Competition for the buyer’s attention in FMCG is constantly growing. There may be dozens of similar products on the supermarket shelf nearby, and in the digital environment, brands compete not only with each other, but also with all the content that the user sees. Therefore, traditional advertising and bright packaging design are often not enough – brands need formats that encourage a person to interact with the product.
One of such tools was augmented reality. AR allows you to combine a physical product with digital content: animation, game, 3D model, educational material or branded story. Packaging ceases to be only a graphical data carrier and turns into an interactive communication channel.
This is especially important for FMCG marketing, as the technology can work directly when the buyer comes into contact with the product – in the store, at home after purchase or when choosing a product online. Let’s consider five cases that demonstrate different mechanics of AR application in the FMCG market.
Why augmented reality works in FMCG
The peculiarity of FMCG is the high frequency of purchases, a large number of competitors and a relatively short decision-making cycle. In such conditions, it is important not just to show the product, but to quickly form an emotion and give the buyer a reason to pay attention to it.
AR adds a digital layer to the physical product. After scanning the package or QR code, the user can see an animated image, a photorealistic 3D object, play a mini-game, get additional information or become a participant in an interactive story.
WebAR is especially convenient for mass campaigns, where interaction is launched through the smartphone browser without the need to install a separate application. For FMCG, this reduces the entry barrier and allows you to integrate AR into conventional packaging, POS materials, advertising structures or promotional stands.
Case 1. AALST Chocolate – packaging as an interactive brand-media
For the Singaporean chocolate brand AALST, the ADVIN team implemented an image campaign using WebAR. The project was built on the 8th Wall platform and combined a creative concept, 3D animation and interactive digital experience.
The main point of contact was the product itself. Instead of limiting communication to graphic packaging design, the brand got the opportunity to continue it in the digital space. The user interacts not only with a box of chocolate, but also with content that appears on top of a physical object.
Mechanics
The user switches to the WebAR experience from a smartphone, after which the physical packaging becomes the basis for the digital scene. 3D graphics and animation create the effect of “reviving” the product, and the interaction itself becomes part of brand communication.
Several components are important for such mechanics at once: a creative scenario, digital scene design, graphic content, high-quality 3D model and the correct combination of virtual elements with real packaging.
Result for the brand
The main value of this format is to improve the customer’s contact with the product. Packaging receives a second level of communication, which cannot be realised only by means of printing.
This case shows an important trend of FMCG marketing: packaging can perform the function of a full-fledged digital channel through which the brand transmits history, emotions and interactive content.
Case 2. Kenwood – photorealistic product demonstration in AR
Another approach is demonstrated by the ADVIN project for Kenwood. Here, augmented reality is used not so much as an entertainment format, but as a practical product demonstration tool. The user can see a realistic digital model of kitchen appliances in their own space.
Mechanics
The AR function is integrated on the product website. After its launch, the smartphone is used as an AR scanner, and the user can place a 3D model of the equipment in a real environment.
Thus, the buyer gets the opportunity to evaluate the shape, size and appearance of the goods in his own kitchen even before buying.
In this case, the quality of digital representation is particularly important. Photorealistic rendering, correct proportions, textures and detailing help to make the demonstration as close as possible to the physical product.
Result
AR reduces the gap between the online catalogue and the real product. Instead of the usual image, the buyer receives an interactive model at scale and can better understand how the product will look in its space.
ADVIN cites this format as an example of 3D marketing for household appliances and notes the potential of such AR visualisation to increase online sales.
For FMCG and related categories, this demonstrates another role of augmented reality: AR can not only attract attention, but also help the buyer make decisions.
Case 3. LACALUT – gamification of packaging and education of children
In the LACALUT project, toothpaste packaging has become an interactive educational tool for children. The goal of the campaign was to increase the child’s interaction time with the brand, involve him in the process of brushing his teeth through gamification and strengthen loyalty.
Mechanics
After activating the AR, an animated 3D character appears from the package – the Rabbit Lacky. In a simple interactive way, he shows the child how to brush his teeth properly.
Thus, the brand does not just show advertising content. It solves a practical problem – helps to form a useful habit.
This is a fundamentally important distinction. The AR campaign doesn’t necessarily have to be built around the WOW effect. Digital content can be useful, informative and emotional at the same time.
Result
According to the brand manager’s feedback, the AR format turned out to be understandable and interesting for children, attracted the audience well and had a positive impact on the perception of the brand.
For the FMCG market, this case is interesting because it shows the possibility of building a longer interaction scenario around a conventional product. The purchase ceases to be the end point of communication – contact with the brand continues at home during the use of the product.
Case 4. Kinder – AR-safari right in the supermarket
Kinder used a completely different scenario – transferred augmented reality directly to the retail space.
As part of the Jump Into Africa campaign, customers were offered a WebAR safari. After the launch of the experiment, a 3D portal to the African savannah was opened to the user. Inside you could find animated 3D animals and view educational information about them.
Mechanics
The entry points to AR were located in UK supermarkets next to Kinder products – on POS materials and special printed flyers.
The key advantage was the WebAR mechanics: the buyer did not need to download a separate application. The experience was launched via a smartphone, and if desired, the user could keep access to it on the main screen of the device and return to AR at home.
What did the brand get
The usual area of the supermarket has actually turned into an interactive platform. Instead of another advertising message, the buyer received a small digital adventure.
For FMCG marketing, this is a strong mechanic, because AR works exactly where the product is selected. Creative experience can draw attention to a specific shelf, increase interaction with the brand and give the buyer additional motivation to stop at the product.
Кейс 5. Jack Daniel’s – історія бренду всередині пляшки
Jack Daniel’s used augmented reality for brand storytelling. After pointing the smartphone at the bottle, the usual label was transformed into a three-dimensional digital scene.
Users had access to three AR experiences dedicated to whiskey production, Lynchburg distillery and the history of Jack Daniel himself.
Mechanics
The physical bottle acts as an AR marker. The system recognises the label and synchronises the digital content with its position.
After that, the flat graphic design is, as it were, rebuilt into a three-dimensional composition. Instead of static text on the label, the user receives an interactive representation of the brand’s history.
Some digital scenes tell about the production process – from water and barrel making to fermentation and distillation, while others introduce the user to the distillery and the history of the brand.
Result
In this case, AR does not just demonstrate the product – it increases the information capacity of the packaging.
On a small label, it is impossible to tell the history of the company in detail, show the production process and create an emotional atmosphere. Augmented reality removes this limitation: physical packaging remains minimalistic, and all additional content is transferred to the digital space.
Which AR-mechanics work best for FMCG
The cases reviewed show that there is no universal scenario. AR must solve a specific marketing problem.
Brand storytelling works well for packaging – a physical product becomes an entry point into the history of the brand. This is the approach that Jack Daniel’s demonstrates.
Gamification and edutainment can be effective for children’s goods. LACALUT combined learning with character and interactive mechanics, making routine action more interesting.
In the retail environment, AR can create an emotional experience at the point of sale, as in the Kinder campaign, where the supermarket space has become the entrance to a digital safari.
For products, the characteristics of which are important to evaluate in the context of the real environment, photorealistic 3D visualisation is suitable, as in the Kenwood case.
And for image campaigns, you can turn packaging into an interactive digital media, combining graphic design of a physical product with animation and 3D content.
How to evaluate the results of the AR campaign
The WOW effect in itself should not be the main goal. Even at the development stage, it is worth determining what user behaviour should stimulate AR. Depending on the mechanics, brands can evaluate the number of AR launches, unique users, repeated interactions, average session time, completion of the script or game, transitions to the site, use of promotional codes, participation in contests and other targeted actions.
For packaging, an important indicator can be repeated interaction after purchase. For retail activation – the number of launches at retail outlets. For product 3D demonstration – transitions from modelling to product or purchase card. That is, the effectiveness of AR should be evaluated not separately from the marketing funnel, but as part of the overall customer journey.
What these cases mean for the FMCG market
Augmented reality is gradually changing the role of packaging and physical product in marketing. If earlier the packaging was mainly the carrier of the logo, graphic design and mandatory information, now it can be an entrance to an almost unlimited digital space.
This is especially important for the FMCG market, where the physical area of the packaging is limited, and the brand needs to simultaneously talk about the advantages of the product, form an emotion and stand out among competitors.
AR allows you to take part of the communication beyond the physical carrier. A recognisable design remains on the packaging, and after scanning, the user receives a 3D image, animation, game, product demonstration, instruction or full brand history.
At the same time, technology should not be used only for the sake of technology. The best cases have a simple logic: the digital experience complements the product and gives the user what conventional packaging cannot give.
Conclusion
The five campaigns reviewed demonstrate the different roles of augmented reality in FMCG and related consumer categories.
AALST turns packaging into an interactive brand media. Kenwood uses photorealistic 3D content to demonstrate the product in real space. LACALUT combines packaging with training and gamification. Kinder transfers the customer from the supermarket to a virtual safari. Jack Daniel’s turns the label into an interactive brand history.
Common to these mechanics is the transition from passive viewing of advertising to active interaction. The buyer does not just see the message – he launches the content, explores it, plays, learns or interacts with the digital model.
That is why AR can be an effective FMCG marketing tool: the technology allows you to combine a physical product, creative content and digital communication into a single user experience. And packaging, store shelf or product card do not become the end point of contact, but an entrance to a much wider digital world of the brand.
