Celebrating Saudi Heritage: Pepsi’s Immersive AR Filter for Saudi National Day
Bringing Saudi Culture to the Digital Forefront with AR In celebration of Saudi National Day, Pepsi brought fans a fun, interactive experience that placed Saudi heritage and spirit at the center of the digital conversation. The campaign introduced a Spark AR filter on Instagram allowing users to select their favorite Saudi city and virtually try on cultural […]
Bringing Saudi Culture to the Digital Forefront with AR
In celebration of Saudi National Day, Pepsi brought fans a fun, interactive experience that placed Saudi heritage and spirit at the center of the digital conversation. The campaign introduced a Spark AR filter on Instagram allowing users to select their favorite Saudi city and virtually try on cultural accessories—from stylish glasses and bold lipstick to face paint, earrings, and the traditional Shemagh scarf. This creative approach empowered users to express national pride and connect with heritage through playful, immersive technology.
Watch the Campaign in Action
Interactive AR Effects: Celebrating National Spirit & Inclusion
Saudi National Day is a time to honor unity, heritage, and the vibrant culture of the Kingdom. Pepsi’s campaign leveraged advanced AR to ensure anyone, anywhere could join the celebration. Through the filter’s personalized choices and effects, every participant could highlight their unique connection to Saudi Arabia—making for engaging posts and wide organic reach.
Key campaign features:
- Cultural Immersion: From city choices to the Shemagh and face paint, every asset spotlighted Saudi heritage.
- Fun Personalization: Users switched between looks and accessories, creating authentic, memorable content.
- Festive Engagement: AR effects inspired users to share stories and posts, sparking national pride and conversation.
Platform Adaptability: Taking AR Beyond Instagram
With Instagram AR filters now unavailable, brands can deliver similar cultural engagement by shifting to:
- Snapchat AR: Popular for rich, interactive filters and viral sharing.
- TikTok AR: Driving creative user participation through short-form content and effects.
- WebAR: A flexible, browser-based solution, enabling access across all major social platforms including Instagram and Facebook—perfect for extending campaign lifespan and reach.
This multi-platform approach ensures that national celebrations and cultural connections are accessible to everyone, regardless of their preferred app.
Why Cultural AR Campaigns Work for Modern Brands
National day campaigns—when crafted with cultural authenticity—unlock opportunities for brands to:
- Deepen emotional bonds by celebrating what matters to communities.
- Drive user-generated content featuring branded elements.
- Reach diverse audiences during moments of high digital engagement.
By integrating local traditions and national spirit into interactive AR, brands like Pepsi maximize both brand memorability and social participation during landmark events.
Branded UGC: Building Emotional Brand Connections
A critical success factor in this campaign was the seamless integration of Pepsi’s branding throughout the AR filter experience. The Pepsi logo and brand colors were thoughtfully embedded into various accessories and effects, ensuring that each user-generated story or selfie celebrating Saudi National Day subtly spotlighted Pepsi at the heart of the festivities. This approach to subtle branding allowed users to express their national pride while naturally associating their celebration with Pepsi—making the brand an organic part of the nation’s collective memory. By empowering fans to participate in a meaningful, branded way, Pepsi ensured it was not just a sponsor, but an emotional supporter of national unity and heritage, anchoring the brand in the mindspace of Saudi National Day celebrations and fostering genuine brand affinity.
Bringing Heritage and Technology Together
As Saudi Arabia’s celebrations continue to inspire unity and pride, digital experiences like Pepsi’s AR campaign blend technology with tradition—inviting everyone to share in the national spirit. For marketers and agencies, embracing cultural festivities with creative tech can build lasting brand resonance and community engagement.
Partner with Experts in AR-powered Engagement
Interested in launching your own cultural or heritage-focused campaign? Explore creative tech possibilities and case studies at www.alivenow.in.
Important Disclaimer – While 3rd party branded AR filter are depreciated on Facebook and Instagram – a similar experience/game can be built or re-created for brands on Snapchat, TikTok or Web based AR