3. Cosmopolitan launched an AR campaign to help make their print magazines digitally
interactive. They realized that their target audience, millennial women, always have their
phone nearby even while reading Cosmopolitan print magazine. This led Cosmopolitan
to partner with the company YouCam, which created an AR component that allowed
Cosmo readers to virtually try on makeup in real time. Cosmopolitan designed an 8 page
spread in partnership with YouCam and also Macys and Juicy Couture. The spreads con-
tained different crafted makeup looks with accompanying QR codes. All readers had to
do was scan the AR code; they didn’t even have to download an app. The website that
the QR code opens the native camera on the phone and utilizes the AR technology to
apply the makeup virtually to the user’s face. From there, the user can even buy the
products directly. Having the AR a direct integration into the user’s camera is a key point
of this Cosmopolitan AR campaign. Their target user is the everyday millennial woman
who is always busy and considers technology an integral part of her life, but wouldn’t
have time to download a special app just for a magazine AR feature. Beauty AR was also
the chosen topic because beauty was found to be a popular topic among millennial
women on social media. Cosmopolitan hoped that by bringing modern technology to a
popular topic, it would put them at the forefront of the market.
https://youtu.be/J9wH7PE-BrY
