Lucky Charms: Chase For The Charms

A 50-Year-Old Cereal Mascot Gets an AR Update

Nearly half of Lucky Charms consumption comes from adults. TV had gotten mixed results reaching them. So instead of another commercial, we built the chase itself — an augmented reality app that let grown-ups actually do the thing they'd been watching animated kids do on TV for 50 years: chase Lucky for his charms.

The app launched on St. Patrick's Day, combining AR with first-person video to immerse players in the hunt. Hold up your phone in whatever room you're in, find the charms, capture them. Each one unlocked instant-win prizes — a personal cereal dispenser, t-shirts, or the chance to be animated into a national Lucky Charms TV commercial. Grand prize: $10,000 in actual gold. We also produced cinematic trailers for YouTube and Facebook that played like mock action movies — obsessive "chasers" who'd been tracking Lucky for years, played completely straight.

This arrived at a pivotal moment when CPG brands were figuring out how to use augmented reality meaningfully. The experience tapped into nostalgia while demonstrating AR's potential beyond gimmickry—proving the technology could create genuine engagement when paired with strong brand storytelling and real incentives.

Impact: Lucky Charms' first-ever app. FWA Mobile of the Day. Featured as a case study in Saatchi & Saatchi's O'Reilly-published book Mobile Magic. Coverage from Marketing Dive, Digiday, The Washington Post, and Augmented Reality News. Facebook following grew by 10,000+ in the campaign's first week.

Role: Concept, Creative Direction, Art Direction, Design