Digital is a relentlessly evolving arena, and now more than ever before we are constantly bombarded with the latest technique or technology that could potentially add real value to a brand, be it through its uniqueness, ROI prospect, or usefulness.
Augmented Reality is one of those interesting developments that, although still in its early stages of development and limited exploitation, has already seen a buzz of excitement surrounding its impending uses and vision of creating an exciting and immersive future.
Understand the audience
One of the great things about AR is that there isn’t really a learning curve for the user. Although generally seen as a media for a young, technology savvy target audience, AR is in fact an intuitive method of interaction, so the main obstacle to overcome is the perception of technology. AR applications are a perfect way to connect consumers with a brand, with the technology just providing users with the ability to control their experience. Currently online AR applications rely on the user having a webcam, and that they are able to download and run the software. AR isn’t right for every brand, nor is it the right answer to every brief. The fundamentals of targeting the right audience hold firmer more than ever.
While digital marketing's current obsession with AR runs the risk of over-saturation, and the likelihood that this could exhaust consumers, the benefit of today's applications, however useless they may seem, are acclimatising the general public to the technology and a future of 3D interaction. If you look at how we have been developing user interfaces combined with virtual world theory, whether it’s for everyday actions or the process-intensive activities, it becomes obvious that 3D is the future of interaction.
Appreciate the opportunities within the marketplace
Clever thinking will always lead to the development of an effective idea so it’s important to think about how AR can work on a personal level as there’s an element of play involved. AR can help you showcase a product, or highlight specific details, in a very original and interactive way. Bringing interactivity into the retail space is a massive opportunity. AR applications installed in public places, or behind a shop window, can help create traffic. Within this space AR can then bring a product to life having the customer pick up a product and show it to a screen where they can see themselves holding a virtual 3D moving entity on its surface. AR can also help create an engaging experience at live events by bringing life, dimension, entertainment, and interactivity to a presentation by enriching it with 3D content to a group audience.
Never forget the brand experience
Understand the difference between ‘buzz’ and being ‘useful’ is crucial. Like most advancements within the digital sphere, AR currently holds a ‘wow’ factor, so there are immediate opportunities to be first to market with an engaging idea. But to become a game changer you have to think about initiatives that will turn it into a useful medium. In order to create a truly impressive and interactive experience that adds value and engages the user, AR should be about making the world around us more accessible and practical using the medium of technology.
Return on innovation
The physical and digital worlds are colliding, and you need to be inspired by how they are coming together, changing communication and creating new opportunities for brands and customers to interact. And that’s where AR becomes a really interesting concept. AR offers a completely sublime, entertaining and immersive experience that can deliver high impact dynamic content and interactivity on demand. Content that responds to the physical movements of the audience and engages them in true brand interaction means that a brand can become the subject of brand play, giving unprecedented brand name recall, enormous purchase intent, and message delivery recall.
Author: Stephen Beasley, Head of Digital Strategy, Euro RSCG KLP