Augmented Reality is one of the hottest topics in brand marketing in 2019. With all the largest tech companies including Apple, Google and Facebook adding new AR capabilities to their platforms, NOW is the time to get creative and develop amazing AR marketing experiences that cross over into our lives.
This technology isn’t like virtual reality, as you don’t need a big, bulky headset. With just your smartphone, you can immediately swoop up the new augmented reality experiences that come out daily! It’s never been easier to reach a large audience through this technology and MarketsandMarkets predicts AR will grow to $35.22 billion industry by 2022!
So how can you use augmented reality to prompt your brand? Well, at Mbryonic we’ve researched some of the most inspiring use cases of AR marketing.
Top AR Marketing Case Studies
10. Ready Player One: Facebook AR Effects
Ever been at the cinema, looked at a movie poster and wanted to know more about the film? Well, movie posters can now be brought to life, letting you watch a trailer or provide special immersive content. This is done just by holding your phone in front of the subject! For instance, Spielberg’s ‘Ready Player One’ film posters got the AR treat, whereby audiences can simply scan the poster through the Facebook app and access special 3d content. No need to download an app!
9. USPS 2014 Holiday AR Campaign
Moreover, US postal service AR made gift giving a more magical experience in their AR marketing holiday campaign. Starting in 2014, the organization released their USPS AR app. Individuals could scan their mail and would be delighted with a cheerful holiday animation. All 156251 USPS old outdoor mailboxes sprung to life when individuals held their phone in front of them. They would turn into animated gingerbread houses, Christmas trees and more! The company is constantly developing new AR features and we’re excited to see what’s next.
8. DP World AR
We, at Mbryonic have created an AR marketing experience of DP World’s London Gateway, similar to our VR version we have made previously. However, rather than wearing a headset, individuals move their phone around a room to see the buzz of activity on the state-of-the-art deep-sea port & Logistics Park, such as cranes picking up containers, ships coming into port and lorries scurrying around the site. It’s a fun and interactive experience that serves as both educational and entertaining!
7. IKEA AR
Envisioning design choices can be the key to guaranteeing you never buy the wrong coloured sofa you once thought was nice, but actually isn’t. Thanks to IKEA’s AR smartphone app, users can swipe through different categories of products and virtually place any type of furniture in their living room, bedroom or outside and see what it looks like! The power of seeing the items in your own home helps customers determine whether they look good, if they will fit and so on.
The latest version of the app also lets users take pictures of items in the real world. This then brings about a selection of similar products that IKEA has in their store. This is an excellent example of how companies can utilise AR to create entertaining and useful experiences for customers. It’s especially great for IKEA, as shopping there is notoriously known to be quite stressful.
6. Stranger Things AR World Lens
You have probably watched the show Stranger Things, but have you experienced it in AR? Netflix teamed up with Snapchat to launch a 3D world lens, compatible with iPhone 6S and above, that promoted the release of the shows second season. In this experience users wander through a portal into Joyce Byers living room. In there, you can tap different elements to find surprises. If you pay attention, you can even find your way to the Upside Down!
For those with older phones, Netflix made sure you didn’t miss out. They created a face filter where users get Eleven’s signature nosebleed. Also when raising your eyebrows you appear into the upside down!
Snapchat is a super simple and great way to advertise content, as the platform enables the creation of AR that can be relevant to specific events, businesses and more. Want to know more about why it has so much potential in marketing? Read our article ‘Why Create Snapchat and Facebook AR Filters’.
5. Are You The One & Parneviks AR Facebook Filter
Mbryonic designs lots of entertaining AR marketing experiences for diverse companies. MTG Creative asked us to create a fun Facebook lens to promote their Swedish TV shows ‘Are You The One, Sweden’ and ‘Parneviks’. In the first one, we designed an algorithm to detect whether two individuals who are looking at the screen are a potential match. In the latter; the user is added into a group picture of the tv cast. Facebook filters are a fun way for brands to communicate their voice organically – a perfect marketing tool!
4. ModiFace AR Beauty App
The AR ‘try on mirror’, ModiFace, recently bought by L’oreal, is a trusted app by most of the top beauty brands and is the most widely utilised AR technology in the beauty industry. Sephora is one amongst many other brands that have partnered with this app, to allow users to try on their makeup at home. Through facial recognition, users can position their phone in front of their face and seamlessly try out various features. These include photo-realistic makeup, different hair colours and more. With a simple tap, they can then send their chosen item into their shopping basket!
The innovative, accessible app is dominating the market, digitally transforming the beauty industry as customers are given a chance to personalise their shopping experience.
3. The Walking Dead: Our World AR App
The Walking Dead game called The Walking Dead: Our World, is now out on the Apple store and Google Play. Similar to Pokémon Go, it’s an AR location-based experience. In this app however, you fight off walkers in locations such as the park and your own home. As said by CEO Teemu Huuhtanen, “AR enables players to live through the fight for survival in a whole new way in their familiar surroundings”. Let’s see if Our World follows Pokémon Go’s footsteps and becomes a success!
2. WWF Free Rivers AR
Furthermore, by simply pointing your camera on a flat surface, the WWF Free Rivers AR app allows you to immerse yourself in beautiful landscapes, learn about the environment and explore an entire world of wildlife, people and rivers. As the entire scene appears on the table, you are able to move around, zoom and tap different elements to get more information. As you continue on through the app, you transport into other wonderful habitats such as the African Savannah and tropical rainforests. This AR experience is a fun way to promote WWF and what they stand for as a company. However it’s also changing the conventional learning process, making classes more interactive and information more apprehensible.
1. Fitness AR
Strava, the #1 app that tracks your runs, cycle rides and hikes now lets you review your physical activity in AR through ‘Fitness AR’. The app uses Strava’s API, collecting data which then generates through an AR viewpoint. It lets you project a map of your path, letting you view it from different angles. Additionally letting you examine where you’ve been and explore where you can go next. It also features a list of different terrains such as Yosemite Valley, giving you inspiration for your next run. You can even screenshot and record your progress and share it with your friends!
Overall, it’s not a surprise that this tool is becoming a popular medium in which to advertise. Brands want to create more engaging content for customers, with AR technology being the perfect tool to achieve this! Has your company ever thought of AR marketing tactics? At Mbryonic, we can help you develop amazing AR experiences that will generate brand awareness! Why not check out our latest AR work for inspiration or drop us a line!
Also if you’re interested in how AR is changing the world of art, check out our latest article Three Ways Augmented Reality is Transforming the Arts!