Editorial Articles

I've loved what Augmented Reality can do from the moment I saw the BMW Z3 speeding across my desk last year. The very idea that things can exist before my eyes that don't truly exist, for me, is as close to Harry Potter's world as I am likely to get.

Even though the technology has been around a while there haven't been many truly useful applications found for it so far and I believe this technology has been limited by three factors:
 

• Uses for it
• Technology support
• Adoption by clients

Uses for it – there are so many applications for AR that have yet to be realised and I believe that with the mobile support it now has, this will become a new way of viewing data. It will become the conduit by which we view our real world through a digital AR layer.

Technology support – smartphones have 27% of the UK market and are predicted to grow by 33% year on year. As users become used to mobile digital engagement though their phone, digital displays, digital point of sale etc there will be more of an expectation of virtual interaction to access/filter/control/share their experiences instantly.

Adoption by clients – as you will see from the links below, application of the technology varies greatly. I think this is going to improve as agencies embrace AR and realise themselves that it’s not difficult. Currently it looks too expensive so we aren't talking to you about it, but we should be saying "well this is just perfect for AR and I can see a great ROI”.

Some of the best examples I have seen in the market and its various uses:

1. Brilliant use of tilt control to walk through levels on this game levelHead - Click here
2. One of the first interactive magazine covers for Popular Science – just think of your annual report - Click here
3. Interacting AR TOPPS cards the possibilities are endless - Click here
4. Want something more than just a boring business card? Here is the next generation - Click here
5. Sound combined with AR on a drum kit. I could lose hours of my life playing this - Click here
6. The best example of an AR business application for Priority Mail - Click here
7. The arguments stop here with an old but excellent idea for IKEA build instructions - Click here
8. If it's AR and smartphones you're interested in there is a great list of apps here - Click here
9. Great artwork makes this a roaring success for Night At The Museum 2 - Click here
10. And finally my favourite for its sheer genius using so many forms of interaction, real and digital, the Augmented Shadow - Click here

I believe that this is the future of digital data consumption

Content production has been the focus of brands for some time and as a result people are spending more time than ever before consuming digital content. But before we all drown in content, enabling tools that utilise location based services and social networking such as Foursquare and Gowalla have come to the market. These contextualise content based on when and where you are, which means information can be served to us rather than us looking for it. There is still a large amount of data to view and AR, I believe, is the conduit for delivering the information, overlapping our digital world with the real world.

So don’t be afraid of it; content is still king, but the delivery channels and technologies are shifting at breakneck speed. Get involved, get your audience involved, and deliver your content through AR.

Laurence Cornwall-Watkins
New Business Director, Bright Blue Day Digital