You might be familiar with Augmented Reality — ‘AR’ has become a big trend recently, and for good reason! But if you haven’t, we are here to get you familiarised with it, using examples of brands who have incorporated it successfully into their campaigns, with the hope that by the end of this article you will feel more confident at the prospect of using it to boost your own campaigns.

Let’s get back to basics, what is Augmented Reality?

Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that lets people superimpose digital content (images, sounds, text) over a real-world environment. It adds another layer to our reality.

A great example of this is the mobile app Pokemon Go. Released in 2016, the app lets players locate and capture Pokemon characters that pop up in the real world. It certainly makes the daily commute more interesting!

Augmented Reality technology bridges the gap between real-life and digital. It can be personalised and tailored to a brand, which means that it provides another way for brands to connect with their audiences. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Imagine if you could see what a piece of furniture looked like in your home before you clicked the purchase button — you now can! Instead of travelling to your nearest store, Ikea made their shopping experience more accessible with an AR app that allows you to click, drag and drop 3D images of furniture into your home. You can even enter your room measurements into the app to make sure the furniture fits comfortably in your space and choose different colours and sizes.

2. Maybelline

What about make-up? Maybelline’s online AR tool allows you to try on their products from lipsticks contours, foundation to brow fillers without having to wipe any marks off your skin! All to help you choose the best-suited product for your skin type.

The Civilizations AR app brought to you by the BBC brings art and culture from across the world straight to your home. Spanning 31 countries and covering 5000 artworks across human history, the app allows you to interact with and learn about the artefacts as digital 3D images without needing to travel to a museum or gallery. You might want to learn about Renaissance art pieces or see what’s inside Egyptian tombs — this app makes it possible.

A lot of brands are turning to AR to boost their in-store retail experiences. This was seen in a recent collaboration between Selfridges and high-fashion brand JW Anderson. The JW Anderson Garden pop-up space was created with their Good Nature campaign in mind. Using AR shoppers could interact with the pop-up by scanning QR codes dotted around the space, to make flowers, plants and even bees appear in 3D. The Augmented Reality element brought the collection to life and provided an interactive experience for shoppers.

Brought to you by Art of London, London museums including The National Gallery and The Royal Academy have teamed up with Sky Arts to create a public art trail that meanders through London’s West End where you can interact with well-known artworks through augmented reality. The interactive AR trail allows you to experience art beyond gallery walls. The app makes it easy for you to learn about art, whilst enjoying the delights of London.

In response to the pandemic’s impact on retail stores and art venues, Augmented Reality makes it possible to retain customers by bringing the store and its products to your home. With just one click, you are able to see how furniture looks in your home; and are able to choose the right lipstick colour to match your complexion. AR is easily accessible and its reach is limitless.

AR also brings an interactive and engaging element to teaching and learning. Even though we’ll always enjoy reading a good book, an AR app takes up little to no space, instead of textbooks weighing down our bags! It’ll be interesting to see how AR takes up more space in education through the creation of virtual classrooms.

Whether we use it frequently or occasionally, AR is here to stay for a while. It adds another layer to our reality which heightens our sensory experience and draws us in. It’s no wonder why the Pokemon Go app reached a record of 232 million users in 2016!

The success of adopting AR stems from whether it brings value to a brand and their wider marketing strategy. Does it bring relevant branded information to the end client? Does it make one’s life easier, and lead to faster actions and decisions that rely on consumer buying power? A successful AR app should contain a mix of the above qualities whilst bringing fun and creating intrigue.

It provides another way to engage with your audience, one that by-passes any physical restrictions and limitations and allows audiences to learn, engage and take action in a matter of seconds. With the rising popularity in social media, AR makes the connection between an audience and brand more personal and satisfying. It makes an audience feel seen and heard by addressing their needs and desires quickly and easily through technology.

If you’re now feeling inspired and are looking to incorporate AR into your next campaign, get in touch with us today. Our team is here to brainstorm with you and make amazing ideas come to life with Augmented Reality.

Why brands should seriously adopt AR was originally published in AR/VR Journey: Augmented & Virtual Reality Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.