The Magic of The FA Cup

LONDON, April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Getting your hands on The FA Cup might be easier than you think, as a new app brings the official trophy to virtual 3D life.

FA Cup sponsor Budweiser has teamed up with Aurasma, the world's leading augmented reality platform, to put the trophy in the hands of fans across the UK.

The Budweiser Man of the Match app, which already allows football fans to vote for their Man of the Match, browse upcoming fixtures and access match stats in real time, has added the augmented reality function ahead of the semi finals in its quest to bring The FA Cup closer to fans.

Smartphone and tablet users simply point their device at promotional Budweiser beer mats to see The FA Cup magically appear in 3D, custom created with the official trophy – video available here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bLfD6YPppc

Iain Newell, Budweiser European Marketing Director, comments: "Part of Budweiser's mission as FA Cup sponsor is to bring the famous trophy closer to the fans. The collaboration with Aurasma literally puts the trophy in the hands of football fans across the world and builds added anticipation for the final stages of the competition."

Martina King, Managing Director at Aurasma, comments: "We're delighted to partner with Budweiser in the lead up to one of the world's great sporting occasions. By integrating Aurasma's cutting edge technology, the app brings to life the magic of The FA Cup in an entirely new way. Finally, fans can get their hands on some silverware, whether or not their team performs on the day!"

The Budweiser Man of the Match app can be downloaded for free at the Apple App Store and at Google Play (formerly Android Marketplace). The app is available to consumers aged 18 and above.

For further information or editorial images please contact the Aurasma and Budweiser  press office at Mischief on 0203 128 6600 or [email protected] / [email protected]

Links to Editors

Virtual 3D FA Cup 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bLfD6YPppc

Budweiser MOTM (App Store) 
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/fa-cup-budweiser-man-match/id484526767?mt

Budweiser MOTM (Google Play) 
http://bit.ly/HAsNDk

Aurasma (App Store):   
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/aurasma-lite/id432526396?mt=8

Aurasma (Google Play):   
http://bit.ly/tHibPU

Notes to Editors

Budweiser and its parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) has  a vast heritage in football including partnerships with the FIFA World Cup, the Copa America, a number of local leagues, tournaments across the world and, of course, The FA Cup. 

About Anheuser-Busch InBev

Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with an American Depositary Receipt secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). It is the leading global brewer and one of the world's top five consumer products companies. Beer, the original social network, has been bringing people together for thousands of years and our portfolio of well over 200 beer brands continues to forge strong connections with consumers. We invest the majority of our brand-building resources on our Focus Brands - those with the greatest growth potential such as global brands Budweiser®, Stella Artois® and Beck's®, alongside Leffe®, Hoegaarden®, Bud Light®, Skol®, Brahma®, Antarctica®, Quilmes®, Michelob Ultra®, Harbin®, Sedrin®, Klinskoye®, Sibirskaya Korona®, Chernigivske®, Hasseroder® and Jupiler®. In addition, the company owns a 50 percent equity interest in the operating subsidiary of Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer and owner of the global Corona® brand. AB InBev's dedication to heritage and quality originates from a brewing tradition dating back to 1366 and the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery, with origins in St. Louis, USA since 1852. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, AB InBev leverages the collective strengths of its approximately 116,000 employees based in operations in 23 countries worldwide. In 2011, AB InBev realized 39.0 billion US dollar revenue. The company strives to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World. For more information, please visit: www.ab-inbev.com.

AB InBev UK Ltd is the trading subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev in the UK.  For more information www.ab-inbev.co.uk 

About Man of the Match

The voting period in each FA Cup match commences at the beginning of the second half and expires at the end of the 86th minute of each FA Cup match.

An individual may only vote for one man of the match across all matches played during any one Voting Period.

The criteria for voting should be based on the player who shows the most skill and has the best performance out of the players on the pitch during the FA Cup match.

In the event that voters fail to comply with these criteria, the promoter reserves the right during televised matches for Octagon Worldwide Ltd to exercise an overriding vote.

Subject to the above, the fan vote will comprise 100% of the total vote for man of the match in respect of both televised and non-televised FA Cup matches. The man of the match will be announced in the stadium where the FA Cup Match is being played (as well as on television if the FA Cup match is televised) after the 87th minute.
Over 18s only  
www.drinkaware.co.uk

ABOUT AURASMA

Aurasma is the world's first visual browser – a new augmented reality technology that merges the physical world with the virtual. Available as a free app for newer iPhones, iPads and high-powered Android devices or as a free kernel for developers, Aurasma uses advanced image and pattern recognition to recognise and understand real-world images and objects in much the same way as the human brain does. It then seamlessly blends the real-world with rich interactive content such as videos and animations called "Auras". Auras can be created for printed images, product packaging, clothing, physical places and users can even use the app to create and share their own. Since its launch in June 2011, Aurasma has had more than three million downloads.  Over 3,500 partners in markets including retail, fashion, sport, automotive, consumer electronics, entertainment, advertising and publishing are using the free technology in their campaigns, on their products or embedding the technology in their own applications.  Aurasma was developed by and is part of software company Autonomy – an HP Company.

SOURCE Aurasma