Augmented Reality Allows Readers to Help Tell the Story
CONTENT DEVELOPMENT | PRINT DESIGN | AUGMENTED REALITY
A clear and bold heading
Sylvamo's Apollo books show how interactive print can make storytelling even more engaging. For the third book in the series, we asked readers to help choose the plot.
An interactive campaign for an interactive book
Sylvamo's Apollo the Spacedog started off as a one-off application sample: a children's book, enhanced with augmented reality, to demonstrate both the quality of Sylvamo’s Accent® Opaque paper and the power of augmented reality-enhanced print. The book, which features an astronomy-loving seven-year-old named Andi and her adopted pup Apollo, was so successful that it merited a follow-up, Apollo and the Mill Moose.
To keep the interactivity going, Sylvamo decided to create a third book in the series. This time, they wanted to give readers the opportunity to choose Andi and Apollo’s next adventure.
A clear and bold heading
A multichannel campaign advances the plot.
Print and digital combine for powerful storytelling
To give Andi and Apollo’s fans a voice, we created a highly targeted email campaign and an interactive print postcard with an AR component that, when launched, gave readers the opportunity to choose between two different plot lines for the third book: Apollo and Andi explore a haunted house OR Apollo and Andi build a treehouse An engaging landing page encouraged readers to request the direct mailer with the AR experience to cast their vote.
To help drive response rates, users who requested the postcard also received an Accent Opaque branded desktop lantern (to match the digital lantern that helped users navigate the AR experience as they cast their vote). When the votes were tallied, almost 60% of readers voted in favor of the treehouse adventure, and Apollo and the Treehouse was born.
Using a combination of Accent Opaque 80 lb. Text and 100 lb. Cover paper stocks, Apollo and the Treehouse was printed on a Canon digital inkjet press and showcased the vibrant, dynamic artwork of designer Kyle Beckett. AR experiences incorporated into the book itself gave readers a peek inside Andi's imagination to create a more immersive reading experience and enhance pivotal plot points in the story.
The end result? A powerful print piece that engages readers in a whole new way.