Augmented reality is ripe for use and should have a role in creative marketing campaigns
Words Jamie Tolentino | as it appeared in adobo magazine’s May/June 2013 issue
I’ve always been a fan of augmented reality (AR) and its potential. Unfortunately, in the past few years, one too many AR apps lost their appeal for me because of poor execution. The apps either took too long to recognize an image, too long to download the 3D overlay, or just didn’t really enhance the experience that much.
However, my perception regarding AR changed after sitting down with Qualcomm’s Jay Wright and Julian Harris to talk about how their AR platform, Vuforia, can deliver good AR experiences. It comes with good image recognition capabilities, ability to scale images to fi t into the real world and text recognition. Apparently, they use a lot of low cost labor (robots) to check the robustness of the image recognition capabilities to ensure that when there is low lighting or a crinkle in the paper, the AR app will still work.
They told me that, from a marketing standpoint, their platform has been used to develop AR experiences for visualization, shopping convenience and enhancing the product experience.
Visualization
Visualization is the most common case to make for using AR, where you scan an item and an image or 3D experience pops up to bring it to life. When poorly executed, this can leave the user feeling disappointed but when done right can leave the user fully engaged and in awe.
An example of a good rendition is a Science Museum app that shows James May in 3D talking as if he was in the Science Museum with you, making for a really compelling experience. You can also print a marker and see him pop up on the marker when you download the app.
Shopping convenience
AR apps can be used to enhance the shopping experience by bringing brochures to life or using displays in store. Ballard, for instance, allows you to scan a product in the catalogue and add to your cart as if you’re shopping online. The convenience of connecting the physical catalogue to a digital checkout system may lead to increased sales.
Enhancing product experience
Finally, AR can become part of the product itself. Band-Aid Magic Vision lets characters from The Muppets pop out of the band- aid and play with the kids, distracting them from the fact that they’re hurt.
So, the next time you have the chance to develop a creative marketing campaign, be sure to at least consider AR in your list of channels for execution. The technology is fi nally ripe and ready to use at your disposal, helping to increase the engagement of your target market.
