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During the Chicago Bears-New England Patriots game on Monday, October 24, 2022, television viewers were shown a mixed reality ad for Gillette, a series that involves adding virtual structural elements and a giant razor to the virtual space.
This segment is designed to showcase Gillette’s men’s razor with an exfoliating feature, part of the GilletteLabs brand.
It depicts Patriots mascot Pat Patriot entering a room, somewhere inside the stadium, and flipping a giant switch that “activates” the mixed reality portion of the ad.
At this point, the camera moved into the field of view before panning as bright green wireframe-style animation was used to “build” a large tower and virtual video board that spanned most of the stadium’s northern width.
In an interesting twist, this mixed reality element is a real-life preview of what’s to come — the Patriots are working on a $225 million renovation of the stadium that will add a 22,000-square-foot video board and a 220-foot-tall lighthouse. Permit for existing, smaller feature near stadium entrance.
What’s not original, however, is the Lighthouse’s ability to shoot a large circular green beam into the field that rotates like flipping a coin to reveal the razor product’s magnetic base.
Following this, virtual pieces of a giant razor fly from the north of the field, some joining and others forming a complete 3D model of the razor. This sequence puts special emphasis on the “exfoliating bar”, a segment located below the blades thanks to its bright green color and some glowing effects.
The segment does not include voiceover or narration, instead relying on background music and on-screen virtual action to showcase the product, which has the advantage of being fairly self-explanatory.
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The sequence is designed as an “in-game” ad designed to try to bring more attention to an advertiser’s message by making it feel like it’s part of the game.
The mixed reality segment was created in partnership with the NFL, Gillette (a division of Proctor and Gamble), The Future Group virtual production company, and The Kraft Group, a sports marketing and merchandise firm owned by Patriot’s owner Robert Kraft.
Gillette has had the naming rights to the stadium since 2002, and a recently signed contract extended it until 2031.
When the stadium opens for the 2023 season, it will be renamed Gillette Labs Stadium.
In 2016, Amazon suggested NBC add a giant virtual Amazon Echo to an ice skating rink in Rockefeller Plaza during election coverage, and other brands and outlets have tried similar segments in the years since.
