Mariah Carey-sponsored beverage Butterfly is teaming up with augmented reality integration platform Go N?Syde to provide an exclusive, virtual experience for fans of the singer and the soft drink.

A mobile application supplements the experience, placing users face-to-face with behind-the-scenes bonus footage while they sip their beverage. By providing a closer look into the world of a celebrity, Go N?Syde can recruit passionate fans to engage in a participatory experience with the singer. 

?We wanted to disrupt the consumer packaged goods business by giving consumers an unparalleled interactive experience,? said Kevin Liles, chief creative officer and exclusive curator of content for Go N?Syde, New York. 

?Our bottles won't just be covering events,? he said. ?Our brands provide specially curated experiences that take the viewer where no one else can go. 

?It's an entertainment network in its own right and is a way for artists to express themselves and house content they can't share elsewhere.? 

The virtual experience
After purchasing the drink, users can hold their smartphone up to a Go N?Syde bottle and an interactive menu appears on the screen. The experience does not involve a bar code or QR code, making it easily accessible.

When using the app, the consumer may see features such as photos, videos, sweepstakes offers and exclusive content focused on New York?s 40/40 Club. 

Augmented reality is more simply described as movable holograms, according to Mr. Liles. 

Music enthusiasts may appreciate a sponsored drink that corresponds with their favorite singers. Fans tend to want more interaction from the celebrities they follow, and the virtual experience through Go N?Syde will likely enhance this relationship. 

Butterfly is available in Walgreens locations across the United States and Duane Reade locations in the New York Metro area. 

Success with QR codes
Incorporating an additional experience with something as simple as a bottled drink creates more interaction with the consumer.??

For example Coca-Cola?s successful ?Share a Coke? campaign gives consumers a chance to purchase bottles featuring popular names and to engage with the brand via a variety of mobile and social activations. 

The Share a Coke program, which swaps out the brand?s logo for popular names on bottles of Coca-Cola, was recently introduced in the United States after proving successful in other countries last year. The U.S. incarnation of it features 250 names popular among teens and millennials, with consumers able to scan a QR code to send a coupon as well as personalize their own virtual bottles and share them via social media (see story). 

Also, Coca-Cola had a campaign in China that put lines from popular songs on bottles of soda, allowing for on-demand access to content and creating a shareable experience via popular social application WeChat. 

Each Lyric Coke bottle featured a QR code that could be scanned to activate a short clip featuring the lyric on that bottle. The animated musical clips were designed specifically to be shareable in social media, and were positioned as a whole new way to consume music ? the shareable musical soundbite (see story). 

These initiatives show that brand possibilities open up by implementing a product onto a new platform. ?Butterfly, for example, is a true reflection of global superstar Mariah Carey,? Mr. Liles said. ?Butterfly is her taste, her touch and her tone. 

?It allows Mariah to bring her fans 'N'Syde' for a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her world,? he said. 

Final Take?
Caitlyn Bohannon, editorial assistant for Mobile Marketer, New York