From Passive Viewing to Active Participation
Sweepstakes have always been a popular advertising format. However, in a media landscape where attention is scarce, simply showing images or animations is not enough to capture interest anymore. The goal was to turn passive viewers into active participants and to create something people genuinely wanted to engage with.
The creative idea came from rethinking the gift box itself. Rather than a visual prop, the box became the heart of the experience. The question was: how could they recreate the sensation of unboxing without sending anything physically? Augmented Reality provided the answer, offering the chance to bring a digital prize into a user’s own space.
Building the Experience
The project was created with RTL AdAlliance’s “Immersive Ad Experience,” which allowed users to project a gift box into their environment and open it with their phone. What would have normally been a regular sweepstakes entry turned into a moment of gamification and engagement.
By anchoring the interaction in AR rather than video, the campaign tapped into the natural excitement of discovery. Users weren’t just watching an ad; they were part of it, with the act of unboxing creating a personal and lasting connection to the brand.
Tangible Impact
The results were clear and measurable. The campaign drove a surge of traffic to österreichprogramm.at, with overall active users increasing by almost 59 percent and new users by more than 60 percent. App usage showed similar growth, with new users up by nearly 62 percent. More than 2,500 people participated directly in the AR unboxing, spending an average of over two minutes interacting with the virtual gift box, an unusually high level of engagement for digital advertising.
Just as important as the numbers was the emotional feedback. User surveys confirmed strong positive associations with the campaign, showing that AR did more than capture attention: it created genuine enjoyment and made the brand experience memorable.
Why It Matters
This project demonstrates how a familiar advertising format can be elevated through technology. What could have been delivered as a simple 2D animation became something far more immersive, a campaign that made the joy of unboxing tangible without the logistical effort of real packaging. By doing so, it proved that Augmented Reality can add both emotional depth and measurable business results, turning an ordinary sweepstake into an award-worthy innovation.
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