Dionisio Gómez of Equilibrio Agency: “Technology Should Serve a Clear Brand Purpose, Not Just Follow Trends”

Venezuelan agency Equilibrio Agency has developed an augmented reality experience for cereal brand Maizoritos, transforming traditional point-of-sale interactions into an immersive digital adventure designed to strengthen consumer engagement and extend the brand’s presence beyond the physical shopping environment.

The initiative invites consumers to rescue the brand’s character from a net, take a selfie with it, and share the experience on social media. By combining entertainment, gamification, and technology, the campaign seeks to turn everyday shopping moments into opportunities for meaningful brand interaction.

According to Dionisio Gómez, Executive Director of Equilibrio Agency, the project emerged from Maizoritos’ need to stand out in the cereal category while creating a more dynamic and emotionally engaging relationship with consumers.

“At Equilibrio Agency, we understand that it’s not about developing technology just because it’s trendy, but about growing a brand’s presence with a clear purpose,” Gómez explained.

The concept builds on the personality of Maizoritos’ adventurous, beach-loving character, who finds himself trapped in a net. Consumers become the heroes of the story by helping him escape, creating an immediate sense of urgency, empathy, and accomplishment.

For Gómez, this interactive approach reflects a broader shift in consumer expectations, as audiences increasingly seek immersive and entertaining experiences rather than traditional one-way advertising messages.

One of the project’s main challenges was ensuring that the augmented reality experience remained accessible, intuitive, and easy to use directly from product packaging and retail locations.

To achieve this, Equilibrio Agency developed a WebAR solution that allows consumers to access the experience by scanning a QR code or opening a link, without downloading an additional application.

The technical development involved creating and animating a 3D character, designing the net and rescue mechanics, and optimizing file sizes to ensure smooth performance across different smartphones and mobile network conditions.

“The main technical challenge for Equilibrio Agency was ensuring a fast-loading WebAR experience that required no prior app download and worked smoothly on standard mobile browsers,” Gómez said.

The agency also designed a simple interface that enables users to understand the interaction, rescue the character, and activate the selfie feature without lengthy instructions.

Beyond the technological innovation, the selfie component plays a central role in the campaign’s strategy. By allowing consumers to capture personalized images with the character, Maizoritos encourages organic sharing across social platforms and personal networks, extending the experience from the retail environment into the digital world.

Gómez explained that the objective was to create a closer relationship between consumers and the character while reinforcing the brand’s longstanding message of companionship.

“By allowing users to take a selfie with the character, a personalized memory is created that encourages them to share it on their own initiative through social media or with family and friends,” he noted.

This approach creates a phygital experience, connecting physical and digital touchpoints while transforming consumers into organic brand ambassadors. Each shared image has the potential to expand campaign visibility and strengthen brand recall beyond the initial purchase.

Although the initiative is still in its early stages, Equilibrio Agency has already reported encouraging engagement results. Within just a few weeks of launch, the experience generated 143,000 views, more than 82,000 active users, and 359,000 recorded interactions.

“Although this is just beginning, only a couple of weeks after launch, at Equilibrio Agency we are already seeing our vision reflected in the numbers,” Gómez said.

The agency believes the project represents an important step in strengthening Maizoritos’ positioning within Venezuela’s cereal market by introducing a differentiated proposition centered on digital innovation and interactive entertainment.

According to Gómez, augmented reality also creates opportunities for brands to establish more dynamic, two-way communication with consumers, transforming packaging and retail spaces into interactive channels that remain relevant beyond the moment of purchase.

The experience could pave the way for future initiatives, including seasonal interactive campaigns, gamified loyalty programs, AR collectibles, and evolving brand narratives.

For Equilibrio Agency, the Maizoritos project demonstrates how creativity and technology can work together to transform traditional consumer touchpoints into participatory experiences, strengthening emotional connections while creating new opportunities for brands to engage audiences in an increasingly digital marketplace.