Top Five Ways AR is Impacting Marketing and Advertising
By
Jason Yim
Enter Real Environments – Marketers can allow their audiences to use AR to enter real environments via their mobile device. By providing users with a completely immersive 360 degree view, they can get closer to the world that the marketer would like to present. From stadiums, stores and hotel rooms to outdoor venues and even live concerts, AR will help bring consumers closer than ever to the brands they love. An example can be seen at: triggerglobal.com/work/vuforia-tango-keynote
Bring the Brand to Life – By using AR, companies can “overlay” their experience directly into the real world of the consumer, delivering a new level of interaction and opportunity. When consumers can see their favorite brands and characters right in their own, familiar environments, it provides a deep connection, which can lead to increased brand engagement. For example, prior to the release of The Last Jedi, fans were able to go to major landmarks around the world, such as the Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge and Niagara Falls and see a life-sized Star Destroyer in AR hovering above. An example can be seen at: triggerglobal.com/work/star-wars-landmark-ar
A New Level of Social Media Engagement – Brands are always seeking ways to increase their social media engagement with their followers and fans. AR presents a powerful tool to deliver unique experience, visuals and videos that encourage social creation and sharing. Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are already using AR to provide new tools for their users. The more content a brand can provide to its fans, the more buzz it can potentially secure on social media. An example can be seen at: triggerglobal.com/work/Snapchat-lens-studio-partner
Using Location-Based Experiences for Marketing – From retail store and restaurants to hotels and concert venues, many businesses still rely on foot traffic to be successful. By adding AR to the businesses’ marketing mix, they can develop compelling content to bring consumers to their location. These location-based experiences can utilize the existing location’s footprint and add a new layer of interactivity, content and personalization. By providing unique experiences, such as AR photos with the brands images or compelling games that use the location as the “playing field,” brands can bring in traffic while separating themselves from the competition. An example can be seen at: triggerglobal.com/work/disney-resorts-sw-rebels
Keeping a Brand Fresh – Any brand can create an app, website or Facebook page, but the challenge is developing fresh content to bring consumers back. AR presents the opportunity to deliver something new and exciting to consumers, while also allowing marketers to continually update the experience, so that consumers will want to see what is next and new. We are still in the early stages of AR being used for marketing and advertising, but some brands have already done amazing things and the future is bright. An example can be seen at: triggerglobal.com/work/nba-ar-app
Jason Yim is the CEO and Executive Creative Director of Trigger – The Mixed Reality Agency with offices in Los Angeles and Aarhus, Denmark
