Probably, in my position, I shouldn't say that it sounds cool, but it actually does, so to stick to my editorial line, I have to post about it. In February Adidas will launch five sneakers that will activate a virtual world through augmented reality.

As explained on Wired, all users have to do is go to the Adidas site and hold up their sneaker, which has a code embedded in its tongue, in front of their computer webcam. A virtual world then pops out in front of them and they can navigate it using their sneaker as a controller.

It is surely a marketing gimmick, and the world in a sneaker reminds me of Onitsuka Tiger but, still, it's a pretty cool initiative that will generate some buzz online, at least among us, geek bloggers :-)

I'll give them kudos for baking the AR right into the product, but at the end of the day, I have to agree and say that it's still pretty gimmicky. Will definitely be curious to see how they expand the AR world over time.

Posted by: Ryan Moede at December 29, 2009 04:48 PM

I can’t find a video of the game play yet, but this is a great way to create an experience around a product and build brand advocacy. Depending on the functionality of the games, this could include a social competition element, similar to how Foursqaure does. I’d like to see Adidas game results be uploaded to social networks and encourage players to challenge each other for points, levels, etc.

Posted by: Jackie at December 30, 2009 01:11 PM

Hey, I think there are challenges in terms of reach. Nike did something like this in India ( Groupm is the agency and I think telibrahma provided technology and implementation)and best part was that it was working on all the 3 handsets I had with me in Barista. Fact that they were also delivering the app @ Barista's over Bluetooth and a banner that gave me a chance to experience the solution

Posted by: subodh at January 4, 2010 10:47 AM

It's a shame they haven't included mobile in the mix! Great innovation slightly short sighted.

Posted by: Kajai at January 4, 2010 09:05 PM