Augmented Reality (AR) in Digital Marketing — The New Extended Reality
For decades, we have witnessed numerous trends make their way into the world of digital marketing, some are here to stay and some just wither away within a couple of weeks. But, ever since we have been engulfed in the whole digital transformation cloud, things have become different — or quite different.
The new entrants in the field of digital marketing — virtual reality and augmented reality — are not just here to influence or impress for a few weeks, but to be the new game changers! Augmented reality is spreading its wings far and wide and making waves in every field, be it gaming, entertainment, advertising, or digital marketing.
But when we speak of maxing out these technologies for digital marketing, it is not augmented or virtual reality, it is a step beyond that — Extended Reality.
The difference between Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
One of the biggest mistakes that most marketers make is thinking that AR and VR are absolutely the same things. But in reality, these two technologies are the opposite of each other. In virtual reality, a real user is put in a virtual world and the user needs to use a headset to completely immerse in the virtual environment. In AR, various digital elements are added to the real world around a user and the user can experience AR through their phone or tablet. With web AR reigning, users no longer need to depend on a special hardware setting or application to experience it.
The New Age — Extended Reality
Extended reality is the term that encompasses all the experiences of immersive technology:
- Mixed reality
- Virtual reality
- Augmented reality
- Or any other upcoming immersive technology
And, all of these technologies sooner or later are largely going to be influenced by the digital marketing industry.
The Digital Marketing Strategy
Out of the many immersive technologies, the biggest impact on digital marketing would be cast by augmented reality.
Now, many would think, why not virtual reality? Primarily because virtual reality needs a user to be immersed in the experience. As an instance, the gaming and entertainment industry has hit the jackpot with this technology. Also, VR is less accessible to everyone. However, the other industries are trying their best to find innovative ways to include VR in their marketing strategies.
On the other hand, AR is more accessible to everyone. Anyone with a tablet or smartphone can get the complete experience of AR. All the user needs to do is point the camera of their smart device on the QR code, launch the AR experience, and launch experience.
Let’s explore some of the benefits of Augmented Reality:
- Ability to interact with the real world around the user
- Can be implemented by any business size
- Has no dependency on any special software or app
- Ease of access
- Ability to transform any printed marketing material into digital marketing material
- Zero dependencies on external hardware or headset
When utilized correctly, AR can make waves in the marketing industry. Here’s how some brands have unleashed the true potential of this technology.
- Sephora
Many women aren’t yet comfortable buying their makeup online. It’s just the experience that is different in reality vs. online. Sephora, one of the leaders in this industry, heard and understood the struggle, and created an augmented reality experience — ModiFace and Virtual Artist App. This technology allowed the users to see how the makeup would look on their faces through their phone’s camera.
This new implementation is not only helpful for users but also important for driving sales as it appeals to the more tech-savvy consumers of Sephora.
2. Taco Bell
Taco Bell was one of the first brands that started using AR way back in 2012 to build a stronger social media community for their users. They installed an AR feature on their soda cup and the taco packaging, which when scanned would show the users their live social media content and activity. This led to them becoming one of the major fast-food brands to showcase major innovation.
3. Netflix
During the promotional launch of one of their famous shows — Stranger Things, the season 2 promotion campaigns included both AR and VR marketing strategies. Netflix introduced a Snapchat lens filter which allowed the users to record themselves walking through the houses and being seen in the show. Moreover, they could also use the lens filter and transform themselves into the famous monster — Demogorgon from the show.
4. Home Depot
Giving a unique touch to your house via décor isn’t an easy task, every person out there would have struggled with this. Home Depot heard the struggle and released the Project Color App, which gives the user a clear view of what paint colour would look like on their home walls. This technology also considers the lighting, room shadows, and the objects placed to know how the colour would look in real life.
5. Pepsi
Back in 2014, Pepsi went ahead and installed AR technology across the London bus shelters, making them look like a flying saucer, lion or UFO. These objects looked like they were headed toward the Londoners. This showcase gave an insight into the playful personality of Pepsi and also gave an exceptional experience.
Post the successful launch of their campaign, when this video of the AR experience was launched on YouTube, it became the most viewed YouTube campaign. Their campaign truly showcases an effective AR campaign when you know your audience well.
The current state of AR in Digital Marketing
While many brands are still finding the best ways to implement Augmented Reality in their digital marketing strategies, marketers should understand from the above brands how to use and implement AR in their strategy.
Ultimately, it is about time. Soon when the augmented technology gets to a further advanced stage and also the current media landscape changes, it will give marketers the space to implement this technology. And whenever this day dawns upon us, we as marketers need to remember to implement this technology creatively, in a way that resonates with our niche audience.
