Best Branded AR Filters in January | AR Marketing Selection January

We can confidently say that the year started strong, with brands seizing the full power of Snapchat for their campaigns, closely followed by TikTok. Both platforms showcased their full potential, offering Try-On experiences, interactive quizzes, AR games, and more, making many marketing strategies more personalised and interesting than ever before.

In January, many luxury brands—such as Jimmy Choo, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Dior—embraced Augmented Reality, making their communication more approachable and tailored to a younger audience, transforming their signature elegant designs into 3D animations.

But while the luxury sector impressed us with its visually stunning creations, there is still much to uncover in other industries. Beauty, entertainment, music, sports, and more utilized Augmented Reality to connect directly with users, inviting them to actively engage and participate in their campaigns.

The Puppy Bowl by Animal Planet

Not a fan of traditional sports events? We might have just the thing for you: The Puppy Bowl, organized by Animal Planet, is an annual television event that recreates the excitement of football championships—like the Super Bowl—but swaps out the players for adorable puppies.

To promote the 2025 Puppy Bowl, Animal Planet collaborated with Paula Casado to bring the annual celebrations straight to TikTok, inviting users to get to know the teams and cheer for their favourite players through custom AR Effects. With those experiences, fans could choose their team and player to join the game or, much like AR activations in other sports, rank the players from the best to least favourite, getting even more involved in the event.

Daft Punk’s Interstella 5555

While Daft Punk is no stranger to incorporating AR in their campaigns, the Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem reaches even further. The short movie, directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi and supervised by Leiji Matsumoto, was originally created as a music video for Discovery, Daft Punk’s second studio album. Now, years after the movie’s premiere in 2003, the story told with Daft Punk’s music is still alive.

Promoting the one-time cinema screening of the films in cinemas worldwide, Daft Punk invited its fans to try the AI-powered Snapchat Lens, transforming users into one of the characters from the movie. Realistic, animation-like aesthetics brought the iconic visuals of Interstella 5555 back into the modern age, allowing fans to engage with the story in a completely new way.

Moon Music by Coldplay

For the promotion of the Music of the Spheres Vol. II: Moon Music album, Coldplay reached for Snapchat, allowing fans to embrace the ethereal theme of the album with a dedicated AR Lens.

Powered by Artificial Intelligence, the experience transforms user and their surroundings with dreamy aesthetics in the album’s style. This interactive experience not only allows fans to dive deeper into the album’s theme but also provides them with a new way to connect with the music and other fans, offering a truly immersive experience that blends sound and visuals.

Dune: Prophecy by MAX

Following the success of Dune: Part II, earlier in 2024, the Dune: Prophecy, streaming on MAX, gained an impressive number of fans in just a few days. The TV series, following the story of Two Harkonnen sisters fighting forces that threaten the future of humankind, still enjoys a popular fanbase even months after the premiere, with fans wanting to connect online.

MAX turned to Augmented Reality to boost this engagement, launching a dedicated Snapchat Lens that allows users to immerse themselves in the Dune: Prophecy. With this interactive experience, fans can step into the show—whether by testing their powers or joining the Sisterhood to deliver the next world-changing prophecy—and share their snaps with the community.

This January was a good way to start the year. From luxury fashion to entertainment, brands showcased how to redefine audience engagement, allowing users to step into their favourite worlds, try on iconic styles, and connect with other fans through engaging experiences.

And yet, this is just the beginning. In the coming months, we can expect new trends, features, and platforms to emerge, pushing the boundaries of AR marketing and creating even more innovative ways for brands to interact with their audiences.

Stay tuned for next month’s selection as we track the latest trends and the most exciting branded AR activations shaping the future of marketing. 🚀