With the launch of his new album, Battle Studies, John Mayer wanted to be “disruptive;” he wanted to take advantage of the latest technology while blurring the boundaries between music and new media in order to spread his art. He yearned to find a way of connecting with fans that extended beyond just listening to a track or watching a music video.

Mayer’s management team contact Blitz directly in search of a ground breaking, interactive concept that would give life to Mayer’s vision. Blitz decided to produce an Augmented Reality (AR) music video for Mayer’s single “Heartbreak Warfare” and teamed up with Adobe® to deliver it via Adobe® Flash® Player and FLARToolKit.

AR interaction operates by holding a printed symbol, or “glyph,” in front of a webcam. In this video, the glyph is a broken heart. “Viewers” are then turned into “users” as they experience both real-world reality and a computer-generated “augmented” reality that they control. In “Heartbreak Warfare,” the visual rich, 3-D imaging provides an immersive illustration of the emotional changes sung by Mayer as users spin, rotate or flip his virtual world upside-down.

Both Blitz and Mayer recognize society’s constant search for exciting technology and thrilling experiences. With the use of AR, Mayer can attract new listeners and appeal to existing ones that don’t ordinarily purchase his music, all while transcending traditional marketing techniques and the separation of art and science.