Nestlé aims to add value to cereal box with 3D game

30-Oct-2009 - Last updated on 30-Oct-2009 at 13:14 GMT

Related tags Cereal boxes Container Augmented reality

Smart packaging is a growing marketing tool and next week Nestlé cereal boxes sold in France will have an integrated 3D animation function that encourages consumers to log onto brand websites.

Nestlé said that the interactive packaging on its Chocapic and Nesquik cereal boxes was developed as part of a strategic partnership in preparation for the upcoming release of the Luc Besson film Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard.

Sebastien Geist, brand manager at Nestlé France, said that the augmented reality technology was designed and developed by Dassault Systèmes and turns the cereal boxes into 3D videogame consoles.

He explained that consumers have to go on to the Chocapic or Nesquik brand websites and capture the back of box using a webcam.

The Nestlé game involves a character leaping between platforms and running across the top of the cereal packet and the cereal box contains a motion sensor so that the character responds to every movement of the packet.

Innovation

In a crowded marketplace, packaging that does more than simply contain and protect the contents can enhance the shelf appeal of a product.

Industry experts say that a package is made smart by mechanical, chemical or electrical functional attributes that add benefits to consumers such as time-temperature food quality labels, self-heating or self-cooling containers for beverages and foods, or information about the nutritional qualities and origin of the product in numerous languages.

Sales impact

Geist told Bakery and Snacks.com that the cereal manufacture expected a 10 per cent increase in sales arising from the interactive packaging concept.

Mehdi Tayoubi, director of interactive strategy at Dassault, maintains that the future of marketing in all sectors is all about brand experiences: “Our 3D tools are very well positioned to serve this new vision for our clients,” he added.

According to Geist, 2.4 million packs of Chocapic and Nesquik cereal boxes with the integrated 3D tool will be sent to retail outlets in France from the beginning of November.