THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

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Feeding America’s Full Effect: An AR Journey to End Hunger

Finalist in Social Activism

Objective

Driving Awareness Through Immersive Action

The core idea behind our work was to transform passive awareness into active engagement, ensuring that younger, digitally savvy audiences truly understood the impact of food insecurity. Instead of relying on traditional messaging, we created an immersive WebAR experience that brought the reality of hunger into users' personal spaces—allowing them to see, feel, and take action.

Our primary goals were to:

  1. Make Food Insecurity Personal – By inviting users to place a digital fridge in their environment, we aimed to create an intimate, emotional connection to real stories and statistics.
  2. Ensure Accessibility and Engagement – Leveraging Niantic 8th Wall’s WebAR platform, we eliminated barriers to entry, making it easy for anyone to participate without downloading an app.
  3. Drive Action, Not Just Awareness – Through interactive exploration, gamified elements, and direct calls to action, we empowered users to donate, volunteer, or advocate for change.
  4. Maximize Reach and Visibility – Strategic placement in high-traffic OOH locations, combined with digital amplification across YouTube, Reddit, and social media, ensured our message resonated widely.

By turning storytelling into action, we not only educated audiences but also mobilized them to help end hunger—one interaction at a time.

Strategy

To turn Feeding America’s mission into an interactive, impactful experience, we developed a WebAR activation that made food insecurity personal and actionable. Our plan centered on three pillars: accessibility, engagement, and measurable impact.

Plan of Action & Execution

We began by identifying the most effective way to reach our target audience—digitally savvy users who respond to immersive, interactive experiences. Rather than relying on traditional PSAs alone, we extended Feeding America’s “Full Effect” campaign into augmented reality, allowing users to engage in a deeply personal way.

1. WebAR Experience Design
Using Niantic 8th Wall’s WebAR platform, we designed an interactive fridge that users could place in their real-world space. Upon opening the fridge, they discovered:

2. Multi-Channel Distribution Strategy
To maximize reach, we implemented a 360-degree promotional approach:

Challenges & How We Overcame Them

1. Making WebAR Frictionless
One challenge was ensuring users could access the experience easily without downloading an app. By building directly in WebAR and utilizing Flowcode QR technology, we enabled instant participation through a simple smartphone scan.

2. Emotional Connection & Action
Raising awareness wasn’t enough—we needed to drive action. To do this, we balanced compelling storytelling with interactivity, allowing users to personally connect with food insecurity while seamlessly transitioning into meaningful contributions.

3. Measuring Impact & Engagement
Traditional awareness campaigns struggle with quantifiable results. To overcome this, we integrated analytics through Flowcode and 8th Wall, tracking user interactions, dwell time, and conversion rates—demonstrating tangible engagement and impact.

What Makes This Work Unique

This campaign redefined how social impact messages are delivered. By merging technology with emotional storytelling, we moved beyond passive awareness and into immersive, action-driven engagement. Our approach leveraged cutting-edge WebAR technology in a way that was accessible, interactive, and results-driven, ensuring Feeding America’s message resonated widely and meaningfully.

Through this innovative execution, we didn’t just tell people about food insecurity—we placed the reality of it right in front of them, empowering them to be part of the solution.

Results

Our primary objective was to transform passive awareness into meaningful engagement, ensuring that younger, digitally savvy audiences not only understood food insecurity but were inspired to take action. The results proved our approach worked.

  1. High Engagement & Reach – By strategically placing Flowcode-powered QR codes in high-traffic OOH locations and amplifying through digital platforms like YouTube and Reddit, we drove significant participation. Users actively engaged with the WebAR experience, spending time exploring real stories and interactive elements.

  2. Frictionless Accessibility – By leveraging Niantic 8th Wall’s WebAR technology, we eliminated barriers to entry. With no app required, users could seamlessly immerse themselves in the experience, resulting in higher interaction rates.

  3. Measurable Action & Impact – Our integration of real-time analytics allowed us to track engagement, dwell time, and conversion rates. A substantial percentage of users took direct action—whether donating, signing up to volunteer, or sharing the experience to spread awareness further.

This campaign was a success because it didn’t just inform—it mobilized. By creating an immersive, emotional, and interactive journey, we turned statistics into personal stories and personal stories into real-world impact. The Feeding America WebAR activation proved that innovative technology, when paired with compelling storytelling, can drive meaningful change in the fight against hunger.

Media

Video for Feeding America’s Full Effect: An AR Journey to End Hunger

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Sawhorse Productions, Ad Council

Link

Entry Credits