Augmented reality advances in advertising
Instagram is already testing it in its ads, a way of reaching the audience far from the spot or the banner.
Since the revolutionary boom of Pokemon Go in 2016, augmented reality (AR) has been changing the way things are done in different industries. This technology allows the user of a device to see part of the real world and at the same time graphic information added by that device.
Currently, specialists estimate that the size of the augmented reality market in the world will grow from 2017 to 2025 from approximately 3.5 billion to more than 198 billion dollars. This is one of the successful reasons why marketing and advertising are thinking up campaigns applying AR.
In addition, from the advertiser’s point of view, augmented reality makes it possible to get closer to the audience in a way that differs from the traditional radio spot, TV spot or banner. And on the receiver’s side, it is an opportunity to interact and experience new sensations and scenarios. Here another of the reasons for the success of augmented reality stands out: it has a place in media different from those of traditional advertising.
Although from its appearance this technology was quickly inserted into the advertising field with creative campaigns that sought to reach audiences in a different way, Instagram recently announced that it will add augmented reality to its advertising options. This news could bring a new impact on the advertising field and on the way we consume.
Instagram and augmented reality in Shopping
Since the beginning of October the social network of the moment began testing the integration of augmented reality into its ads. The brands selected were Ray-Ban, Warby Parker, MAC Cosmetics and NARS Cosmetics .
The new functionality, available both in stories and in the feed, allows users who follow the brands chosen by Instagram to try on a pair of glasses or an eyeshadow thanks to the augmented reality technology applied by the Instagram camera.
If they like the result and decide to buy it, they will only have to press the buy button and follow the same steps as with Instagram Shopping.
Undoubtedly we will have to see how users react to this new offering, which already premiered its Facebook version in 2018.
Campaigns with augmented reality
You have surely come across some campaign conceived with augmented reality in these years; here we leave you these examples that put some of the creative uses into practice, according to Forbes.
Faber Castell, Faber-Castell Ecopencils campaign
Brazil, which took a Gold Lion at Cannes, thanks to the work of DAVID The Agency São Paulo with The Never-Ending Forest App. The idea was to create an application that works like a game using augmented reality as a resource and its growing trend in 2016-2017.
A notable aspect of the application was its integration of real money betting, which added an exciting element to the game.
The goal was to show the Faber-Castell Ecopencils transforming into animals when children pointed their smartphone camera at a different pencil color. The application also let them take photographs with the animals they unlock, collect them, get information about the animals and also color and customize their animals.
Ads that stand out for using AR as a medium to tell stories
“Completed portraits”, the campaign for Kiwi, a shoe polish brand, won a Gold Lion at Cannes Lions 2017 in the Print & Publishing category.
The agency Ogilvy put on an exhibition of paintings, where the tour was accompanied by audio that talked about the real story of the classic painting, and explained it with a touch of humor. To create this campaign, the agency partnered with a museum application that replicates the experience through augmented reality. This helped the audience feel drawn in and decide to take the tour.
Another example can be that of the wine 19 Crimes which, as was set out in the previous post, told through collectible bottles the story of the first colonizers of Australia, who had to be expelled from Great Britain for carrying out 19 different crimes.
Also in the world of wine but pursuing creative use focused on strategy, from Argency we presented Descubrí la magia for the wine Kadabra by Bodega Estancia Mendoza.
This was the first wine with augmented reality created in the region that managed to get past the testing stage and be launched to the market without a hitch. The proposal, presented at the beginning of 2017, consisted of an AR app with 3D animations, which invites users to interact with the product. As its name shows, Kadabra proposes a magical world related to wines and conceived for a young audience.
IKEA Place is an example of augmented reality that extends the live experiences of potential buyers and of the curious. Through augmented reality it lets you see the products it sells in use.
Augmented reality in Lego and Nike stores lets you get to know the products, explore them and make a purchase decision with a better understanding of the options. Interaction with the product and its possibilities stimulates the customer base. In these videos it can be seen more clearly.
Lego Augmented Reality
Nike and augmented reality in its Paris store
