Brief
The Guinness World Records book has been a staple Christmas day
present since it’s first publication in 1955. But what chance
do even the best books have nowadays, in an era of iPads, Xbox
and 3D TV? The client asked us how we could use digital to get
kids excited about the book, enough that they might write it on
their Christmas list to Santa.
Idea
We wanted to inject some magic into the way readers explored the
book, getting them playing with it rather than just reading it,
and in doing so, really bring the book to life. Augmented reality
has a gimmicky reputation, but we saw how we could use it to
create another layer of fun, information and life to this iconic
book. Our creation enabled the opened book to spring to life;
instead of just reading about the world's tallest man,
turning the page would see him walk and talk in front of their
very eyes. We hacked together the traditional with the most
modern, creating a wondrously magical experience for a new
generation of Guinness World Record fans.
Results
The new book received ground breaking PR coverage across the
BBC and national press (including front
page of Guardian).
As of November 2011 the Guinness Book of World Records is the UK’s biggest selling non-fiction hardback book, well before it’s key selling period; Christmas.