Warner Bros. Conjures 'The Nun' Snapchat AR Lens to Scare Up Ticket Sales

The latest sponsored augmented reality experience on Snapchat from a movie studio might be its scariest — and perhaps most popular — yet.

The Sponsored Lens, purchased by Warner Bros. to promote the new The Nun horror movie, uses background segmentation to provide a mostly darkened front-facing camera view. Users are asked to blow out the virtual candle in the foreground, an action that's detected via facial cues by Snapchat.

Warner Bros. Conjures 'The Nun' Snapchat AR Lens to Scare Up Ticket Sales — *Images via Snap*

The smoke from the candle transforms into the titular apparition behind the user and, if that wasn't scary enough, the ghostly woman of the cloth then pops up in the foreground view. Yay, jump scares!

The experience previously ran in 20 other markets before expanding to the US and France. Based on the reaction on Twitter, the Lens has achieved its intended impact by generating some buzz.

Despite the increasing traction of Snapchat AR marketing, it's not the exclusive province for promoting films using AR experiences. In fact, for this movie, it isn't even the only immersive experience used to promote the film, as Warner Bros. has also published a VR trailer (see video below).

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However, Snapchat's technical innovations on the platform enable it to offer uniquely-interactive experiences, such as the use of background segmentation and facial cues for The Nun Lens.

Moreover, the company makes a strong case with data that it is an effective platform for spreading brand messages. According to a Snap spokesperson, Sponsored Lenses average 10 to 15 seconds of playtime before they are shared with others. The company also asserts that brands benefit from an average 19 percentage point lift in ad awareness, a six point lift in brand awareness, and a 3.4 point lift in action intent from Sponsored Lenses.

This latest Sponsored Lens is targeted to demographics selected by Warner Bros., so if you don't see it in the Snapchat carousel, you can just scan the Snapcode below to unlock it for yourself.