Watch maker Titan recently launched a new series of solar powered products, called HTSE (Hi-Tech Self Energized) watches. Like most new products, Titan needed to do some marketing to tell the world about its watch series. The campany did it in style by launching a solar powered mobile and Facebook app. Well, sort of…
As the app launches, it tells users to point the camera at any light source to power the app. The app “charges” up and only loads when the power bar is full. So how does the app determine whether a light source is detected? Manoj Kandasamy, a representative of GroupM India, who helps Titan with its campaign explains:
To determine light intensity, we calculate the average RGB values of every alternate frame taken as input from the camera source (webcam in the case of laptops / PCs and mobile camera in the case of mobile devices). This means we process 15 frames per second and calculate their average RGB values.
We then plot the average value on a scale of 0 to 255 to get the intensity (0 = Darkest, 255 = Brightest). Based on threshold value of 180 and delta (change in intensity) value of 20 percent we decide whether to power up the app or not.
The app contains the entire series of HTSE watches and it also allows users to “try” the watch virtually, which I thought was a clever idea. The picture above shows my hairy wrist with a HSTE watch.
Refreshing
The “solar powered app concept” is a refreshing way to communicate Titan’s new solar powered features. First, creating an app that loads only with a light source nicely illustrates the watch’s core functionality. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also a good PR gimmick. The app is also available on Facebook which makes sharing a breeze, so it should help Titan reach a whole new group of potential customers
Somprabh Singh, the senior manager marketing at Titan, remarked:
…to capture any mind space of the youth today requires a high level of engagement and there’s no place better than their mobile phones and social media to do that. This is why we created exclusive apps on mobile and Facebook, which not only showcases the entire HTSE collection but also gives the user an opportunity to try out the watches virtually, hence creating engagement.
The developers who built the apps are the good folks at KRDS India, so our compliments go out to the chefs there. Give the app a try and let us know what you think about it: iPhone | Android | Facebook
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