In our last two blog posts we looked at both the advantages and disadvantages of using AI in marketing and advertising efforts, our next two posts are going to delve into the uses of Augmented reality (A.R) and Virtual Reality (V.R) as digital tools for marketers to use. We will look into what these two tools are, how they can benefit us and what has already been done using them in the marketing world. In this post we are going to look at Augmented Reality.
Augmented Reality is technology that lets digital images, information and videos to be brought and displayed into the physical world through a screen. Examples of augmented reality would be the likes of Pokemon GO™ a mobile video game that allows users to view, catch and interact with various characters in their real-life environment through their mobile phone. With A.R the information being shared is overlaid into the real world and although the effects on some A.R applications can be stunningly in detail, the user can still interact with and see the real world.
There can be no argument made really that the future of advertising lies with technology like Augmented Reality, according to We are Social “More than 66 percent of all the people on Earth now use the internet, with the latest data putting the global user total at 5.35 billion” (We are social, 2024) with this switch to digital brands need to adapt to stay relevant with the digital native generations who are coming up in this brave new world.
There are countless uses of A.R can be applied to within the advertising industry, but I know what you’re thinking, what are the advantages of A.R against more traditional advertising tools? Well firstly A.R advertising increases rememberability with users, this will help with brand awareness and attention retention of customers, according to Innovate Rocks around eighty-five percent of customers who meet the brand through experiential means are likely to buy, and more than 90% of visitors to the activity gain a positive attitude towards the brand. (Jirka, n.d.)
People remember something that gives them a positive emotional response and also will often tell a friend or family member about their experience. For example, the national geographic did an augmented reality experience where they went to a local shopping center and set up a big screen. They advised passers by to come and look at the screen, low and behold the customer would see themselves beside an astronaut or a leopard, that they could interact with.
This positive experience broke into those people’s comfortable everyday bubble and showed them something different. Experiential marketing has always been effective for good reason and with A.R there are endless creative opportunities.
There are also practical uses for A.R as Ikea demonstrated with their Ikea Place App which allows customers to choose products from their catalogue and view them in their own spaces, true to life scale, this lets people really visualize the purchase accurately before buying.
So to conclude, A.R opens up a whole new opportunity for marketers to connect with customers in a creative and memorable way, to increase brand awareness and mental placement and to showcase their brand and products in a whole new light.
Bibliography
Jirka, n.d. How Much More Effective Are Experiential Campaigns Than Advertising?. [Online] Available at: https://innovate.rocks/en/experience/for-exm-explorers/how-much-more-effective-are-experiential-campaigns-than-advertising#:~:text=Meeting%20the%20brand%20through%20experience,positive%20attitude%20towards%20the%20brand.[Accessed 24 April 2024].
We are social, 2024. DIGITAL 2024: 5 BILLION SOCIAL MEDIA USERS. [Online] Available at: https://wearesocial.com/uk/blog/2024/01/digital-2024-5-billion-social-media-users/[Accessed 24 April 2024].