Zappar and Rovio partner to release 1 billion BirdCodes into the wild
in support of new game Angry Birds Action!
Angry Birds Action! comes to life with augmented reality powered by Zappar
- Brand partners include McDonalds, Lego, Walmart, H&M, PEZ, and Peperami and many more in local markets.
- More than 1 billion BirdCodes are live in over 50 markets around the world on consumer products and brand promotions.
28th April 2016, London: Zappar, a world leader in augmented reality, has partnered with Rovio, the maker of the global smash hit Angry Birds, to create the ultimate Angry Birds augmented reality experience. The partnership will build a bridge between the physical world of consumer products and brand promotions and digital on handheld devices.
Fans of Angry Birds around the globe will be able to interact with the most popular mobile game of all time thanks to Zappar’s scanning functionality, which has been embedded within the recently released Angry Birds Action!
Ahead of The Angry Birds Movie launch, Zappar has developed a custom augmented reality code-scheme for Rovio, using their unique zapcode technology*. Users will be able to open the Angry Birds Action! game, tap the scan button and then aim at the codes, called ‘BirdCodes’, to unlock additional content within the game. Users can expect power-ups, augmented reality mini-games, and ‘photo-features’ to pose with the characters from the movie, amongst other interactive experiences.
With more than 1 billion BirdCodes going live, this is the biggest promotion of its kind anywhere in the world. Partners include McDonalds, Lego, Walmart, H&M, PEZ, and Peperami, amongst others in over 50 markets across the globe. As an example, the PEZ mini-game unlocked from BirdCodes on PEZ dispensers allows the player to fire PEZ candies at balloons to make the pigs drop out of the sky. This utilises the 360-degree gyro on the device to create a fun and immersive experience with users moving their mobile device to explore the virtual world.
At McDonalds you can scan your tray liner, clamshell box, drinks cup or Happy Meals box to launch a “Whack-A-Pig” augmented reality mini-game where the pigs pop out of the tray liner itself. H&M has also created a range of Angry Birds apparel and accessories featuring BirdCodes that can all be scanned to launch mini-games.
At Walmart, BirdCodes will allow users to pose for a photo with their favourite character from the movie and release exclusive in-game power-ups on a daily basis over the course of the promotion.
Caspar Thykier, co-founder and CEO of Zappar, commented:
“Imagine if everyday objects could unlock fun and exclusive content when scanned with a mobile device… well with Angry Birds we’ve done just that: working closely in partnership with Rovio we’ve been able to deliver a hidden world of snackable experiences and in-game power-ups via BirdCodes on participating products and promotions to surprise and delight users. This is the biggest and most truly integrated augmented reality project to date, with BirdCodes appearing on apparel, toys, cups, POS, and even sweet dispensers across the world. Together with Rovio we’ve set a new bar to bring AR to the mass market in a meaningful and rewarding way.”
Miika Tams, VP Games at Rovio added:
“With the help of Zappar and our other partners we have put the Angry Birds characters and story at the center of a truly 360-degree experience this summer, bringing the storyworld to life in a new way both for our heavily engaged fanbase and newcomers alike. Angry Birds Action! is the cornerstone of our comprehensive Digital Movie Program, which bridges digital and physical entertainment like never before, and with more than 1 billion BirdCodes to be found out in the wild, at a scale never seen before either.”
BirdCodes will also feature on the Sony Marketing material in support of The Angry Birds Movie out on 13 May in the UK and 20 May in the United States.
Zappar’s mission is to democratise AR, which it does through its unique self-serve tools, allowing users to create their own snackable, interactive mobile experiences known as zaps. To date hundreds of thousands of zaps have been created, from schools and start-ups to One Direction and their record label Sony Music. Other global clients include Hasbro, Warner Bros., Asda, Coca-Cola and Carrefour.
About Zappar
Zappar is the world leader in augmented reality (“AR”) on mobile devices accessible through its free-to-download app on iOS and Android. Zappar specialises in AR-enabled products and entertainment experiences: working closely with brands, license partners and retailers across the world to produce innovative, customizable market-leading solutions as bite-sized entertainment. Partners include Rovio, Activision, Sony Pictures, Sony Music, Warner Bros, Hasbro, Universal Pictures, Pedigree Books, Crocs, Morphsuits, Moonpig.com, Coca-Cola and Asda amongst others. For more information, please visit www.zappar.com
About Rovio
Rovio Entertainment Ltd. is a global entertainment media company. Headquartered in Finland and with studios across the world, Rovio is the creator of Angry Birds™, the casual mobile game that changed an industry and became an international phenomenon. Today Angry Birds is not only the most downloaded game of all time, it is a renowned entertainment brand that has branched out into animation, licensing and more. The Angry Birds Movie is slated for release in May 2016. www.rovio.com
