Against the background of the corona pandemic, revolutionary technologies are gaining new relevance: It has never been more important for companies to create digital experiences and to shift the effect of a physical product demonstration to the digital. This is what makes augmented reality possible – be it via an app, with special glasses, or via a browser. The mechanism behind it: AR software enriches the real world with virtual images and thus increases the user’s scope for action – with great potential for saving time, resources, and costs. In the following, you will find out how you can integrate AR in marketing without high costs.
Here you will encounter AR in everyday life
Pokémon Go is probably the best-known AR application to date: With the help of a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, users can catch virtual fantasy creatures and even let them playfully compete against each other.
But we also encounter AR in everyday life more often than we consciously realize: For example, when the digital parking assistant guides us into the parking space or when regionally controlled advertising banners run across the home TV screen via AR during a football game.
AR is therefore more tangible than big PR and marketing gags would have us believe. Bringing a tiger into the living room, as Google has made possible, is a nice gimmick, but it also gives the impression that AR needs an extraordinary, almost spectacular setting. In essence, however, it’s not about attracting attention at all costs, but about offering real added value – and that succeeds if you consider AR as an effective addition to the marketing mix.
That’s why you should use AR in marketing
Although few companies are currently using the technology – only six percent in 2018 – the digital awakening in the Covid-19 pandemic could fuel its use. However, many companies often do not yet dare to approach AR marketing because they feel the technology is immature or too complex to use.
However, if you take a closer look at the technology, you will quickly realize that the barriers to entry are low – and that you are moving with the times. Because the low use by companies is offset by high general use: According to a study by Deloitte, the number of active users of mobile augmented reality applications in Germany has been increasing for years. The average annual growth rate is therefore 56 percent. This shows that more and more people are actively using AR.
Of course, caution is legitimate when it comes to expensive advertising budgets. But the desire for new paths should be greater than the skepticism about the unknown – especially if both companies and customers demonstrably derive real added value from it.
Success stories for AR in marketing
An example: A large equipment manufacturer for the food industry relies on an AR app in sales and can thus virtually present a total of twelve different scale models to customers from the retail trade – and that in the original size. The time-consuming preparations for such a product demonstration – a large showroom, the inspection of the individual devices on-site and extensive descriptions – are no longer necessary.
Another example comes from the do-it-yourself sector: Because setting up and renovating is very easy with AR, as the app “Bodenexperte” from TTL/TTM proves. The specialist in floor coverings offers a special service for its customers. Different floors can be easily conjured up in the home environment via AR so that users can see immediately: this floor fits into my home.
AR also works on a small scale: You can easily take the first steps with the digital extension of a print magazine. Your customers get to a target page via a QR code and use the cell phone camera to display additional information, images, videos, audio, and sounds, or simple 3D models on the print template.
Or you can turn a print catalog into an online shop by using AR to appear virtual “Buy Now” buttons under the products – this has long been common practice, especially in Asia. Your experience curve will increase without investing a great deal of time and money, and you will get a first glimpse of the diverse world of AR.
Augmented Reality in marketing: web AR, app AR, or AR glasses? These applications exist
The most common application is the AR app. Marketing departments can already draw mostly cost-effective, ready-made solutions from a large pool. You can easily integrate AR content into daily communication via certain entry-level applications.
There is also an easier way to score points with customers or employees using AR: through Web AR. Because without downloading an app, only one thing is required for Web AR: a modern smartphone or tablet camera, which is used to scan the marked motifs.
In addition to elements such as images, additional information, and videos, the placement of digital elements in the room is also possible. In this way, customers are provided with descriptive additional or background information in magazines or brochures simply: They can get a more concrete picture of projects, and convince themselves of services or products in a fascinating way.
A third option is AR glasses. In contrast to virtual reality, augmented reality does not necessarily require glasses to enrich the real world with digital elements. Nevertheless, there are also special glasses for AR applications that trigger this effect. However, we recommend an inexpensive variant via an app or web browser to get started.
Augmented Reality in marketing: Start once, then expand
For users to recognize the benefits of AR, the first step is to think about what additional content you would like to make available to them – the added value is important here. AR is suitable both for clear step-by-step instructions and for helpful explanatory videos or additional information that users can interact with.
Or you solve a customer problem directly, as the “Floor Expert” app demonstrates: Should it be the light laminate or rather a dark PVC floor? How does the color of the fabric match the furniture? Long deliberations and visual imagination give way to a concrete application that shows ad hoc what the future home could look like.
The potential of AR in marketing is enormous – but in the long run, sales will also benefit from it. Because AR also helps when products or machines are presented virtually to customers in their original size. The time-consuming preparations for such a product demonstration – a large showroom, the inspection of the individual devices on-site and extensive descriptions – are no longer necessary.
With technological progress and the need to adapt business models, the fear of contact with augmented reality is also disappearing. Used correctly, it becomes an indispensable addition to the marketing mix in the long term and creates a brand experience in a class of its own.