Bertish and Company Ltd, the creator and owner of
children’s character brand Zuma the Dog, is thrilled to announce their new
partnership with US augmented reality tech company XR Goods, bringing their new
branded merchandise into the world of wearable tech.
This new partnership will bring Bertish and Company’s
character Zuma the Dog to life with a 2D animation of their dog character, which
can be accessed through a scannable logo on their specially designed apparel
collection. The AR platform is designed without the need for heavy downloads
onto devices or email logins, keeping it light and easy to enjoy and once scanned a welcome page will pop up and the user will
then be able to play a game with Zuma. The narrative is still under
development, though the team do know the story will be age appropriate, have an educational theme, and
give the user a complete immersive experience with Zuma, including the
opportunity to be photographed with him.
“We are beyond excited for this project and Zuma the
Dog’s future in media entertainment,” said Samantha Bertish, brand creator. “Wearable
tech is something I have had a keen interest in for many years and this project
answers our question of how best we can combine children’s media entertainment
and apparel in an easy, affordable and fun way. We also look forward to developing this AR experience into other Zuma the Dog product catagories.”
As Bertish and Company continue to push Zuma the Dog’s message of tolerance, anti-bullying, and diversity education into the
world, this cutting-edge balance between fashion and technology can help get
their message across in exciting ways that relate directly to their core
audience. Still in animation development stage, Bertish and Company
expect to see it’s first wearable tech available to buy before the end of 2022
and invite retailers to contact the brand with their interest to stock this
exciting new range in their stores.
The project also includes Bertish and Company’s joint venture
company Zuma the Dog and Friends Edutainment Ltd, where all the new character
IP is held for their forth coming animated series and other children’s media
entertainment. These characters will be developed into AR characters for
wearable tech as the Zumaverse expands.
Brand creator of Zuma the Dog and company director
Samantha Bertish made an exciting visit to their second concession store at Pop
Up Leatherhead in Surrey last week. Working closely with Mole Valley District
Council, the Pop-up Leatherhead initiative is the second in a series of shops
oraganised by The Pop-Up Shop Agents that aims to bring small brands into the
high street who wouldn’t necessarily have the opportunity. With a bright, modern
interior, the shop creators bring a luxury feel to their customers shopping
experience and, by bringing in exciting new brands it aims to increase footfall
to rejuvenate high streets after what has been a devastating blow to many
established high street brands over the past years.
After the success of the Horsham store at the end of
2021 Zuma the Dog will be appearing in the new Leatherhead
shop for the next three months, bringing his usual bright and happy products
with him. Samantha Bertish spent the day in store to meet the shop managers,
check on products and make sure everything in their concession conformed to all
company branding. The shopping experience remains the same as Zuma the Dog
combines conventional shopping with tech demands and with an exciting new website
set to launch in the next month, the brand expects to grow with new licensed on
demand products via its online and bricks and mortar shopping experiences.
“This store looks amazing, bright and modern.” Said
Bertish. “The High Street location brings a lot of footfall and I can already
see people’s interests are peaked by the store front and window display. It was
lovely to spend the day with the store managers and other concession licensees,
getting to know them and other products in store with Zuma. I’m also proud to
be able to be a part of this initiative for a second time. I’m so grateful to The
Pop-Up Shop Agents for all their hard work in bringing this project to life. Can’t
wait to get stuck in with the next Pop-Up Shop project , wherever that may be.”
The
New Pop-Up Leatherhead shop opened in The Swan Center on the 18th
March, and Zuma the Dog will be available to visit in store over the next 3 months.
For
licensees who want to collaborate with Zuma the Dog on new products for the
shop and new website, please contact Brand Manager Sarah Ann Camp at sarah@contagiousmediagroup.com