Featuring interactive virtual face paint and oversized glasses as a Makarapa in their team’s colours, users are able to experience effects when they smile or raise their eyebrows.
Proud Dzambukira, strategic platform partnerships manager, Facebook, says, "We have a great community of soccer fans on Facebook in South Africa, with more than five million Facebook page likes for Pirates and Chiefs teams combined."
Dzambukira adds, "With a vibrant developer and creative ecosystem in the country, we’re delighted that partners are eager to leverage our platform to create engaging experiences, offering people innovative ways to connect with the teams and events they love."
The effect uses Facebook's AR Studio, developed by Sea Monster, which enables developers and 3D artists to create animated frames, masks, and interactive effects that respond to motion or viewer actions.
Glenn Gillis, managing director at Sea Monster, says, "Watching soccer is deeply audio-visual experience, which makes it a great fit for Facebook’s augmented reality technology. This is a great way to extend the match experience for people at home or in the stadium as they watch South Africa’s fiercest soccer rivals in action."
Mtunzi Jonas, head of sponsorship at ABSA adds, "We are always looking for new ways to connect with the country’s soccer fans, and this innovation from Facebook offers a fun and interesting way for football fans all over the country to enrich their soccer experience and make it better."
How to use the effect:
- Participants can swipe left on their Facebook newsfeed to open the new Facebook camera;
- They can then tap on the magic wand icon to bring up the tray of effects for the camera; and
- Select the mask of their favourite team, and capture an image or video.
For more information, visit www.absa.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.
*Image courtesy of ABSA