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SPECS announced the appointment of Robert Downey Jr. as Chief Customer Experience Officer this weekend, along with a series of videos demonstrating the new SPECS AR glasses. The videos, and collaboration in general, come off as random. What does RDJ know about glasses? But looking into his filmography, this partnership hits close to home. The glasses build an augmented reality with a built-in computer system, bringing to life the technology Robert Downey Jr.’s character, Tony Stark, used in Iron Man and the Marvel Universe. It’s a rather sentimental, nostalgic marketing strategy; whether or not it’s an authentic pairing or marketing genius, it’s sweet.
“Trying is believing. Having tested practically every wearable tech that’s come to market in the last 20 years, and been largely unimpressed, I was absolutely sold on SPECS within 40 seconds… In short, it delivers on the promise of AR glasses made by a certain techno-optimist superhero I portrayed. Life imitates art-imitates life!” said Downey Jr.
In his new role, Downey Jr. will help customers understand the possibilities of AR technology, bringing a digital world alive. His deep belief that augmented reality can improve lives guides his choice to partner with SPECS, and he plans to bring people together with the technology. The videos paired with this announcement are entertaining and a little sci-fi. In one, called “Bediquette,” Downey Jr. watches a boxing match on his glasses without waking up his wife. It looks like a scene straight out of Iron Man and doesn’t feel quite real.
The entire collaboration feels interesting, especially considering the extensive backlash Meta has received for the Meta x Ray-Ban (The New York Times called them “Pervert glasses”). It looks like SPECS glasses aren’t as invasive, but it’s unclear how likely they are to connect people. Nevertheless, the content is entertaining, and Iron Man is back.
