Virtual and physical worlds will collide as Smart Communications, Inc. brings augmented reality technology to the Smart Bro Live and Loud concert, the telco’s first-ever interactive music event that will put audiences in control of their entertainment choices.
Using only their smartphones and tablets, Filipinos who want to experience augmented reality (AR) technology can simply point their devices at any Smart Bro Live and Loud concert poster scattered across Metro Manila and published in major newspapers to experience this unique innovation firsthand.
The AR-powered posters are located in Smart stores, gadget and PC outlets around major malls in Metro Manila, including those located Robinson’s Galleria, SM North EDSA, SM Megamall, SM Fairview, Glorietta 2, Alabang Town Center, and Trinoma, among many others.
As an added bonus, smartphone and tablet users who are willing to try out this interactive technology will be rewarded at the end of the experience by entering Smart Bro’s Live and Loud Microsite and register for free tickets to the concert, happening on October 4 at the TriNoMa Mindanao Parking area.
Users only need to download an app called “Zapper” and install it on their Android or iOS device to experience this unique innovation. By pointing the app’s camera at the Smart Bro Live and Loud concert poster, they will instantly be treated to an exciting video experience that will give them more info on how to enjoy and view the concert.
“Augmented reality gives users dynamic and relevant content they can enjoy on the spot, without having to log on to their notebooks or desktop computers,” explained Michelle Curran, Data and International Services Marketing Head at Smart. “With this innovation, we take engagement to the next level as we prepare to mount Smart’s first-ever interactive concert.”
AR, now made popular by new technologies such as Nokia’s CityLens and the upcoming Google Glass, provides a live and direct view of the physical environment augmented by computer-generated data such as videos, photos, or GPS information to enhance the user experience.
While pointing a device’s camera on a street, for example, electronic data can be placed over buildings and establishments to show its business name, contact details, promotional activities, and other information relevant to the user.
Two of the country’s top newspapers already employ this technology to breathe new life to their static print output, while a number of magazines and other publications use AR to produce more dynamic content for their audience—such as models seemingly coming to life and jumping out of the paper to interact with the reader.
Already an interactive feat by itself, the Smart Bro Live and Loud concert will pool four of the country’s top iconic OPM acts, namely Raimund Marasigan, Barbie Almalbis, Rico Blanco, and Ely Buendia, to perform on a single stage controlled digitally by concert-goers and viewers at home.
The live audience during the concert proper gets the power to control the stage, from setting the platform ablaze with jet sparks to releasing haze and streams of smoke heightening the mystery and excitement of each performance, and even discharging beaming laser lights across the venue, giving the total concert experience to the hands of concert-goers and watchers.
The Smart Bro Live and Loud concert also allows people to vote online at smart.com.ph/LiveandLoud for the top 3 songs that each of the artists will sing solo and collaboratively during the concert.
Subscribers, meanwhile, can get free tickets to the concert through the Live and Loud portal, but those who can’t make it to the concert day itself can view the show through a livestream service accessible via the dedicated microsite and through Smart’s YouTube channel.
“Broadband Internet has empowered many facets of Filipinos’ lives by delivering rich content that they wouldn’t otherwise experience on other platforms. With the Smart Bro Live and Loud concert and its various interactive features, users get the power to control the concert experience, the same way they are empowered to do a lot of new and exciting things using broadband Internet,” Curran added.
