The Rolling Stones Roll Out the GRRR! Gorilla in 50 Cities Worldwide
Global 3D Augmented Reality Campaign for Band's Milestone GRRR! Release
LONDON--(Marketwire - Sep 20, 2012) - The Rolling Stones, ABKCO Music, Universal Music and Aurasma have launched an innovative, global campaign in 50 cities across the world with 3D Augmented Reality technology for the band's GRRR! Greatest Hits album.
Spanning five continents, 50 cities and 3000+ locations, buildings including landmarks such as Big Ben in London, New York's Empire State Building, Tokyo's Skytree and the Sydney Opera House have been tagged with a variety of virtual 3D gorillas King Kong style, modeled on the GRRR! album artwork, making this the biggest global Augmented Reality music campaign to date.
GRRR!'s striking design was created by the artist Walton Ford, famous for his iconic paintings of wildlife.
Over the month, Stones fans all over the world have been invited to download the free uView app in preparation for the announcement of GRRR!, in order to watch the GRRR! cover come to life.
From today, they can use the app to find their nearest tagged location and to watch the stunning GRRR! artwork fully realized in 3D animation right before their eyes. Viewers will also be treated to some exciting exclusive content and have a chance to pre-order GRRR!.
In further celebration of The Rolling Stones' five decades, fans will be encouraged to take photographs of the Gorilla animations in action and share them via Twitter @RollingStones including #GRRR! In their Tweet, or alternatively email their photos to grrr@rollingstones.com. These photos will be posted on an interactive Fan Wall at http://www.rollingstones.com/grrr-home/ for all to see. 50 of the best entries from around the world will be chosen to win some fantastic prizes, including two very special prizes to be revealed.
The use of one of the most advanced forms of mobile technology currently around, on a global scale of this nature, not only puts a whole new spin on 'Gorilla Marketing' but solidifies The Rolling Stones as one of the most innovative bands in the world and as relevant as they have always been.
The uView app and augmented content have been developed in partnership with Aurasma, the leaders in image recognition and augmented reality technology.
Deborah Hyacinth, Vice President of Digital Marketing at Universal Music Group, said: "The album reveal created a real buzz on social media. The 50 cities stage adds another level of interaction to this global campaign, giving fans that little bit extra to mark such a fantastic lifetime achievement. This pioneering use of mobile technology extends The Rolling Stones' reputation for innovation and imagination."
Matt Mills, Head of Sales at Aurasma, said: "The Rolling Stones are living legends with millions of fans around the world. We are absolutely thrilled that Aurasma has been chosen to help launch the new album and kick start the band's 50th anniversary celebrations. Fans all over the globe will be able to lift their mobiles and see famous landmarks transformed with the band's iconic imagery -- a fitting tribute to the impact the Stones have had on the world."
GRRR! by The Rolling Stones is released 13 November
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The uView Application is available to download now for iOS and Android devices
Notes to Editors:
ABOUT AURASMA
Aurasma is the world's leading augmented reality platform. Available as a free app for iPhones, iPads and high-powered Android devices or as a free kernel for developers, Aurasma uses advanced image and pattern recognition to blend the real-world with rich interactive content such as videos and animations called "Auras."
Auras can be created for printed images, product packaging, clothing, physical places and users can even use the app to create and share their own. Since its launch in June 2011, Aurasma has had more than four million downloads, 400 Aurasma-enabled apps and over 8,000 partners in markets including retail, fashion, sport, automotive, education, advertising and publishing are using the free technology in their campaigns, on their products or embedding the technology in their own applications. Aurasma was developed by and is part of software company Autonomy -- an HP Company.
