Software

Hologram offers Jon Bon Jovi fans a selfie experience

The hologram selfie opportunity is being touted as the first ever rock and roll hologram selfie experience by Superfan.live which tapped Proto Hologram and HIFI Labs to create the life-size Jon Bon Jovi hologram.

Photo: Proto

July 20, 2026 by Judy Mottl — Editor: RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com, Connect Media

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Who wouldn't want to see Jon Bon Jovi up close and personal and snag a selfie?

The iconic rock star is still going strong after 51 years (he formed his first band at 13) and is in the midst of an international tour, the Bon Jovi: Forever Tour, that kicked off July 7 for nine concerts New York City and concludes September 9 with shows in England and Ireland.

Yet it's very unlikely many fans, even those 'living on a prayer,' will get anything close to a personal encounter with Jovi, best known as the founder and frontman of official rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. The 64-year-old has released 16 studio albums with his band as well as two solo albums.

But some, specifically those attending his NYC concert appearances, will get to grab a selfie thanks to hologram technology in place at Madison Square Garden.

A first-ever hologram experience

In fact, the selfie opportunity is being touted as the first ever rock and roll hologram selfie experience by Superfan.live which tapped Proto Hologram and HIFI Labs to create the life-size hologram available at the NYC Madison Square Garden shows.

Proto is a hologram communications and AI spatial compute platform active in healthcare, education, retail, sports and entertainment.

A Jon Bon Jovi hologram isn't new. His hologram presence has appeared in Proto Hologram form at his 2024 MusicCares Person of the Year tribute concert, and at his own restaurant JBJ's in Nashville, according to a press release. Proto is a hologram communications and AI spatial compute platform active in healthcare, education, retail, sports and entertainment.

The selfie experience, according to David Nussbaum, founder and chairman of Proto Hologram, is more than just a concert souvenir as given the inherent sense of fun when you take a selfie with a hero.

"The Proto selfie brand experiences are something the fans can become part of, not just look at. The magic is that the celebrity is actually taking the selfie with you from their own phone, inside the Proto hologram display," Nussbaum said in an email interview. "Fans used to have to stand next to a cardboard cutout but now they can interact with a life-size interactive hologram that feels like it's sharing the moment with them. Seconds later, that personalized photo is delivered to their phone via QR code."

For the rock brand it's a powerful marketing and social technology.

"After the fan experiences it, they share it. So the fan gets to participate in rare experience and the brand gets the extra marketing value," said Nussbaum. "It creates a genuine emotional moment that's fun, memorable, and social media friendly. So the fans and the brands both get something out of it."

The hologram evolution

Just a few years ago holograms were getting attention due to the technology aspect and the big question was 'what is this.'

Now, said Nussbaum, the attention to holograms is centered on creative and unique ways to use holograms for customized needs.

One reason is that consumers – shoppers, concert fans, sports fans – are much more comfortable, and interested, in interacting with AI technology.

Yet they still want and crave an authentic connection, said Nussbaum.

"Proto's hologram technology sits right in the middle of those two worlds. Whether it's Jon Bon Jovi concerts, Howie Mandel at Skechers, or another celebrity or spokesperson for another brand, people love experiences that also feel personal," he said.

After all, fans are all about integrating and creating content with celebrities.

"With Proto, fans can walk away with an experience they can instantly share. That's why these experiences resonate so strongly," said Nussbaum.

About Judy Mottl

Judy Mottl is the editor of RetailCustomerExperience.com and DigitalSignageToday.com at Connect Media. She is an award-winning editor, reporter and blogger who has worked for top media for nearly four decades, including AOL, InformationWeek and Internet News, as well as for leading technology providers including HP. She’s written everything from breaking news to in-depth industry trends and reported on technology long before the internet arrived, including the debut of the first smartphone. When she's not sharing insights on digital signage deployments and trends in retail customer experience she's on the beach or watching the latest live murder trial.

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