Muscle Milk Energizes Sales with Shaq in AR

Protein beverage Muscle Milk will market one of its flavors to the Cleveland OH market via an augmented reality tie-in with Shaquille O’Neal, a star player for the Cleveland Cavaliers since June 2009 and an Ohio native.

Parent company CytoSport will make its Muscle Milk chocolate flavor available in a limited-edition 14-ounce bottle with a special code marker on the label in the form of “33”—O’Neal’s game number with the Cavs.

By holding the bottle and marker up to a Web cam, customers will see an image of Shaq popping out of the bottle and talking about local icons such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Fans who want to see the AR special effects—created by agency Pereira and O’Dell—without a purchase can visit the Web page and print out a web version of the marker. There they can also print out a coupon redeemable for 50 cents off any flavor of Muscle Milk from a participating retailer.

Visitors 13 and older from any part of the country can also use the Web site to enter the “Muscle Milk Shaqtastic Giveaway” sweepstakes from now through May 31. The game offers prizes from shoes, balls and jerseys autographed by O’Neal to first prize of an acrylic oil portrait of O’Neal and the winner together, culminating with the grand prize of a face-to-face meeting with the star center.

Web visitors who buy the AR-tagged special bottles and display the code will be prompted to enter the data to take part in the giveaway once the AR effects have ended. Other visitors can enter directly via the MuscleMilk.com Web site.

“This limited-edition interactive bottle in partnership with Shaquille will engage our consumers beyond the point of purchase and is consistent with our brand as an innovative protein drink,” CyloSport chief marketing officer Nikki Brown said in a release. “Connecting with consumers via the virtual world is a large focus for all CyloSport brands, and the opportunity to work with the groundbreaking technology of augmented reality is something we’re very excited to introduce.”

The AR campaign, titled “Genuine 33”, will be supported by in-store materials, out of home ads and radio spots in six Ohio metro markets: Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo. The limited edition bottles will be sold at such retailers as Speedway, Walgreens and Giant Eagle.