Dive Brief: 

• Honeycomb cereal has teamed up with actor Terry Crews for an augmented reality (AR) mobile experience designed to offer kids a motivational boost, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
• The experience is inclusive of two experiences: HoneyRun, an immersive game that tasks players with navigating an obstacle course to feed a hungry bear; and Big Bee Motivations, an experience that surrounds users with a slew of uplifting video messages from Crews.
• Consumers can access the experience via a QR code available on specially marked Honeycomb cereal packaging. The effort follows prior efforts between the brand and Crews and makes Honeycomb one of the latest to use AR in pursuit of younger audiences.

Dive Insight:

Honeycomb is again looking to Crews for an uplifting marketing play, a strategy intended to spark positivity as the brand attempts to sway the next wave of consumers. The cereal, owned by Post Consumer Brands, previously partnered with Crews for a national campaign in 2021 that saw the actor portray a bee character called “Big Honey,” who gave pep-talks to kids as they tackle everyday challenges.

To access the brand’s new AR experience, consumers can scan a QR code located on special Honeycomb cereal packaging that is expected to hit the shelves later this month. The included game, HoneyRun, requires users to guide a hungry bear through an obstacle course while flying a plane, tasking players to travel as far as possible before the clock runs out. To help keep the game going, players can collect Honeycomb cereal pieces, which serve as bonus points, or drops of honey, which help keep the plane fueled, while also being sure to dodge clouds. 

In addition to the game, consumers can also access Big Bee Motivations, an experience that surrounds users with a slew of honeycombs containing positive video messages from Crews, who is seen dressed as a bee. The videos, intended to encourage kids to “bee big, bee kind and bee amazing,” per press details, includes playful mantras like, “Turn those Monday blahs into Monday booms.”

Marketers have often turned to AR for marketing to reach digital-first consumers. In recent examples, Kind Snacks partnered with Snapchat in April for a custom AR lens promoting regenerative agriculture, while Circle K in June teamed with Niantic to pilot a new AR ad format.

It’s worth noting that Honeycomb makes it clear from the beginning of its experience that the effort is an ad, a key disclosure as the brand strategizes immersive marketing experiences intended for younger audiences, described in press details as tweens. Others have struggled with navigating that landscape as the topic of privacy is hashed out, including Walmart, which removed its Roblox experience in March following accusations of stealth marketing.

The Honeycomb AR effort is billed as an experience that can help kids get ready for the day, including for events like going to school. As families prepare for the back-to-school season, a handful of marketers have similarly rolled out campaigns with upbeat messaging, likely meant to contrast a gloomy spending forecast. Amazon earlier this week rolled out a cheeky campaign with actor Randall Park encouraging parents to spend less, while JCPenney unveiled its own effort, which aims to communicate authenticity through spots to the tune of “We Are Family.”

Aside from his work with Honeycomb, Crews recently co-founded his own agency, Super Serious. The agency in June made its debut with two national campaigns for Impossible Foods designed around making the plant-based alternative brand more approachable for consumers.