The Prominence of Augmented Reality in Digital Marketing

As everyday consumers gain access to increasingly advanced technologies, new possibilities for digital marketing are opening. For instance, marketing campaigns like the one led by ZipRecruiter’s Eyal Gutentag provide consumers with an app that allows clients access to the site’s features from any location of their choice. One of the more interesting developments is augmented reality, which changes the relationship between the virtual world and the real world.  

What is Augmented Reality? 

Augmented reality, or AR, essentially alters the user’s perception or value of reality with technology. While virtual reality (VR) takes the consumer to a completely different world, AR faithfully presents the physical world but makes additions that alter it in meaningful ways. The mobile game Pokémon Go is a prominent example of AR, where physical locations and landmarks gained additional value as Pokestops or Gyms. The game appealed to the users with a sense of accomplishment, nostalgia and an innovative way to interact with the world. Snapchat allows users to alter their photos and videos with dozens of filters and modifiers.    

AR in Digital Marketing

When it comes to digital marketing, AR gains several different uses that mostly allow consumers to sample a company’s services or products. For instance, many house designers use AR to provide a demonstration of how particular furniture or decorations look in someone’s house by combining a physical room with computer-generated replicas. Sometimes, these products can also activate other features in the AR tool, usually to inform and educate the consumer on the specific product. Lush has developed bath bombs that, when scanned and identified by an AR tool, provide the customer with information usually found in physical packaging. This effectively informs the customer and even reduces packaging waste. 

AR technology provides potential customers with a refreshing manner to approach the world. Savvy marketers should use AR to inform their base and test out their products or services.