Eyewear giant Ray-Ban and tech company Meta have been partners since 2019, initially coming out with the Ray-Ban Stories before announcing the upgraded Ray-Ban Meta. A few years later, the Ray-Ban Meta remains one of the most popular wearable techs in the market.
Most recently, the smart glasses enjoyed its moment at the Super Bowl LIX, thanks to a star-studded ad directed by Matthew Vaughn (Snatch, Kick-Ass, Kingsman: The Secret Service, X-Men: First Class). The 30-second ad featured actors Chris Pratt and Chris Hemsworth and Kris Jenner. In the ad, Chris Pratt asks the Ray-Ban Meta’s built-in AI assistant about a real-life artwork. Banana-eating chaos ensues, and Kris Jenner closes the ad by menacingly asking Meta to call her lawyer.
The 30-second ad was released ahead of Super Bowl 59, but Pratt and Hemsworth appear in two more 15-second and 30-second clips promoting the glasses’ AI and camera features, although only one of them appeared during the big game.
Of course, for people who don’t tune into the annual Super Bowl for good ol’ football, the league championship is all about the iconic halftime shows and wacky ads — including Gordon Ramsey’s out-of-the-world cookware ad for HexClad, featuring Pete Davidson as an “alien ambassador”.
The Ray-Ban Meta’s snappy and witty Super Bowl moment, combined with the charm of the two Marvel stars, is part of Ray-Ban and Meta’s initiative to standardize the smart glasses as daily wear, bridging both style and high-tech function.
The Ray-Ban Meta
Released in 2023, the Ray-Ban Meta is a direct sequel to the Ray-Ban Stories. The model update featured camera upgrades and new frame designs, as well as the introduction of the built-in Meta AI assistant that wearers can use for queries, translations, and other concerns.
Design-wise, the Ray-Ban Meta (and its predecessor Stories) uses well-known prescription sunglasses designs from Ray-Ban, including the Wayfarer, Headliner, and most recently, Skyler. By using these popular designs – which can be seen on Clearly – Meta ensures the smart glasses aren’t intimidating or too techy for the general public. In fact, using timeless designs like the Wayfarer ensures the smart glasses still appeal to hip and younger generations. In fact, the models worn by both Chris Pratt and Chris Hemsworth in the Super Bowl ads are the sleek, Wayfarer frames.
Future Ray-Ban Meta upgrades
The Super Bowl ads are a clear indication that Ray-Ban and Meta aren’t planning to slow down updates and developments to the smart glasses. Previously, Meta announced they were venturing into the AR glasses market. After introducing the Orion AR glasses, a secret project codenamed “Hypernova” is expected to be Meta’s next move in the smart glasses sector. Hypernova is said to be a higher-end product that includes a built-in display. The small display can then be used to pop up notifications or responses from Meta’s AI assistant.
At the same time, Meta has also announced a potential pair of sporty smart glasses under the Oakley brand. Like Ray-Ban, Oakley is one of many eyewear brands under French-Italian giant EssilorLuxottica. Meta’s continued commitment to the smart glasses sector over the years has kept it ahead of competitors, although South Korean brand Samsung will also reportedly unveil its own smart glasses soon.
To keep up with the rise in competition, EssilorLuxottica plans to boost production capacity for its smart glasses products, in the hopes of expanding its collaboration with Meta and other eyewear brands. The company is set to expand its production capacity for Ray-Ban Meta to reach 10 million annual units by the end of 2026, and this can also be used for other smart glasses under the EssilorLuxottica brand.
Published by HOLR Magazine.