What is Augmented Reality Marketing?

What is Augmented Reality Marketing?

We have been living in this digital world for quite a while now, that new technological advancements seldom surprise us anymore. Augmented reality isn’t one of those techs, though. We hadn’t even heard of it just a few years ago, and now it’s all over our radar.

It is even considered one of the most powerful marketing methods today. But what is it? And how will it change the future of marketing? That’s what we are going to talk about in this article and more.

What Is Augmented Reality Marketing?

In a nutshell, augmented reality creates realistic digital images and presents them over real-world footage over streaming devices. The most popular example has got to be the mobile hit game Pokemon GO where pokemon can be seen and “caught” using your smartphone and, of course, a reliable network connection.

The results are nothing short of magical, and now, it is being utilized to its best potential in various industries beyond just gaming. We’re talking about construction, interior design, art, robotics, and of course, marketing. 

How to Use Augmented Reality in Your Marketing Campaigns

Are you wondering how this technology can fit into your existing marketing campaign? Then here are some examples of how AR technology is most commonly used to give you an idea.

Virtual Tours

Real estate companies offer virtual tours of their properties to their potential buyers that prove safe and helpful, especially during the global pandemic. 

Another great example is how ticket sales companies provide virtual tours through AR to give interested customers an idea of the stage’s view from various areas and purchase the best ticket suitable to their preferences.

Contactless Presentations

Gone are the days of traditional product presentations where customers can’t even hold the product for inspection for as much as they like. Augmented reality marketing provides a better experience all-around. 

It’s not going to be limited to one item (compared to usual product demos where a single item needs to be passed around), and most of all, it’s contactless (an essential factor ever since the pandemic).

Expand Branding Materials

Give your brochures, flyers, and other printed materials a virtual edge with AR technology. Customers can scan them and access further information that would otherwise prove challenging to present given certain limitations (printed dimensions, space, font size, etc.).

Provide Personalization

Finally, AR provides a more personalized marketing approach. You can even customize virtual products and presentations on the fly to match the client’s needs and preferences.

The Main Benefits of Augmented Reality Marketing

To further reinforce the wonders of AR marketing, here are just some of its most significant benefits:

  • It provides a real presence to your marketing efforts. We know how challenging it can be to market products that have yet to be manufactured. Not everyone has the same level of skill to envision things from a blueprint, after all. Fortunately, AR can bridge this gap by providing more realistic and 3D experiences in viewing products and testing out services like the ticket sales example we’ve shared above.
  • It will be more affordable in the long run. One of the biggest expenses of manufacturing and marketing companies lies in making prototypes. While AR tech might prove to be expensive as your company adjusts to this new tech, we still believe that these costs will prove cheaper in the long run as it minimizes the need to create and recreate prototypes constantly.
  • It is more environmentally friendly. And since we won’t be creating those prototypes as much anymore, AR is more sustainable as well. That’s because AR utilizes digital resources over offline ones. This technology can also contribute to making our world more paperless than it already is.
  • It is very impressive. Lastly, it is simply very impressive at the moment. We’re sure that this sense of wonder will eventually wane down, so we recommend hopping on the AR train as soon as possible.

What Are the Types of Augmented Reality Marketing

There are four types of AR technology, and all of them can be used in marketing campaigns:

  • Marker-Based Augmented Reality. This type of AR tech is used when the device’s camera relies on graphic markers (such as QR codes and barcodes) to trigger the digital activity.
  • Markerless Augmented Reality. On the other hand, Markerless AR is the type that doesn’t rely on graphic markers. They use different data sources instead, like your device’s movement or GPS location.
  • Superimposition-Based Augmented Reality. This is the type of AR that substitutes an actual image with a digital one. Cosmetic and interior design AR apps are good examples of this.
  • Projection-Based Augmented Reality. Finally, Projection-Based AR is the type that visually projects an image to an actual, physical area. This is more commonly used in large-scale events.

Top Three Real-life Examples of Augmented Reality Marketing Campaigns

Ikea is quick to incorporate AR into its marketing efforts in a mobile application that allows users to see how a piece of furniture will look in their space. What’s even more impressive is that each piece is somehow true-to-scale.

The Austrian candy company PEZ used a marker-based AR tech to establish a more substantial brand reputation by creating a game that can only be accessed through codes found within refill packs.

Finally, women would surely enjoy CoverGirl’s Virtual Makeover that allows users to try out makeup online, style looks, and of course, purchase items all through their intuitive AR tech accessible both through the actual app or browser.

Other AR Marketing Tips

These are not the only ways to incorporate AR into your marketing campaigns. Here are more tips on how to do so:

  • Use it as a free trial. Makeup products and stadium seats are not the only products that you can provide for a free trial. The same can be done for almost any other retail product, like clothes, jewelry, and more.
  • Use it as a map. Are you launching a marketing event? Give your guests an interactive map using AR technology. It can come in the form of an app and give the client a 3D view of where each venue is located, together with any information you want them to learn about the event. 

While this technology is already possible thanks to wearable tech and mobile applications, it’s not a reason not to improve the experience with AR.

  • Provide more information. Augment reality is efficient in information dissemination because it is not limited by space but also because it can present these data in an engaging visual manner.
  • Build the hype. As mentioned above, this technology is still currently trending, and we’re sure that it will be for a while. This makes AR great for any marketing campaign since it’s undoubtedly something anyone would want to try out and experience.

What Is the Future of the Augmented Reality Industry?

There future of this technology looks very promising. Experts believe that AR will be further developed alongside virtual reality, another trending technology. 

Methods to visually change environments, much like how Mysterio creates illusions in the Spiderman superhero franchise, are constantly being refined.

AR innovators also promise to change the landscape of media, entertainment, and communication.

We might even be wearing special AR glasses that will allow us to see more augmented reality efforts of companies across more industries, and yes, this includes marketing.

We certainly believe that augmented reality will usher in a new era, a step closer to making even science fiction novels come to life. 

Is Augmented Marketing for You?

This discussion now boils down to this question: is augmented reality marketing for your brand? Here are some factors to consider:

  • Your Brand’s Online Reputation. The first thing that you need to consider is your brand’s online reputation. Your augmented reality efforts will be for naught without the support of digital marketing to introduce these efforts to your customers.
  • The Scale of Your Business. The next thing that you need to think of is the scale of your business. While this tech can certainly be adapted for any industry, we believe that it might not offer as much ROI for small-scale businesses that only cater to a focused target audience. 

AR is a marketing device better suited for mass promotion.

  • Your Target Audience. Speaking of your audience, this tech may appeal the most towards younger people over the elderly. 
  • Your Current Marketing Efforts. Finally, don’t forget to consider your existing marketing efforts as well. Your marketing campaigns should complement each other, after all, to make the most of them.

In the end, it will all boil down to how efficient AR technology is to help you achieve both your marketing and overall business goals. We hope that our short article has given you an idea of what augmented reality is and how this technology can be applied to marketing. Good luck!

Mike Austin

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