White Castle is trying out the augmented reality marketing trend for the first time, with the burger brand’s partnership with Borderlands: the Lionsgate film adaptation of the popular video game franchise. The Columbus, Ohio-based quick-service franchise is releasing limited-edition retail and restaurant food packaging for its sliders featuring Borderlands characters, with unique QR codes that allow customers to “bring to life” seven different experiences inspired by the upcoming movie being released on Aug. 9.
“Just when you think there wasn’t any room to improve sliders, this collaboration with ‘Borderlands’ is upping the ante by allowing Cravers across the country to bring this awesome franchise directly into Castles as well as into their own kitchens and dining rooms,” Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle, said in a statement. “Sliders are a great option to enjoy while you’re gaming with friends at home, pre-gaming before heading to see ‘Borderlands,’ or recapping the movie when it’s over.”
Augmented reality differs from virtual reality by placing virtual elements against the backdrop of the real world, giving the effect of a hologram-like figure that appears and interacts within your phone camera’s field of vision. Here's how it works: Customers can purchase either a six-pack of White Castle’s sliders in retail locations (in original, cheese, and jalapeño cheese varieties), a “Crave Clutch” in White Castle stores (a 20-slider pack), or large soft drink cups, and scan the QR code on the packaging to activate one of seven AR experiences, like an AR version of Claptrap, a robot character featured in the ‘Borderlands’ franchise.
Of course, augmented reality technology is nothing new, and White Castle is joining a long line of foodservice brands that have tinkered with this marketing technology that brings digital tech to life in an interactive way. For example, Panera had an AR advertisement in 2019 that highlighted the brand’s healthy and clean ingredients, while more recently, Crumbl launched a new version of its app on the Apple Vision Pro: the “mixed-reality headset” that takes AR technology to the next level.
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