After travelling a lot recently, Coca Cola Canada sent me some of its recently launched Star Wars-themed drinks. While I’ve seen a bunch of ads for the collaboration, especially in my frequent trips to the movie theatre, I didn’t really know much else about it.
In particular, I was surprised to discover that there was an AR feature you can unlock by scanning the QR code on a can or ad on the street. Naturally, I assumed this would be some sort of silly gimmick, but to my surprise, it’s actually neater than such a brand partnership has any right to be.
Upon scanning the code, you’re taken to a “Holocreator” Coke website. From there, you can choose between one of five character archetypes: Jedi, Sith, Twi’Lek, Stormtrooper or Pilot. Once you select one and give the site permission to access your camera, you’ll have to record a little video message and then wait through a bit of a long loading screen.
After that, though? To quote Anakin Skywalker: “This is where the fun begins.” After you angle your camera at a flat surface, a Star Wars-esque hologram featuring the avatar and your face and voice will be projected. As a Jedi, this sees your Mini-Me pulling back their hood to reveal your face, Obi-Wan style, before twirling a lightsaber. The Stormtrooper, meanwhile, has the same staff as fan-favourite “TR-8R” from The Force Awakens and will pull back his helmet to show you. You can then save your recording and share it with friends.
All in all, it’s an admittedly silly but nonetheless enjoyable little feature, especially considering it’s tied to a soft drink. It’s easy to see big Star Wars nerds and kids getting a particular kick out of it. And even if you don’t care about that, there’s always a bit of fun to be had in finding out which of the dozens of characters you got on your can. (In my case, I had Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, Princess Leia and Yoda.)
I’m already drinking Coke Zero anyway, so why not add a little Star Wars?
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