'A pinch of inspiration' from salty AR experiences | 29-04-2021 |
Major USA salt producer Morton Salt says it’s “salty about food waste.” According to The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a typical American household of four throws out $1,600 worth of food each year. So the company has begun an initiative to inspire home cooks to turn forgotten foods into something delicious with their Erase Food Waste augmented reality (AR) experiences. These are accessible until the end of July 2021 via QR codes on specially marked culinary salts.
Since 2017, Morton Salt has been raising awareness around food waste through its Erase Food Waste initiative, inspiring action to change how people think about food waste in an effort to reduce the amount that goes to landfill.
The first AR promo is a cheeky, immersive experience, it says, featuring nine vignettes starring overripe onions, forgotten fruits, and leftover legumes. Sharing tips, tricks and recipes makes it super simple to reduce food waste at home, says the company. Two “couch potatoes” binge on Netflix, a grapefruit takes a staycation, onions do yoga, and avocados plug into hip hop.
According to the report in Packaging World, Morton believes each experience provides a pinch of inspiration for no-waste recipes written for the work-at-home, play-at-home, cook-at-home era, such as “You’re on Mute Mac and Cheese” and “Staycation Smoky Paloma.”
The second AR experience, Choose the Right Salt, helps cooks learn which culinary salts will enhance their dishes. The AR experience is part of the company’s integrated marketing campaign launched in October 2020 to celebrate and support its new packaging roll-out. Packaging is one of the brand’s biggest touchpoints.
“The answer to ‘what’s for dinner?’ is often right in front of us—in our fridge and our pantry. Morton’s AR experiences can help you become a better cook and to use what you have at home—and we hope they bring a smile to your face as well!,” says Denise Lauer, CMO, Morton Salt.
The rich, web-based AR experiences from Next/Now Digital include graphic detail that is normally limited to video games or broadcast motion graphics. In addition the campaign includes in-store, digital, influencer, and social media activations. Consumers can activate the experiences online by purchasing specially-marked Morton salts at Walmart and Kroger and scanning the QR code hidden under a special sticker.
