Taking Marketing To Another Dimension
The build-up and release of Avatar has made 3-D the hottest new trend. This is a trend that’s not likely to slow anytime soon. So it’s no surprise that more and more companies are juicing up their marketing with a little augmented reality (AR). First, came in-store kiosks that could project the contents of products like LEGO and makeup onto the faces of the viewer. Now, taking advantage of webcam technology and some viewer participation, companies are using AR to sell their products online. Read on for more details about the most recent forays into AR marketing.
Home Depot Shakes It Up
In addition to a new, recession-appropriate slogan, Home Depot upgraded its tech arsenal. The most recent addition is an interactive gift card, which, when placed in front of a user’s webcam, generates an on-screen 3D crate full of surprises. Every time the user “shakes” the crate, a new product, project, or fun fact appears. Each product is shifted to a side bar with every new shake, so that the user can catalog their potential purchases. The how-to video has been shared on YouTube, and exemplifies a more practical, though still fun, take on AR marketing.
Adidas Runs With It
Interested in a pair of shoes you can really play in? Adidas has created five pairs of shoes which, like Home Depot’s gift card, sport a bar code in the tongue recognizable through a computer webcam. Placing them in front of the screen, the user can access a series of interactive games on the Adidas Web site. Expanding beyond similar webcam produced gaming programs of last year (Doritos) where the product itself is the access key, Adidas’s games have the product itself as the game controller. New programs are added monthly, and are promoted with a playful teaser trailer.
Cassette Playa’s Clothes Come Alive
Leaning on AR accessorizing endeavors of the past, in which users can see themselves wearing a digital version of a piece of clothing or pair of sunglasses, London designer Cassette Playa (a favorite of Rihanna, Lilly Allen, and Hot Chip) has created a fashion line that literally comes alive onscreen. Once placed in front of a webcam, bar codes on the clothes signal a webcam to generate an image of the wearer with an “augmented” look involving text, colors and detailed embellishments. Designs can be updated and even programmed so that users can experience a different outfit each time — virtual headwear included.
AR Small-Scale
The beauty of AR is that you don’t necessarily have to have an impressive catalog of interactive games at your disposal for it to be an effective marketing tool. To really make your website engage a user, familiarity with Flash’s FlarToolkit will suffice. Not only will it allow your customers to experience your products in a completely new way, it allows you to tap in to most Internet enabled desktops without requiring any special software. There are numerous demo videos on youtube and vimeo (take a look at an example here http://vimeo.com/3039134), and you can download the tool here http://www.libspark.org/wiki/saqoosha/FLARToolKit/en.
If you’re interested in other recent AR marketing endeavors, Mashable’s top ten lists of webcam for augmented reality and mobile AR apps are well worth a look. You can also get a better idea of how AR really works by accessing a number of augmented reality articles on Adobe’s site.
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