The client: The City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters is a metropolitan local government area of South Australia. It covers the inner eastern suburbs of Adelaide.

Challenge

• How can we transform the traditional Santa visit, now less appealing due to COVID-19, by integrating augmented reality in a designated shopping precinct space, offering families an innovative alternative to capture timeless moments with Santa?
• In the context of our city's commitment to smart city perspectives, how can we use AR technology to foster a festive atmosphere in the community during COVID-19, redefining the holiday experience for residents?
• How might we actively involve local businesses and council libraries to create an exciting summer school holidays program that not only enhances community engagement but also boosts foot traffic, contributing to economic development goals?

Goals

• To provide an innovative Santa experience in a shopping precinct, using AR as a COVID-safe alternative.
• To enhance a festive community atmosphere during COVID-19, aligning with the city's smart city commitments.
• To stimulate economic development and community engagement, collaborating with local businesses and libraries to develop a vibrant summer program.

Solution

Christmas 2020

Augmented Reality (AR) Christmas Trail

We collaborated with the council's economic development team to create augmented reality animations, activating various locations along The Parade - the main outdoor street and primary shopping precinct in Norwood, South Australia. Each spot featured a distinct footpath decal providing instructions on how to trigger the animation and preview the characters that would come to life. The decals also encouraged individuals to share their pictures, promoting the initiative and inspiring others to explore The Parade and participate. For branding purposes, a 3D model of an annually installed star in front of the Council Town Hall was included in the augmented reality Santa photography animation, aligning with our client's brand vision.

The council's economic development team invited families to visit The Parade, engaging in the augmented reality Christmas Trail to discover Santa and his friends, enjoy festive floats, explore the tree gallery, and embrace the Christmas ambiance while shopping, dining, and experiencing all The Parade has to offer during the holiday season. The augmented reality activation was promoted through diverse channels, incorporating print materials, videos, and images shared on the council's social media pages and other popular local pages, local businesses, and various other platforms.

Christmas 2021

AR On-Street Christmas Animations & AR Christmas Colouring Page

AR On-Street Christmas Animations

For the second consecutive year, the Council collaborated with CreativiTek to introduce a unique Christmas experience to The Parade. Given the ongoing uncertainty related to COVID-19 and the possibility of children meeting Santa in person for photos this year, the Council engaged CreativiTek once again to develop augmented reality animations at various locations along The Parade.

Activations were set up at eight locations, bringing to life four distinct animations. These activations provided opportunities for capturing photos with Santa, Santa and his reindeer, an elf accompanied by their snowman friend, and three snowmen (consistent with last year's display). The augmented reality experiences were available for three weeks, running from Friday, December 3, to Friday, December 24.

AR Christmas Colouring Page

The Council, in collaboration with CreativiTek, introduced the Augmented reality Christmas colouring page. The Economic Development staff closely collaborated with the Council’s Library staff to create a personalised colouring page for children. Kids had the opportunity to freely colour the artwork and then utilize the same app employed for on-street Christmas activations to scan their artwork. This process brought their creations to life in the chosen colours, as the characters in the artwork performed a brief (15-20 second) animation for the children's enjoyment.

To reach a substantial volume of children, the colouring pages were distributed to businesses along The Parade, including restaurants, food outlets, and children’s stores. Council libraries also incorporated the colouring pages into engaging summer school holiday activities, allowing children to activate the artwork using Council technology if they didn't have access to it themselves. This initiative was available for one (1) month, running from Monday, December 13, to Tuesday, January 11, 2022.

Outcome: The augmented reality activities were warmly embraced by residents, garnering positive feedback. The favourable results obtained by the council served as strong encouragement to build upon the previous year's experience and enhance it for a second year. The accomplishment of the AR Christmas on the Parade project positions it as one of the pioneering initiatives of The City of Norwood Payneham and St Peters, in harmony with the actions outlined in the Smart City Plan. This acknowledgment is featured on their website. Please click HERE to see the council's Smart City Updates.

This project exemplified how innovative smart technology can effectively promote city visitation and contribute to positive tourism outcomes, ultimately playing a pivotal role in strengthening the local economy. The favourable reception and success of this initiative highlight its importance as a forward-thinking and impactful endeavour for both the community and the city at large. It exemplifies the effective utilisation of AR technology for smart city purposes.