Now you can become the Builder.
How do you celebrate turning 5 while being one of the top 10 grossing games available on the iOS and Android app stores? If you’re Clash of Clans, you partner with Facebook to give fans the opportunity to turn themselves into the Builder, thanks to augmented reality.
By using Facebooks AR camera filter to augment your face, complete with big bushy cartoonish eyebrows, funny hats and Builder-ish facial features, you can transform yourself into the lovable character whose sole responsibility is to build all of the structures in the game. Flip the camera the other direction and you can place the Builder in the real world to bang on things..like your computer…nonstop. Of course since it’s Facebook, your Clash of Clans AR experience can be easily shared directly to your timeline for all of your friends to enjoy using Facebook’s mobile app. Not a bad way to celebrate your 5th anniversary.
Supercell, the company behind Clash of Clans partnered with Facebook to create the AR experience. The anniversary celebration event began with a cryptic video released on August 4th showing a montage of structures being smashed to bits along with a fed-up Builder packing up his bags in search of a new life to spread his wings and “fly like an eagle.” The video leaves you with more questions than answers. Where did the Builder go? Since being published, the video has received almost 58 million views on YouTube and has even sparked some Clash of Clans fans to make their own videos suggesting they might know where the Builder has moved on to.
During Facebooks F8 conference back in April, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would launch an AR camera platform and rely heavily on outside developers to help bring AR image filters and interactive experiences to the platform. With recent AR marketing experiences showing up on Facebook from the likes of Justice League and Power Rangers, it’s obvious that companies are exploring new ways to engage consumers and also stoke the coals of success on older games.
It’s a little early to determine if Facebook’s AR experiences are producing the results companies are seeking, considering the AR camera has been available for only a few months, but to get an idea of the influence AR can have in a marketing campaign – according to a 2016 Touchstone Research report, organizations such as Moosejaw reported a 37% increase in sales through their X Ray AR app and Toyota saw a 600% increase in app downloads after an AR campaign.
Supercell’s Clash of Clans is just the beginning of what to expect from companies partnering with Facebook to bring AR experiences to users. Facebook believes that AR technology has only begun and will play a huge part in their mission to encourage global collaboration and community building. Funny thing is, Clash of Clans is also about building new communities, but it’s also about tearing down neighboring ones and stealing their resources.
You can try the Clash of Clans AR experience here. Go ahead, Builder…spread those wings and fly.
