Quirky Japanese confectioners La famille has come up with a new ‘spin’ on the popular baumkuchen cakes (also known as spit or baum cakes).
Advertised in its café/restaurant in Takamatsu on Shikoku Island as a ‘unique gift item’, the musical Augmented Reality (AR) cakes come in the form of a vinyl record.
Called ‘Baum Records’ the product consists of a dark chocolate and black cocoa flavored base and is made in the shape of a traditional vinyl LP.
What is AR?
AR or Augmented Reality is an interactive experience of a real world environment whose characteristics are ‘augmented’ by layers of digital data appearing over the image of reality on the screen of a smartphone or tablet. Examples of this are the popular mobile game Pokémon Go and the global app Snapchat and their fun, quirky filters.
However, the quirky visual of this Japanese treat is not all that lies in store when buying the product.
When consumers download the COCOAR2 iOS or Android app they will see a visual of the cake spinning as if a real record, a song will sound and a special message will appear on the screen.
AR (see panel) is a concept never seen in confectionery products before. The song, message and packaging can be changed and personalized for different occasions, such as birthdays or anniversaries.
The product, which was launched commercially in Japan after an internet money raising campaign, is on sale online for ¥1,800 ($16).
Although originating in Germany and Hungary baumkuchen cakes, a traditional style of dessert, has been popular in Japan for many years.