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Speed Dial: 60-Second Marketing Insight Newsletter
Augmented Reality: Bringing The Virtual World to LifeAt the beginning of the 2002 movie "Minority Report", viewers were captivated as Tom Cruise deftly manipulated an interactive 3D screen to access information:
It was a fascinating glimpse of what the future might be, an insight into what might be possible... someday. That futuristic vision is becoming reality- - "augmented reality"- - now.
Augmented Reality Marketing Examples: From Greeting Cards to Sports Cards
Augmented reality is a real-time, interactive 3D experience that combines the real and virtual worlds. While this dynamic new technology may still be in its infancy, you can see it- - and experience it- - today, thanks to these augmented reality marketing examples:
- This Father's Day, instead of giving dad a tie & aftershave, blow his mind by picking up a webcam and an Augmented Reality greeting card from Hallmark.
- If you collected baseball kids as a kid, you may remember the "treat" you got in a pack of cards- - your very own rubbery hard, super-stale bubblegum! Not anymore: check out how Topps is using augmented reality as a marketing tool:
- But perhaps your child isn't a card collector- - she loves playing with Legos. Legos now uses augmented reality as a marketing tool by offering kiosks at select locations that allow kids to preview the Legos in whichever package they choose.
- And to see how your reading material can come to life, look what Esquire magazine did with augmented reality in their December 2009 issue. As Editor David Granger notes, "now you can control what happens" in the magazine:
Augmented reality is becoming a part of our world, from the yellow down markers Americans see when they watch football games on TV to navigational software like GeoTravel & Wikitude World Browser on the iPhone. While still in its infancy, augmented reality is also revolutionizing aspects of the medical, architecture/design, emergency response, & entertainment fields.
Going Beyond Augmented Reality as a Marketing Tool
Like so many new technologies, augmented reality is so exciting and- - let's face it- - COOL that marketers can't wait to try it out. The opportunities & applications for using augmented reality as a marketing tool are fascinating, as this YouTube clip shows.
The challenge for marketing professionals is to use this new augmented reality technology just as they should any other, as an opportunity to build their brands through an ongoing relationship with their consumers. Because even in a high-tech world, it's the personal touch-- the wonderful challenge of truly connecting- - that makes all the difference.
--- A very special thanks to
Ward Elwood for providing a variety of insights & examples into the world of AR this
week.
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