John Lewis unleashed its Christmas marketing campaign on the country this morning, catapulting Monty the penguin to national stardom in the process.
As part of this, the department store giant has also announced Monty's Magical Toy Machine,' a 3D experience using Microsoft Kinect 2 technology that will be available at the Oxford Street store over the Christmas period.
The interactive experience will use the console technology to bring children's toys to life', with Microsoft's photogrammetry technology, which sees a digital version of the toy appear on screen, dancing and interacting with children.
Owen Sagness, general manager at Microsoft Advertising and online, said: "Our collaboration with John Lewis combines the best of brilliant technology and innovation to expand consumer engagement beyond the boundaries of a traditional advertising campaign.
"Our team isn't afraid to try new things, test the limits of what's technologically possible today and apply their expertise to help brands really bring their campaigns to life in ways they may never have considered."
The venture, developed by the John Lewis Innovation Team, Adam and Eve and Manning Gottlieb OMD alongside Microsoft, will support the rest of John Lewis' wider Christmas marketing campaign.
It has been launched at the same time as their annual seasonal advert, and will run until 23 December.
Craig Inglis, director of marketing at John Lewis, added: "Each year we look for new ways to amplify our Christmas campaign, and creating Monty's Magical Toy Machine with Microsoft is one of our most exciting ideas yet. I hope this unique experience will bring the magic of Christmas to life for our Oxford Street customers, both young and old alike."
