AR Marketing is the use of Augmented Reality for marketing purposes. AR overlays virtual assets onto the physical environment. Tiktok filters and Pokemon Go are two popular examples of AR that aren’t (necessarily always) used for marketing purposes. When you virtually try on glasses, place a virtual bookshelf in your bedroom, or use your phone to tour a house that’s for sale, you’re experiencing an AR Marketing campaign. AR can be a creative way to build brand awareness, engage customers, trigger emotional reactions and loyalty, and encourage user-generated content. According to Statista (source here) AR ad revenue is expected to go from $1.36 billion in 2020 to $6.68 billion in 2025. It’s hard to ignore growth like that. Still, there are a lot of challenges when it comes to AR Marketing. Here are some things to consider:
- Whether it makes sense with your product, service, or mission. AR marketing is growing, and there are endless opportunities to be creative with it in any field. However, it’s a huge investment, especially if it’s something that isn’t going to appeal to or reach the people you want to reach. So far, the fields using it most successfully are entertainment, games, real estate, interior design, fashion, and cosmetics. However, any time a business or nonprofit wants to tell an immersive story and elicit a strong emotional reaction, AR could be beneficial. If there aren’t a lot of use cases in your field, it makes sense to ask yourself whether you want to be the first.
- The benefits. There are a lot of benefits to both businesses and their customers. AR increases sales, leads to less buyer’s remorse, and reduces returns. According to Harvard Business Review (source here), “56% of shoppers surveyed by NielsenIQ said that AR gives them more confidence about the quality of a product, and 61% said they prefer to shop with retailers that offer AR experiences.” Today’s audiences are undoubtedly looking for and expecting personalized and customized experiences. AR can address that need and be a competitive advantage, especially if you’re an early adopter in your field. AR also encourages people to try out things they normally wouldn’t and potentially make purchases they wouldn’t be comfortable making otherwise.
- The difficulty of execution. Creating an AR Marketing campaign takes a lot of technical skill. If you’re planning to use AR to let people sample products, you’ll probably have to develop your own app or hire someone who codes and understands 3D modeling to do it for you. For other purposes, you may be able to use existing platforms, but there are limitations and cost considerations (see cost section below). If your AR doesn’t work right or look good, it is better not to have it at all. Users must be able to scale and otherwise manipulate objects (for example, see the actual size of the washing machine in their home or turn the product package to read nutritional information). Your AR also must properly track the physical environment (people should be able to see the glasses or jeans they’re trying on from multiple angles; when they move, the product must go with them). It also needs to look and feel realistic; shadows and textures should create an illusion that AR objects are actually occupying the space. Lastly, it must have a pleasing design.
- Accessibility. Not everyone enjoys AR; in fact, it actually makes some people lightheaded and nauseous (as does VR). If your audience might be prone to vertigo, motion sickness, inner ear problems, migraines, seizures, or sensitivity to light, you should be careful about how you implement any AR designs.
- Cost. Cost is probably the biggest barrier to AR (though it’s important to realize that the cost will go down as the technology becomes more widely used). Costs vary depending on needs and goals. For example, if you have an Adobe Creative Cloud account, you can download Aero for free on any iOS device. If you’re already skilled at using other Creative Cloud apps, Aero is fairly intuitive and easy to use. However, Aero creations can only be shared with other iOS users, so it’s pretty limiting unless you’re sure your whole audience has an iPhone or iPad. You also can’t personalize the experience for other users, so you are showing people your AR creations rather than letting them use your AR product. Other platforms exist with varying degrees of control and usability. Zapworks, for example, allows you to create AR experiences without having to code. It costs $68 per month for one user. Your work is hosted by them and you are charged additional fees for any views over 1200 in a year. The cost of outsourcing the project will vary depending on scope, quality, and the person hired. You can expect the cost for developing your own app to be high; fees can easily run into the high 5 or even 6 digits. You can hire individual freelancers or agencies that specialize in AR like fairworlds.com. Either way, it’s a choice that should be made with care, considering the depth of knowledge required and the cost involved.
The bottom line is that AR is an amazing tool. Certainly it is necessary in some industries (like real estate) and it’s becoming necessary in others (like fashion). Whether it’s right for you will depend on your business, your goals, and your budget. And if it’s not right for you now, keep an eye on it in the future. Undoubtedly, use will go up, cost will go down, and we’ll see some really creative campaigns.
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