AR IS HAVING A MOMENT
AR IS HAVING A MOMENT.
The Metaverse. It’s not just one thing. It’s a combination of new technologies, on the verge of creating extraordinary experiences for everyone to enjoy. One very specific technology here is Augmented Reality. And it’s definitely having a moment.
I will throw some actual statistics at you to back up this claim, but here’s one:
Over 1 billion people across the globe are using AR on a daily basis.
A big portion here can be appointed to apps such as Snapchat, where AR is literally at the heart of the brand. Or a company such as 8thWall, making webAR specifically accessible to anyone, anytime.
And yes, brands and more specifically their customers just love AR experiences. Sidenote here, it’s all about the idea first, of course, the technology is just the layer that amplifies the actual experience.
But let’s not get carried away, right. All marketing is there to sell. However, the power of AR could push brand experiences to a greater purpose. It’s a way to really boost engagement with a brand, creating wow moments people tend not to forget. On the contrary, they might just tell their friends about it (both on and offline).
The best way to prove my point here is through examples. So, with no further ado, let’s dive into a couple of great AR experiences.
1. Verizon
For the launch of the iPhone 13, Verizon created an AR treasure hunt called H1DD3N. A title in true web 3.0 fashion. They developed a large-scale AR installation that allowed users to experience a magical playground to find the one thing everyone was talking about. The all new iPhone 13. A big plus here was the fact that people could actually grow this AR world themselves, by adding their own unique characters to the public installation.
The experience could actually also be played from people’s homes. The campaign was widely promoted on Twitter and other social media to get the campaign across globally.
When users arrived at the WebAR experience, they could customise their own character and add it to the public art installation and share it on Twitter for a chance to win.
2. Formula 1
If there’s one sport that’s really tapping into technology these days it’s F1. Innovation, engineering and tech are literally at the heart of the organisation. One of their main quests is to bring the sport even closer to the people, focussing on the overall F1 experience. At BUREAU BÉATRICE we helped by creating a webAR experience that allowed people to design and customise their own F1 car.
Might just be a dream come true for a lot of fans. It didn’t take people at the F1 GPs too long to share their design (video/photo) on all social platforms, urging people to enjoy the same experience from the comfort of their couch at home.
3. Lego
The closest thing for Lego fans to see their toys in a different way was the Lego movies. This AR experience allowed people to actually bring their characters to life, anywhere. And it doesn’t just stop there. The brand actually puts the narrative into the hands of the customer.
Which is a great way to go about customer engagement these days. Upon scanning a QR code, a portal takes you to a digital recreation of the Diagon Alley set. And that’s where the immersive experience really takes off.
4. Burberry
Ikea already proved that AR and shopping go hand in hand. And of course, since 2020, 3D and Augmented reality are really upping the shopping game. Famous players in the field of fashion and beauty such as American Apparel, Sephora and even Uniqlo already demonstrated the use of AR. Burberry has also been at the forefront of technology.
In this augmented reality experience, they invite customers to immerse themselves in the modern classicism of the brand’s signature Olympia Bag. Harnessing 8th Wall’s augmented reality technology, Burberry created a unique web-based experience, allowing customers to see statues come to life around them at a series of global pop-ups and pop-ins that will celebrate the Olympia bag.
According to a report from Mobile Marketer, retailers are still slowly adopting AR in the buying process. Only 1% of retailers are currently using AR in their customer buying experience. So it’s safe to say that there’s still a massive opportunity here for retailers to create those memorable shopping experiences, focussing on retail as an experience on its own, with e-commerce being a perfect revenue driver to go with that.
AR is just one technology that’s part of the metaverse. But it might just be one of the biggest. It’s inclusive, it’s fun and engaging and it allows people to connect with a brand in a completely different way. As all good marketing is mostly about storytelling, AR can bring that story to life through the lens of everyone’s smartphone and add so much value to that experience. I'm expecting so much more to come this year from brands embracing ideas where AR can play a significant added value.
