People sometimes find it a little difficult to understand the correlation between the business of a skincare company, the business of entertainment, entertainment content, technology, public relations and 3D.
It's no surprise, I have to admit, when one considers that both worlds have (traditionally) been kept rather far apart.
For the longest time, the closest that consumer goods ever got to the world of entertainment was through advertisements- theater/television/radio/print/ billboards etc- and connections they had with entertainment (Hollywood) came usually in the form of celebrity endorsements.
It was unthinkable for entertainment companies and studios to be openly involved with cornflakes, butter, laundry detergent, cosmetics, bananas, fresh milk, pre-mix pancakes and shampoo.
It still is unthinkable today.
Not that companies haven't adapted to present-day technology.
They have.
If they didn't, we wouldn't have the entire ecosystem of social media marketing, social media influencers, Youtubers, IG stars, and the like.
Still- that's the tech guys- not the entertainment ones- and it is hard- indeed- to comprehend why, or how, the two worlds can (or will) be integrated.
Some of the 'side-eye' questions I've gotten can be interesting.
Like, what does entertainment content like your comic and your music festival have to do with a lavender-scented face mist?
Why are you talking and talking and talking about the digital comic when it really is just an online version of a marketing collateral created to reach out to the product's target demographic?
Then, what is the big deal about computer graphics and 3D? It's just 3D what. Same as advertisements and those in-store standees, isn't it?
To all these questions, there's really just two answers.
Augmented Reality; and
Applications (APP)
Let's first talk about Augmented Reality.
It is Augmented Reality that dovetails the two worlds together.
Without it, the 'face on the bottle' would be 'just another face'.
But AR is what enables the 3D face (it has to be 3D) to be transformed into a full-bodied model who can not only gesticulate and move, but can also interact with you.
And AR is what enables her to become a gateway, sort of like a QR Code if you will, that opens up a universe of real-time interactivity and engagement between yourself, and the product aka the brand.
Mind, the key word here is real-time.
Real-time engagement- real-time interactivity- is what differentiates her from the virtual influencers of present-day technology. There are similarities, of course, all have backstories, all engage with their audiences etc, but real-time engagement poses a different set of challenges altogether.
If you've ever noticed the difference between catching up with a friend versus chatting with a friend all the time, you'll understand what I mean.
See, real-time interactivity is a journey, a continuous awareness of what's going on in the individual's life. Real-time engagement is not a series of updates or announcements or histories. It is not a situation where you have to search through countless posts or articles to find out what has been happening, what has been going on, where he or she comes from, where he or she is heading to.
It is a conversation where you communicate to each other the stuff that happens real-time- right now- as they are- without the summaries of events past and events future.
You want to be able to connect with the individual immediately and straightaway ask , "wazzup how's it going?"
And it goes two ways.
So here be the questions that we ask:
What would make the consumer interact with the individual real-time?
Why would anyone want to interact with the individual real-time?
What would draw them to communicate with her?
Who is she to them?
What more can she be to them?
Our answer?
Characterization.
Along with a story, a dream, a journey, a life, a lifestyle- unveiled through the pages of a digital comic (and a webtoon).
You see, this is where the individual ceases to be just an 'unknown, random 3D model' and transforms into a Character- a (fictional) person with personality, individualism, history, present life, future life etc etc etc.
It is Characterization (and personality) that- with the use of AR technology- shifts her position from an on-screen character (where there's only passive engagement) to a companion and friend which you can connect with instantly (and where there's now active engagement)
So, is the comic (it always begins with a comic, by the way) a marketing collateral?
No.
Because even though the comic can be used as marketing collateral, it was not intended to be so.
It is one thing to have marketing collateral which talks about the product (and the celebrity ambassadors or influencers both real life and virtual.)
It is another thing where the 'marketing collateral' has a universe, a synopsis, a development, a backstory, and a Character Bible sufficient enough to be translated into a music video, an anime, a webtoon, a game, which is then launchable to distributors, studios, channels, and distribution platforms.
You can't go to content distributors with a marketing deck.
But you can sell your product to product distributors and the like- because besides the familiar marketing deck, you have entertainment content, and entertainment commerce as the marketing plan.
Beyond that, however, is the simple fact that companies, corporations especially, (quietly) desire to build brand loyalty with their customers, obtain data about them, and harness said data.
At present day technology we've already got blockchain and AI.
But engagement techniques so far do not yet justify both.
Which is strange, because honestly I wouldn't mind Bausch & Lomb recommending me an ophthalmologist in my area, or reminding me it's time to change my soaking solution.
Neither would I mind if I could tell some (FMCG) brands that this particular shampoo that they distribute didn't work out and would they recommend another- instead of having one pretty girl with long flowing hair on FB recommending me the newest offering in their arsenal.
I mean, offhand, I'd like to ask a couple of cosmetic brands if besides showing me what shade of lipstick works best for me, they could also bring back that lip gloss which they had in the early 2000s but don't have anymore.
And I'd love to ask someone/anyone from a nail polish brand if they would bring back that shade which made me fall in love with their brand oh so long ago.
I don't want to post on their page.
The answers are so templated, so canned.
I want to go to a single place, I want to go to a single spot and chat with them.
That's where the APP comes in.
That's the connecting point- where the whole ecosystem lies.
Yes, we have the websites.
But hey it is the app that permits the catalog, the sales, the entertainment, the interaction, the real-time engagement- through the Character/Virtual Influencer- without having to go to other platforms- and which (from the company's point of view) leads to real-time data capture, leads to AI, and answers the question why the model has to be 3D.
That's how the tech is.
That's how the tech permits consumers to interact with the brand.
That's how the tech permits brands to be their consumers' friend.
By the way, there's another part of the technique that's not often known.
You can't license an ad or the mascot or the company's brand story.
But with a Character- and a Universe- you can.
I should know.
That skincare brand you see up there?
Yeah, we've done it. ;)