Augmented Racing
Read the story- Brand
- Red Bull
- Year
- 2011
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Racing & Sports
- Platform
- AR & VR
Objective
Red Bull wanted the 12-pack itself to become the entry point into a digital experience, using an on-package call to action to drive downloads of a branded game that would lift engagement and purchase intent. The brief, per Circ.us, called for something genuinely innovative without feeling overwrought or overbranded, aimed at gamers, technologists and anyone drawn to cutting-edge tech. Because building a track meant owning a full 12-pack, the core mechanic doubled as an incentive to buy.
Solution
After buying a 12-pack and spotting the call to action on the box, players download Red Bull Augmented Racing for free and open the app on their phone's camera. They arrange all 12 cans around a room, staircase or hallway however they like, then walk from can to can holding up the phone until a translucent silhouette lines up with each real can, locking it into the course; closing the loop back at the first can finishes the track, which gets an auto-generated thumbnail and a name the player picks. From there they race Brian Vickers' Toyota Camry, steering by tilting the phone left and right through obstacles and boost arrows, competing against ghost cars recorded from their own or friends' past runs. Tracks and times sync to Game Center and Facebook Connect, so a player can publish a course, check live leaderboards, and get pushed a notification the moment someone beats their time — with an instant rematch one tap away.
Results
Users built five to 10 tracks each on average and challenged their friends to race them, per Circ.us shortly after launch.
- 1
The call to action is printed directly on the packaging: a 12-pack of 8.4 oz Red Bull or Red Bull Sugarfree cans branded with Augmented Racing, directing players to redbullusa.com/game or the App Store to download the free app for iPhone or Wi-Fi iPod touch.
- 2
On launch, the player chooses a premade track, a track built by another player, or Quick Start for a random one; to build an original track, the player opens a 12-pack and arranges the cans in a loop of their own shape on any flat surface, spacing them about a foot apart, with more turns making for a more interesting race.
- 3
The player taps Start to activate the phone's camera, then walks the loop can by can: a translucent outline appears onscreen for each can, and holding the camera over the real can's lid until it aligns captures that point of the track, repeating until the loop closes back at the first can.
- 4
The app assembles a 3D track from the captured can positions within seconds, showing a thumbnail; the player names and saves it, making it available to race, send to friends, or share publicly for others to drive.
- 5
Racing is steered by tilting the phone left and right, with onscreen gas, brake, pause, and reverse controls, driving Brian Vickers' 850-horsepower Red Bull Racing Toyota Camry through a rendered environment of mountains and city skylines, dodging obstacles and grabbing arrow icons for nitro boosts.
- 6
Opponents on the track are ghost cars: recorded runs from real past races on that same track, including friends who drove it earlier.
- 7
Finish times post to a real-time leaderboard; a Race Center hub shows the player's past and favorite tracks, rankings, and achievements, and results can be shared to Facebook.
- 8
Players challenge friends to beat their time via Game Center and Facebook Connect, and get a push notification when someone takes the top spot, prompting a rematch.
- 9
Players can also browse and drive thousands of tracks built by other users, including ones made by Red Bull racers Casey Kahne and Cole Whitt.
