- Brian Morrissey

NEW YORK Following on the heels of 3-D commercials in the Super Bowl, Crest has launched its first foray into the technology with a Web site promoting its teeth-whitening system.
 
KissMeIn3D.com, created by Crest agency Digitas and production company Luxurious Animals, gives visitors a "customizable kissing experience." They choose whether they want to virtually smooch Olivia or Fernando, then choose from six styles -- ranging from steamy to cotton candy. The kissing experience includes 3-D special effects. After the makeout session, users are shown a commercial for Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal whitening system.
 
The catch: In order to see the Flash effects, users need 3-D glasses. Visitors to the site can still go through the experience, although it won't be as intense.
 
"The whole concept of Whitestrips is to give people the confidence to smile," said Heath Rudduck, executive creative director at Digitas. "We're looking to find a way to best demo the product attributes. It's something you need to demo before you understand the benefit."
 
The 3-D technology is used to create effects like steam, a shooting arrow and blown bubbles.
 
After the video actors demonstrate their kissing techniques, they remove the Whitestrips from their teeth. This is meant to address a concern many have with the product: not being able to go about their day-to-day activities wearing the strips.
 
The Procter & Gamble brand hopes to get out in front of a 3-D revival. Pepsi aired a 3-D spot on the Super Bowl for SoBe, and NBC aired an episode of Chuck in 3-D last night. Moviemakers, however, are leading the charge. Disney has four 3-D movies slated for release this year, including Monsters vs. Aliens, which was promoted in a 3-D spot on the Super Bowl. Titanic director James Cameron is shooting a 3-D film for release in December.
 
"We noticed there was a lot happening with 3-D," said Laura Brinker, a representative for Crest. "That was a relevant trend to latch onto. We thought we could bring the benefit of the product to life in a relevant way."
 
The hope is that enough consumers who visit KissMeIn3D.com already have 3-D glasses. Pepsi planned to distribute 125 million pairs, produced by Intel, before the Super Bowl. Crest is not distributing glasses.
 
"The nice thing about this technology is you're not going to have a disastrous experience without the glasses," said Rudduck.
 
Few Web sites have been built with true 3-D capabilities. Minneapolis agency Colle + McVoy produced a 3-D venue, requiring glasses, for the holidays at Snowdin.com.