COCA-COLA ZERO PIONEERS AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGY IN LATEST AVATAR CANS

SINGAPORE, 14 December 2009 – James Cameron’s keenly-awaited blockbuster, Avatar, will be a reality in Singapore sooner than its worldwide release on December 18, 2009.

This ‘reality’ is possible through Augmented Reality (AR), that is. In what is likely to be the first use of AR technology in a major product promotion in Singapore, Coca-Cola Singapore has embedded AR into its latest Coca-Cola Zero Avatar-designed cans.

AR is a technology that fuses the Web with the reality around a user. AR, a web-based application, enables the user to interact with 3D animation.

In the latest promotion, a consumer gets to see animation from the Avatar movie when he holds up an Avatar-themed Coke Zero (with the AVTR logo) in front of a webcam. By turning the Coke can or bottle to the left or right, up or down, he can maneuver a Samson helicopter that is featured in the movie. The helicopter will appear to be floating freely in front of the user. Using a computer keyboard or phone pad, the user can also manipulate the movements of the helicopter, triggering different actions including shooting a missile, maneuvering the rotors of the helicopter and shooting its guns.

Journey of Possibilities
To further simulate the Avatar experience, Coca-Cola Singapore will be recruiting “captains” for the Coke Zero: AVTR “Journey of Possibilities” Challenge.

A total of 30 teams will start their journey on December 12 outside Cathay Cineleisure. Teams will compete their way through 10 stations around Orchard Road to earn Coca-Cola Zero “fuel cells” that will power them to their final destination.

Aspiring captains can sign up on the Coke Zero: AVATAR “Journey of Possibilities” Challenge Facebook (CZCF) page (www.facebook.com/cokezero.sg) and submit a short explanation on why they are the most ideal candidates for the “expedition”. Submissions will be accepted from November 24 to December 7. Visitors to the site will be able to vote for the candidates they deem the most suitable to participate in the challenge.

The top 30 participants with the most support will qualify for the challenge. These captains will then need to recruit two other teammates to join him/her in the “expedition”.

The winning team will be picked based on the points accumulated and the time taken to complete the tasks. The top prize: a Gold Class experience – use of an entire Gold Class cinema for a private screening of Avatar. For each of the winning team members, Xbox 360 Elite set and Avatar games from New Era and of course, a six-can pack of Coca-Cola Zero for uplifting refreshment!

Ng Hui Ling, Brand Manager, Youth Recruitment (Coca-Cola Trademark), said, “We are excited about the partnership with the Avatar movie. Coca-Cola Zero is about making the ‘impossible’ possible. James Cameron exemplifies this quality in his film-making, and particularly so with Avatar. Our “Journey of Possibilities” expedition also challenges teams to break through the impossible for the ultimate prize.”

Promotion
The expedition challenge coincides with promotions at 7-Eleven stores (ends December 8) and NTUC supermarkets (ends November 30). Purchases of $3 and $5 worth of Coca-Cola Zero products respectively, give shoppers a chance to win tickets to watch Avatar.

Lenticular Posters
Avatar enthusiasts can also look out for special lenticular posters placed at bus stop shelters islandwide. This is a type of printing where the image is printed onto a plastic sheet that contains tiny lenticules. The image is interlaced in such a way that when viewed behind the lenticular sheet, the lenses hide one image and show you the other. As the viewing angle changes, the image revealed goes from one to the other, creating an animation.

Launched in March 2008 with the tagline “Real Coca-Cola taste, zero sugar”, Coca-Cola Zero targets youths who want the best of both worlds - real Coke taste and zero sugar to fit in with their lifestyles - and who subscribe to the daring and bold proposition of Coca-Cola Zero: “It’s Possible.”

Click here to view the entire social press release.