What the Hell is Augmented Reality?

Augmented Reality – better than virtual reality, the hottest new technology on the geek scene involves making your day-to-day reality more advanced, more informative and much, much cooler. Have you heard about it, but have no clue what it means? Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with (or augmented by) virtual computer-generated imagery – creating a mixed reality (thanks to Wikipedia for the definition). In other words, virtual reality, but instead of a whole different reality, it combines the real deal with the computer generated stuff.

AR is manifesting itself in a variety of creative ways, including through print advertisements, magazine covers, iPhone applications, toys and a wide variety of futuristic concepts for tomorrow’s consumer. Last year, research and advisory firm Gartner named Augmented Reality as one of its Top Ten Disruptive Technologies for 2008-2012.

Take the popular Yelp iPhone app. Loyal Yelpers use the handy app to find reviews, write reviews, read personal messages and basically enjoy all the functions of the Yelp site. But for the iPhone 3GS, the app takes functionality a step further, integrating the use of AR. Hit “Monocle” on the app screen, and your phone will display a live feed of what you’re seeing in front of you – with information superimposed onto the image. So, point your phone at a block of popular restaurants, and see their star ratings directly on the screen in front of the location.

According to a Fast Company article, “We have a vast amount of data on the Web, but today we see it on a flat screen,” says Michael Zöllner, an augmented-reality researcher at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research. “It’s only a small step to see all of it superimposed on our lives.”

Babak Parviz, a bio-nanotechnologist at the University of Washington, has been working on augmented-reality contact lenses that would layer computer graphics on everything around us  – in other words, we’d have Terminator eyes, according to Fast Company.

By integrating AR tags into print content, it adds a whole other element, and makes the materials “Augmented.” Users can take the printed materials, hold them up to a webcam, and a whole variety of multimedia content can show up, including holograms, videos, etc … So just imagine the implications. Like this YouTube video, which features AR business cards that show a person’s image and feed their Twitter stream:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgVAF0YlF6s

The December issue of Esquire featured an AR cover, with Robert Downey Jr. posing amidst the headline, “WTF?! A Living, Breathing, Moving, Talking Magazine?” Once users hold the issue up to their webcams, another layer of editorial content will become visible, including a video of RDJ introducing them to AR. Tilt the magazine in different directions, and different piece of content pops up on your computer screen.

In the fashion section, hold the page up, and users will see the weather changing and the model changing clothes accordingly. In addition, AR is web-based, so it can tell time and change content dependent on the hour. In the magazine, one feature will offer you a joke … but come back after midnight and a different joke is on tap.

Toys are plunging into the AR fad as well. With the advent of James Cameron’s, “Avatar,” Mattel is customizing each action figure, vehicle, and creature in their new Avatar toy lineup with a 3-D web tab called an i-TAG which can be scanned using any computer webcam. After doing so, special content unique to that product will be revealed onscreen. The content varies by toy, but includes things like biographical information, additional images, and 3D animated models showing off the action figures’ “engaging, evading, or defending moves.” Even better, scanning two of the i-TAGs will reveal an onscreen animation showing 3D images interacting with each other.

Company Metaio has developed AR apps for Popular Science, Gillette and dozens of other companies. Recently, they developed an AR platform for the iPhone entitled Junaio, which, in essence, combines location-based social networking and AR. The app allows you to add notes, smileys, 3-D animation and other goodies to an area, then share them with your social network. If you visit a location where other Junaio users have left information or content, you can see and explore it through your app.

But the eternal question is, what does this mean for marketers? The advancement and growing popularity of AR means a wealth of new opportunity. We preach the effectiveness of a cohesive online and offline strategy every day, one where the two elements work together to support a more effective brand message. AR takes this concept to the next level in terms of what options we as marketers have to make this happen. For destinations in particular, we see the usage of virtual tours, games, videos and mobile apps increasing daily. Users are craving more interactivity with the places they’re interested in visiting. It may seem almost unreal that we could engage with our users at this level, but for those who have been doing this online marketing and PR gig for many years, the time has come to think WAY outside the box. In fact, with this type of technology, imagine there is no box. Nothing is within the norm and everything but “smell-o-vision” is possible.

The iPhone was the first device to accept AR apps, but developers are quickly creating similar versions of these apps for the Android platform. The sky is really the limit, as print publications can be integrated into AR as a way to provoke interest and sell copies, per Esquire’s example. With the changing nature of print media, this is one way print publications can continue to remain relevant for users immersed in a digital world. Using this element of engagement is expected to increase popularity for print materials, mobile apps, and techie toys along with online interaction. The idea that both an offline and an online presence are needed to make this technology happen is crucial to understand before developing a strategy for your brand.

While certainly not a cheap venture, depending on the circumstances, it could be well worth your while in terms of PR and opening yourself to new and tech-savvy audiences. Think how your product, destination or organization might play into current AR apps on the market, and those that are in development. Imagine the possibilities for integrating AR even into printed material online – offer a pdf for download that will introduce your audience to AR.

As users begin to further integrate the digital world into their everyday reality through the use of AR, this means even more information will be at their fingertips, allowing them to make better informed decisions about what to purchase, where to go, and how to interact with their environment. For savvy marketers, this is an excellent opportunity to spread brand messages, engage with consumers and find new ways of distributing content through technology.

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