Denver Broncos fans have plenty of reason to cheer this season. Their team is 3-1, and sports pundits laud their star-laden defense led by Von Miller.
The franchise is also one of three — the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans are the others — to partner with mobile developer YinzCam and digital agency Float Hybrid on the technology, according to an announcement. Bud Light is also in on the deal as the “name” partner.
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The Broncos debuted the feature at the end of last season, when they failed to make the playoffs, and now more teams are getting in the mix. Earlier this season, the Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears announced their own AR face painting features, and in another, more globally popular type of football, MLS’ Toronto FC debuted the feature in August.
“Fans are looking for fun, new ways to get involved with their favorite teams, and augmented reality allows us to provide a highly engaging, interactive fan experience,” Brady Kellogg, the Broncos’ senior VP of corporate partnerships, said in a statement. “We are constantly exploring ways to enable fans to feel more connected with new technologies, applications and fan experiences.”
Broncos fans can access the face painting feature — which also includes helmet filters — on the Broncos 365 app. Using facial detection, the app will deliver a number of different face painting designs in real-time. Fans can snap selfies and photos with the face paint on and upload them to social media.
The feature, of course, is digital and based in augmented reality, but in principle it is not all that dissimilar from the designs Bud Light has created on its beer cans for all 32 NFL teams.
“We are hyper-focused on leveraging innovative technologies to create memorable moments that drive emotional connections with consumers,” Keith Bendes, Float Hybrid’s VP of marketing and strategic partnerships, said in a statement. “AR Face Paint capitalizes on some of the most beloved and fun trends in mobile to provide all fans, whether in the stadium or at home, a way to showcase and share their fandom.”
Bud Light Augmented Reality Face Painting from Float on Vimeo.
