AR- A marketing Reality?
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The buzz around augmented reality has certainly gotten real with the increasing popularity of PokemonGo, and brands can’t wait to get on to the AR wagon. But will AR be able to go mainstream and gain the acceptance? Only time will tell.
I personally feel that Augmented Reality has seen some tremendous improvement in the past few years and is definitely here to stay.
AR has been lurking around for a while now. We have had brands making use of it over the years in many unique ways. At first it was through webcams, but with the boom of smart phones and tablets, it became more convenient.
AR Then:
AR Now:
With Pokemon Go going viral it has got the much needed push. Here’s a google trend chart for the interest in AR over time. As you can see there was a steep fall after 2012, with the interest peeking again in July 2016 after the launch of the game.
It becomes vital for the brands to make the most out of this peek time and be at their creative best. We have already seen McDonald’s doing it with PokemonGo.
Here are some of the ways I feel brands can formulate their first AR campaign/activation.
1. Being Simple: The idea is to not overwhelm the user with things. Try to keep it easy and something the user will get an idea of within the very first minutes of use.
Ex : Have like an AR Online Trial room if you a e-commerce or an online fashion store.
Once you feel that you as a brand are comfortable pulling a bigger show, you can then expand the campaigns.
2. Involve People: I think people like to be a part of things. It becomes very important for brands to involve users in unique ways possible. Ex: An AR treasure hunt activation in a mall.
3. Have a definite CTA: Have a definite purpose to the whole campaign/activation. Don’t let people do too much of guess work. For example, if it’s an AR catalogue, the main purpose should be to drive people to the website.
4. Do some power testing before the launch: You don’t want the whole thing to be a flop show.
PS: I had guessed the McDonald’s deal way before it happened. Brownie points?
Do share your thoughts!
