TikTok, and it was built by the augmented reality creative department at VMLY&R. The agency tapped the Effect House beta TikTok opened up to all creators earlier this month, which provides learning resources and tools to give creators access to intuitive design…
Today, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is extending its collaboration with Snapchat to unveil three new augmented reality monuments for the International Day of Monuments and Sites. This will be the second annual LACMA x Snapchat: Monumental Perspectives. The collection explores the cultural history of the city via AR. The initiative with…
Kia’s “Robo Dog” premiered at the Super Bowl and became an instant fan favorite, ranking fourth among 64 ads on USA Today’s Ad Meter and No. 1 among auto ads. In the ad, Robo Dog sits in a store window, longing to be adopted. Eventually it spots the perfect pet owner–an electric car driver–and gives…
Meta began testing two new ways for creators to monetize their presence in Horizon Worlds. The company explained in a blog post Monday, “The metaverse–by nature of its not being limited by physical space–will bring a new level of creativity and open up new opportunities for the next generation of creators and businesses to pursue…
Founded by sixth-generation Texan Bert “Tito” Beveridge, Tito’s Handmade Vodka is reminding the spirits world how far it’s come in just 25 years–from being distilled in an Austin shack to a fan favorite at music festivals like Austin City Limits. For its quarter-century anniversary, Tito’s announced a year-long celebration that tells its story while showing…
The challenge Augmented and extended reality technologies can facilitate more immersive interactions between audiences, artists and brands. So far, we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible and how to make the most of these high-attention interactions. At 4th Floor Creative, we’re continually exploring how the artists and music brands we work with can deploy…
A technology more commonly associated with Snapchat filters than factory floors is finding new currency in industrial workplaces from shipyards to medical labs. Just as augmented reality has seen a surge in popularity among retailers and other consumer-facing brands during the pandemic, the tech has similarly gained traction in the enterprise world as a way…
Snap Inc. teamed up with SignAll on a lens that helps Snapchatters learn American Sign Language. The ASL Alphabet lens uses the same technology as the Fingerspell augmented reality lenses developed by the Deafengers, Snap’s internal employee group for deaf team members, with SignAll and featured in Snap’s first ever Academy Awards television spot March…
Snap Inc. shared its latest Snapchat Generation Report Tuesday, saying that this year’s installment focuses on Generation Z’s core values, shopping habits, outlook on reconnecting with their communities as pandemic restrictions continue to ease and determination to build a better, cleaner and more sustainable future. The report is broken up into four segments: commerce, communication,…
Editor’s note: Today’s column is part of a series with Snap on augmented reality. Below, Kimberlee Archer, global head of AR, camera and platforms marketing, showcases the technology’s built-in accessibility and its already massive uptake among creators and consumers. It’s interesting how often people bucket augmented reality with virtual reality, which has been increasingly more…
Immersive marketing agency Pretty Big Monster teamed up with Sony Pictures Entertainment and Snap Inc. on an interactive social augmented reality experience to back Friday’s (April 1) theatrical release of Morbius. The Snapchat lens includes spatially inspired audio, world scanning, voice changing and real-time 3D. In selfie view, Snapchatters will see themselves in the key…
World Wrestling Entertainment teamed up with Snap Inc. on two activations for WrestleMania 38, which will take place Saturday and Sunday (April 2 and 3) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. WWE teamed up with Snap’s Arcadia creative studio on a new augmented reality lens featuring WWE Universal Champion and Tribal Chief Roman Reigns. The…
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