Augmented Reality: A new advertising tool
If engaging your audience is important then augmented reality is something you should consider adding to your quiver of advertising tools. And, very importantly, recent improvements in the technology make it possible for much more modest budgets than in the past.
What if you were no longer confined to interacting with your computer using a brick on a string? What if your physical movements allowed you to be part of the experience? That future is much closer than you think with augmented reality.
So what is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality is best understood by seeing it. The video below is a good basic example from GE from January 2009.
GE Augmented Reality Demo
Augmented reality (or AR) is most simply defined as integrating digital content with live video streams. Much like virtual reality, the goal is to engage the user and make them part of the experience. With AR, however, the user’s real environment is the canvas for the digital elements.
Using a simple web cam, you can hold out your arm with a special printed marker sitting in your hand and a 3d character can stand on your palm, talk, move, and interact. You can be part of the action, not just view an artificial world through a monitor. A little confused? Be sure to check out the video above first.
AR as a concept has been around for several years but has recently begun to see broad ranging usage. It is being used in applications from product marketing, advertising, video gaming, product visualization, toys, and providing localized information.
Significant Potential
This technology, especially when used in combination with existing advertising and marketing efforts, has shown significant potential to enhance promotions and expand opportunities for user engagement (see Sasquatch example). Recent advances in AR have reduced cost to utilize this technology opening up new advertising applications that were not economically possible previously.
We want to break through some of the hype with this article and discuss advantages and limitations of this technology. We will also briefly review how other large advertisers are currently using it and how you and your clients can benefit from it. Be sure to check out other examples as words frequently don’t do this technology justice.
What are the benefits to advertisers? Here are a few:
• Very novel and engaging applications are now possible without a large budget.
• Can be an effective complement to print advertising as well as online or video efforts.
• Enables interaction with brand, products and characters in compelling ways not previously possible. The user is part of the experience.
• The cool aspect of the interaction can quickly go viral and spread exposure with word of mouth, social networking, and link sharing.
Augmenting other efforts
Many large brands are experimenting with AR in their marketing including GE, Toyota, Wal–mart, Best Buy and Papa Johns (see other examples for a more complete list). Some uses of AR are stand alone promotions but AR has also been used as an effective complement to print, online, TV/video and mixed media campaigns (see Best Buy for print, BMW for integration with video campaign).
BMW: AR integration with video
Adding AR to a campaign or promotional effort can take a basic marketing approach to new levels with mass viral sharing of content. See Sasquatch for a good example of how AR was used for a campaign with entertaining, personalized, user generated content. Every visitor to the site had the potential to bring many more just from sharing their created content with friends. The net result can be an exponential growth of visibility.
Product Visualization
AR has also frequently been used for product visualization and interaction. AR creates the possibility of engaging and even, to some degree, physical interactions with products (see Toyota IQ and Lego examples). While good examples exist of single products, we believe this is just the start of what is to come. The lines between virtual and real are being crossed so that users can visit a store and interact with an actual size virtual example, right in the palm of their hand. Or you can “try before you buy” without ever visiting a store.
Toyota IQ Demo
Lego Retail Demo
So why is now the time to use this technology?
There are many reasons, but one of the most compelling is the recent advancements in AR which have reduced production cost and technical barriers to users. We believe this has shifted the cost/benefit ratio of AR to a point where many more advertisers should consider using AR as a way to enhance advertising and promotional efforts.
In the past, integration of 3D graphics similar to those used in AR has been limited to large budgets, such as movie productions, but can now be done on far more limited budgets with real time video streams. With the ability to scale complexity, quality, and interactive elements, AR is no longer just for the huge studios with deep pockets.
A few limitations
There are a few limitations of which advertisers should be aware. AR is certainly not for everything.
Although AR has been around for a while it is still a maturing technology. This means it still has novel value but also means best practices are currently being worked out. Some uses of AR in advertising have been very experimental and not all AR examples are “good” AR examples. User expectations have to be realistic as well. For a user to visit a web site and have the quality of interaction they see on a local gaming system, such as a PS3, might be a bit unrealistic but simple animation and well crafted characters can now be brought to life with no new browser plug-ins for user to install.
The key hardware for AR to work online is a web cam. While not every user has a camera there does seem to be a trend of increasing availability of web cameras. According to some estimates the web cam market in 2008 was $1.8 billion and web cams are becoming a standard feature on many laptop and some desktop models. It is also worth noting that recorded AR video can be viewed without a webcam as with the video examples included in this article.
While we believe there are currently significant benefits to using AR in advertising the longevity of AR as an advertising tool remains unclear. We will continue to monitor AR usage in advertising and report on trends as they become visible.
Ready to give it a try but not sure where to start?
We can help. We have developed our capabilities as the cost/benefit ratio for AR has improved. We have worked on online and offline projects, developed a rapid AR prototype for this year’s E3 convention, and have extensive experience in web, flash and 3D programming which carries over well to AR development.
While AR has a great deal of potential, it’s new enough that most agencies and companies can not justify dedicated in house staff focused on this new technology. Not to worry, we are happy to step in and work with or as your technical team. Our goal is to put technology this valuable and cutting edge within your reach.
We believe it is a good idea for advertisers to review examples of AR in advertising to keep a general awareness of how this technology might be beneficial to existing clients.
Please let us know if you have any potential projects you’d like to discuss.
SEE ALSO:
Augmented Reality: Other Examples
Video overview of other AR applications
AR How Stuff Works - Info about more localized uses
AR Wikipedia Entry - A more technical article
