Augmented Reality Should Be Useful.

Augmented Reality (AR) has been a reoccurring prediction for 2010 amongst Web experts. However, while marketers are catching on to AR the reality is consumers aren’t embracing it.

In an interview with CNN, Mashable’s Pete Cashmore notes that AR has a “cool factor” but may not be truly useful to consumers. Econsultancy points it out too: “We’ve already seen some successful (AR) campaigns, but users appear slightly slow to embrace it.”

Adidas went the AR route with a very novel idea. When a user holds up their sneakers in front of a webcam, a pop-up world that is embedded in the sneaker’s tongue appears. Granted, it’s a spectacular idea incorporating AR. However, it’s all good seeing something pretty, but what happens next? How useful is this really? As far as AR is concerned, we’re still in the gimmicky phase – still experimenting and learning.

When it comes to the Web, not only engagement is key, but interaction too. I believe this is where many AR stunts fall flat. I reckon that the Adidas consumer would be in awe when he first sees the world embedded in his sneakers; he may even show his friends, but I doubt it will have any influence on his future purchasing decisions or his relationship with Adidas. “Adidas makes cool stuff” does not quite cut it . As marketers we need to build relationships.

Web, and especially AR, is not television, so we shouldn’t treat it as such.  Consumers aren’t audiences or readers anymore – they're taking part and reacting. Consumers should not just see something, but physically do something. AR provides tremendous opportunities for this.

Secondly, marketing is about selling products, whether done on- or offline. It seems obvious enough, but in the quest to be creative, attention-grabbing and interesting, this is overlooked. I had a look at a few AR examples that succeed in selling something or do something useful for the consumer.

Ray Ban’s Virtual Mirror.

With Ray Ban’s virtual mirror users can see what they’d look like using a pair of Ray Bans. It’s genius: you already know what glasses look great on you (and you’ve probably spent hours looking at the image – I often feel awkward staring in the mirror in-store while I contemplate my decision) from the comfort of your desk, now all you need to do is pop to the shop after work and pick it up. It’s an incredible example for AR’s commercial use.

Lego Kiosk at Lego Store in Woodfield Mall, Schaumberg.

Images often fail us. Take this AR example from Lego, showing a consumer what a built Lego plane looks like once all the pieces inside the box are assembled. For a kid, it’s purely magical: this is the plane they will build and they can try it out before they buy it. I can hear kids nagging their parents in-store; in fact the big kid in me is prompted to go nagging immediately.

Mini did something similar in a magazine ad showing the car from all sides and in different colour options. Although I would like to see a bit more - maybe a look at features and interiors. Unfortunately, a car is something difficult to sell based on visuals alone.

Ikea’s New Furniture Collection.

Like Ray Ban, IKEA goes the try-it-before-you-buy-it route by showing consumers what pieces of furniture would look like inside their homes. It’s pure genius, successfully assisting customers with purchasing decisions.

Image Credit: MobiAdNews

Image Credit: MobiAdNews

Ikea seems to love AR, using it in manuals and in-store.

Wikitude

Wikitude is an AR application that was first available on Android and now also sports an iPhone edition. The nifty AR version of Wikipedia lets you see the world through your phone’s camera view, overlaid with Wikipedia content, acting as your own personal tour guide. Similar useful AR apps include the Nearest Tube.

Also check out:

• Augmented Reality Fly High
• Kirkpatrick, Hainich and Zinnagl on Augmented Reality's Impact on Business