Blippar: Augmented reality
Augmented reality is nothing new – it’s been around, in one form or another, since early research into the subject began at MIT all the way back in the 1960s. However, it’s only recently that technological advances have made it possible for augmented reality to potentially become part of our everyday lives.
In a nutshell, augmented reality refers to layers of digital information being placed over or within an image. One key use of this has been to add another dimension to multi-platform marketing, often allowing for the use of one medium as a springboard to another that can offer more information.
And it is no longer reserved for gamers and gimmicks, it has become a powerful marketing tool, offering the ability to literally reshape the way brands interact with, monitor and track customer engagement.
Mobile phones have changed the way we interact with the physical world, from socialising, playing games, shopping and even communicating. The app, Blippar, allows consumers to scan and identify a product and transform it into a marketing touch point such as a game, cartoon, video, recipe book or even song list.
“Visual search and interactive print gives us an opportunity to bring together compelling stories, digital content and mobile engagement,” Blippar said. “Augmented reality has a great wow effect, its ability to pop out and grab attention, tell a story and give us fun experiences are amazing. It’s really shaping the way we connect with the world. It enables brands to connect people with content and enables them to really deepen the conversation.”
By using AR and Blippar, printed products gain a new dimension and become new and interactive marketing channels that actively engage with consumers.
Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Milo, Heinz, Maybelline and Nestlé are just a few brands already using Blippar’s AR capabilities to drive customer engagement internationally. The most successful campaigns have already achieved over 2 million interactions.
When Coca-Cola engaged Blippar to create song lists in AR for its soda cans, it saw a 300 per cent increase in engagement compared to the previous campaign. Maybelline’s virtual nail polish testing campaign, meanwhile, not only drove customer social engagement, it also enabled the brand to identify the popular colours to manufacture and stock.
Think about your interactions on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: All these applications are so image-driven. An image is worth a thousand words and nothing will change that.
“We are by nature very visual creatures,” Blippar said. “We learn, discover and create all the forms of cognition and learning through our eyes.”
Taking any print product from a magazine, to posters, to your packaging labels, tickets and any other marketing material you can dream of and turn it into an interactive world of possibility. Build brand engagement, build brand loyalty and be part of the innovative technology that is just about to take South African shores by storm.
