An AR scavenger hunt teases new Pearl Jam album

The band utilised AR and Instagram to create an interactive scavenger hunt for its fans, generating huge buzz for its upcoming album

Spotted: The rock band Pearl Jam utilised augmented reality (AR) and social media to create an interactive scavenger hunt for its fans. The initial purpose was unknown, but in the end, it was to tease and promote the upcoming release of the band’s next album and tour.  

The campaign started on the 10th of January with the band posting cryptic images across their social media accounts. Further posts promoted an interactive map that was available at PearlJam.com. From there, the map guided fans to specific locations in major cities around the globe, and encourage those who chose to travel there to view what they saw there using a custom Instagram Lens filter and then share their experiences on social media.  

Those who chose to take part would eventually find a poster displaying what would later be known to be the artwork of Pearl Jam’s next album, “Gigaton.” When viewed through the Instagram filter, the poster’s artwork — melting polar icecaps — would animate and an ambient audio clip would play via the user’s smartphone. 

Many appeared to enjoy the experience, posting images and videos on their own social media accounts, many of which the band reposted on their main platforms. 

Pearl Jam did not leave its fans in the dark for long, announcing on the 13th of January the details of the new album, which will be released on the 27th of March, and new tour dates. 

Springwise continues to spot AR being used for marketing purposes, from LEGO’s AR shopping experience to plugins using the tech to let consumers try on clothing.