6 Times Augmented Reality Really Brought Outdoor Advertising To Life - The Drum

As its sanction suggests, AR blends virtual elements with the carnal world. Unlike virtual world (VR), which takes spot wholly successful virtual environments, AR experiences let the idiosyncratic to interact with virtual imagery that has been superimposed connected to the carnal environment.

A little past of augmented reality

Though AR tech has been astir since the precocious 1960s, it has lone deed mainstream consciousness – and made it connected to astir marketers’ radars – successful precise caller years. A watershed infinitesimal for the exertion arrived past twelvemonth erstwhile Snap released the 4th procreation of its Spectacles, which came equipped with AR capabilities analogous to those that had already been disposable connected the company’s smartphone app successful the signifier of filters. (Snap released the archetypal procreation of Spectacles backmost successful 2016, the aforesaid twelvemonth that the institution changed its sanction from Snapchat.)

This summer, Google announced that it would statesman investigating AR instrumentality prototypes – including immoderate that look similar mean glasses – successful nationalist settings. That announcement arrived much than 8 years aft the merchandise of Google Glasses, which incorporated elements of AR but were rapidly scrapped by the company. (The header of a 2014 nonfiction from The Guardian reviewing Google Glasses described them arsenic “useful – but overpriced and socially awkward.”)

Apple is expected to merchandise immoderate benignant of AR/VR headset, arsenic good arsenic “smart glasses,” sometime successful the adjacent fewer years. As is to beryllium expected erstwhile it comes to products from Apple (a institution known for keeping its R&D projects hermetically sealed until they’re acceptable to beryllium revealed successful last signifier to the public), the rumors vastly outnumber verifiable facts. But the company’s CEO Tim Cook does look to person his eyes firmly fixed connected AR arsenic a invaluable country of investment: successful a caller interrogation with Dutch work Bright, helium described AR arsenic “a profound exertion that volition impact everything.” In different caller interrogation with The Guardian, Cook contrasted the imaginable of AR with that of the “metaverse” (which, acknowledgment mostly to Meta, has travel to beryllium perceived by galore arsenic being astir synonymous with VR), describing the second arsenic “pretty ambiguous and hypothetical.”

Cook’s comments connected the metaverse – which person been echoed by Snap CEO Evan Spiegel – could bespeak a increasing disenchantment with VR among tech entrepreneurs arsenic Meta continues to conflict to merchantability its imaginativeness of the metaverse: successful October, The Wall Street Journal reported that Meta’s extremity of reaching 500,000 users successful its Horizon Worlds level was falling acold abbreviated of the mark, lasting astatine the clip the study was published astatine little than 200,000.

Meta’s fortunes could of people yet change, but if its multibillion-dollar efforts to marque the metaverse appealing to the wide nationalist yet fail, tech entrepreneurs could instrumentality heed and take alternatively to propulsion successful their batch with AR.

Bottom line: though AR is inactive a comparatively young technology, it’s becoming a large absorption of starring tech companies and it could soon go an integral exertion successful each of our day-to-day lives – perchance changing the satellite arsenic overmuch arsenic societal media oregon idiosyncratic computers.

Marketers would bash good to wage attraction to developments presently taking spot successful the AR space.

Our 5 favourite AR OOH campaigns

Luckily, determination are plentifulness of lawsuit studies that tin assistance marketers recognize however to wield AR astir effectively.

For reasons that are reasonably obvious, the out-of-home (OOH) advertizing abstraction has proven to beryllium peculiarly amenable to AR. In a satellite wherever astir everyone has an AR-compatible instrumentality (ie smartphones) successful their pockets astatine each times, brands person a invaluable accidental to heighten accepted OOH advertisement platforms, specified arsenic billboards and autobus stops, with a technological twist.

Adding to this accidental is the information that astir people, arsenic a effect of having lived done the Covid-19 pandemic, are present intimately acquainted with QR codes – 1 of the astir communal portals into AR experiences. Not truthful agelong ago, QR codes were obscurities; present they’re a communal diagnostic successful astir of our regular lives. “People person gotten truly comfy with utilizing their phones to interact with the carnal world,” says Kevin Bartanian, laminitis and CEO of OOH advertizing institution Kevani. “That represents an tremendous accidental for out-of-home.”

With each of that successful mind, present are six selling campaigns that person successfully leveraged AR:

Pepsi Max’s ‘Unbelievable Bus Shelter’ (2014)

In 2014, Pepsi decked retired a heavy trafficked London autobus structure with AR tech to astonishment and delight commuters – and besides to beforehand Pepsi Max, a sugar-free cola. A surface facing the wrong of the structure – which by each outward appearances seemed to beryllium a normal, transparent pane of integrative – was really a integer surface that projected each kinds of outlandish (and jarring) scenes, including a Bengal tiger trotting up to the station, a meteorite crashing to the sidewalk and flying saucers hovering implicit the street. Hidden cameras strategically placed astir the structure captured the unsuspecting commuters’ reactions, which scope from joyousness to heavy confusion. The run reportedly garnered astir 3 cardinal views connected YouTube successful conscionable 3 days, portion Pepsi Max income roseate 35% year-over-year (YoY) during the period that the run was live.

Lacoste’s ‘LCST AR Retail Campaign’ (2014)

Lacoste’s in-store AR experience, created successful concern with UK-based bureau Engine Creative, blended image-recognition exertion with 3D interactive merchandise models: utilizing a mobile app, customers simply had to scan a Lacoste logo successful bid to beryllium directed to the experience, wherein they could virtually effort connected its LCST sneakers. Purchases of carnal products could past beryllium made straight done the app – a almighty illustration of however a marque tin leverage AR to nexus interactive virtual merchandise experiences straight with points-of-sale.

Burger King’s ‘Burn That Ad’ (2019)

Burger King acceptable retired to perpetrate virtual arson erstwhile it launched its AR-powered ’Burn that ad’ run successful Brazil. Using a diagnostic disposable done the Burger King mobile app, the run allowed fans to clasp their smartphone cameras up to the brand’s competitors’ OOH ads and virtually acceptable them ablaze. As the occurrence spread, it would uncover a coupon for a escaped Whopper, on with the text: “Flame grilled is ever better.”

Los Angeles Rams’ in-stadium AR experience

Earlier this month, fans astatine the Los Angeles Rams’ SoFi Stadium took portion successful “Rams House AR,” a first-of-its-kind AR acquisition launched successful concern with Stagwell: Using lone their smartphones, they could presumption a assortment of 3D virtual elements (picture: elephantine Rams players, fireworks, tremendous floating Rams heads, a gamified tract extremity situation and the like) superimposed onto the carnal stadium; a virtual experience, successful different words, connected apical of the IRL experience. The run was launched utilizing ARound, a Stagwell-owned AR level which “uses 3D spatial computing to localize contented to idiosyncratic users passim the venue, enabling SoFi Stadium's 70,000 attendees to spot the aforesaid real-time 3D effects and enactment successful the aforesaid shared experiences,” according to a December 5 property release.

Bon Viv’s ‘Virtual Vending Machine’ (2020)

Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned spiked seltzer marque Bon Viv precocious deployed AR to alteration what would different person been wholly mean billboards into interactive, 3D virtual vending machines and retail directories. Launched successful San Diego and Los Angeles, the billboards were emblazoned with ample QR codes that could beryllium scanned by a user’s smartphone, opening the virtual vending instrumentality successful a web browser. The idiosyncratic could past prime a Bon Viv product, which would rotation retired and beryllium enlarged for close-up viewing. Users past had the enactment to hunt for adjacent retail locations that sold that product, oregon simply bid the merchandise online.

The National Health Service’s ‘Virtual Blood Donation’ (2016)

In an effort to beforehand humor donation and pull caller donors, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) launched an AR-powered run that viscerally demonstrated the imaginable for donated humor to reconstruct the wellness of sick patients. The run revolved astir a monolithic billboard that showed existent patients who, for a assortment of aesculapian reasons, were looking unwell and successful request of donated blood. The representation of an bare humor container was printed adjacent to the patients.

NHS workers stood nearby, encouraging passersby to hole a tiny sticker to their forearms. Once successful place, a smartphone could beryllium placed supra the sticker, revealing a virtual needle drafting blood. On the billboard, the humor container would statesman to capable with humor and the diligent would gradually statesman to look overmuch healthier; their complexions returned to normal, they looked much astatine easiness and their sickly frowns were replaced with contented, casual smiles.

According to a video published by the NHS (see above), the run resulted successful 583 radical signing up to beryllium caller humor donors implicit the people of conscionable 5 days.

From the wow origin of 3D billboards to ads that drawback radical astatine the close clip and successful virtually the close place, innovation successful out-of-home is soaring. Find retired much successful our latest Deep Dive.