If you were at an XBOX retail store in California over Christmas, you may have seen a digital display of a soccer field beamed onto the store floor as you walked in. Through the magic of technology, the display ‘reacts’ to your movements, letting you ‘kick’ around a soccer ball on the grassy, computer generated pitch.

A Redwood, CA based firm Reactrix Systems has developed an interactive advertising platform using infrared cameras, a projector and computer to project video images onto a flat surface. THQ, Inc., a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software, partnered with Reactrix this past holiday season to drive consumers to retailers and add a powerful branding element to their newest gaming releases. Reactrix created unique, interactive game-play campaigns for releases like “Spongebob’s Atlantis Squarepants,” “Ratatouille Food Frenzy,” “Avatar: The Burning Earth,” and “Cars Maternational” to help differentiate these titles from their home video and DVD campaign counterparts.

Like Nintendo Wii for retailers.
According to Bob Aniello, SVP at THQ, “Reactrix is a perfect fit in our marketing mix, especially powerful in helping create strong brand identities for gaming titles typically associated with movies and television. Reactrix provides a branding platform where we are not just delivering a message to consumers and hoping it soaks in – we are allowing them to engage and have fun with our titles, while also driving them to locations within the mall where they can purchase the game to play with at home.”

The system costs about $5,000 to install and about $4,000 per month per advertiser to get involved. Developing the interactivity is a separate cost. Reactrix is using technology to create a compelling instore experience, driving brand awareness, consumer interest and store traffic. Worth evaluating as a long term installation for major product lines or seasonal launches.

Who knew getting people`s attention was as easy as making them look at the floor?