The Coca-Cola polar bears that pop up on everything from soda cans to television ads each holiday season will be getting a new platform. This year the company is trying to bring them to life through augmented reality.
"We know that the landscape around us is changing, our consumers are evolving," explained Oana Vlad, brand director at Coca-Cola. "This year we really wanted to take holiday magic to the next level."
This is Coca-Cola's first large-scale augmented reality activation, but that doesn't mean it hasn't done its homework on the tech.
"A.R. is something that we've played with through different pilots and different tests, and it has really helped consumers connect to the brand in a really meaningful way," said Vlad.
"We felt like we're now ready to test out this technology on a national level, and bring it to life in a really big way," she added.
With the Coca-Cola app, fans can scan the icon on new holiday Coke cans and bottles to activate the animations. The can or bottle will become the polar bear’s arctic home and each design will unlock a different experience from the bears — from making music to snowball fights.
"It's not just about aesthetic or a visual representation of the bears, it's truly about being able to bring them to life," explained Vlad.
Many parents are currently shopping for presents for their young children as the holiday season is underway. Parenting and lifestyle expert Amanda Mushro joined Cheddar News to give some ideas on what to purchase for your kids.
Wondering what to watch this weekend? This week we watch real-life spiritualism that has gone too far, fictional witchcraft that has gone too far, and two Christmas classics to bring our happiness back.
Since 1927, Time Magazine has chosen its Person of the Year to acknowledge the world's biggest and most influential change makers. This year it was global phenomenon Taylor Swift. Dan Macsai, executive editor of Time, spoke with Cheddar News about the process to make its pick and what's involved.
So I got the chance to chat with times executive editor Dan Max about how time made its decision and the entire person of the year issue.
A liberal activist with an eye for mainstream entertainment, Lear fashioned bold and controversial comedies that were embraced by viewers who had to watch the evening news to find out what was going on in the world.
