Augmented Reality: 7 Innovative Real-World Ideas to Use It for Your Digital Marketing Strategy

Teomat Digital Arts

Let's begin with the right question and the right answer, just to be clear from the start. What is Augmented Reality?

Augmented Reality, or AR, is a term we've been hearing more and more in recent years. The concept is very, very simple. If you take a smartphone and open the camera, you'll see a digital replication of what you see in the real world. But if we could add a virtual element by superimposing it on the camera and anchoring it precisely in the scene, we've created an Augmented Reality experience.

There are mainly three different ways to use Augmented Reality.

1. The first is as described earlier. You create a visual reference, for example, a specific chair in your living room. When the software recognizes it, it adds a graphic element - like a dancing gnome - that overlays the chair at a specific point.

2. The second is also based on a visual reference, but usually, it's your face. Ever played with Instagram or TikTok filters? Virtual sunglasses that follow your face, masks, distortions, or even beauty filters are all part of Augmented Reality.

3. Another type of Augmented Reality uses geolocation. Yes, since we'll likely experience our AR using a mobile device, and I believe there's a geolocation system in almost every mobile, right? You can tell an Augmented Reality system to display a certain graphic element on your camera in those specific coordinates. This concept is used by the hugely popular game Pokemon Go, just to give you an example of easy consumption.

All very cool, but coming back to us, how can we use it in our digital marketing strategies without having to contact Superman?

From a technical and development point of view, there are several options. The first one is feasible with the support of a good programmer. In this case, I recommend developing solutions using JavaScript libraries, avoiding specific platforms and applications. This approach offers you the freedom to launch web applications without requiring users to download anything.

The other option is to use platforms that facilitate technical development and could even be handled by creative professionals. One of the easiest and readily available solutions is Adobe Aero.

Idea #1: Interactive Business Cards.

Imagine printing a regular paper business card and adding a QR code linked to a web page. When users scan the QR code with their device, the web app recognizes the business card and transforms it into an interactive and informative experience.

For example, users can click on links, download your contact details, automatically save them to their device, or be redirected to your LinkedIn profile or a landing page. From a practical perspective, such a business card is worth its weight in gold and makes networking and business opportunities much easier to establish.

Idea #2: Interactive Product Listings in E-commerce.

Why limit ourselves to static product images? Instead of boring users, why not encourage them to interact with our products? Creating a system that allows users to interact with products by pointing their devices at them is possible. Let products spin, talk, open up, and stimulate users' imagination.

Idea #3: Marketing Strategies Based on Gamification.

Interactivity and gaming are not such distant concepts, right? Certainly, it takes creativity to figure out how to turn your project into something engaging, but sometimes the answer can be easier than you think. Whatever you choose to do, the point is to allow users to interact with your project, turning them from simple onlookers into enthusiastic supporters.

Idea #4: Interactive Brochures for Events and Fairs.

Standing out in a crowded place, especially from your direct competitors, can be challenging, such as in trade fairs or industry events. There are factors like booth architecture and design, your products, the sales team's skills.
Still, certainly, some creative ideas and marketing support that capture the interest of passersby and turn it into new sales contacts would be a valuable addition.

So, if you applied the same technology used for business cards to any marketing materials, allowing people to discover your products in an entirely new way, helping them access information with a few clicks, save data with a tap of a finger, and be impressed by a wow effect, it could be more than helpful.
Moreover, it's highly unlikely that a visitor will forget you compared to others.

Idea #5: Geolocation.

We mentioned Pokemon Go a few lines ago. Creating a platform like that certainly requires considerable effort and budgets that are out of reach for many. Still, a similar experience on a smaller scale is achievable with the right ideas.

Who's stopping us from creating Augmented Reality experiences based on location? We could use this strategy to guide our customers on specific routes, through the streets of our city and to specific physical locations where we'd place interactive graphics, for example.
A screenshot as proof? A reward for the effort? It's likely to leave a customer more enamored with us.

Idea #6: Teach With Fun!

Just imagine how manuals and guides with integrated Augmented Reality elements can be much easier and more enjoyable to follow. We'd simplify the learning process for our products by providing step-by-step visual instructions but in an entirely new and more digestible way.

Idea #7: Illustrators, Photographers, or Children's Book

Reading a book is what we want sometimes. To be carried away by the words and let our imagination paint the story. But that's not always true.

Artists could benefit from an extra support at times. This includes photographers, illustrators, sculptors, and all those who exhibit in museums.
What they all have in common is that their true artistic power lies in visual impact, the beauty, and harmony of forms.

This is sometimes difficult to match with long descriptive texts that can provide context or additional information. So, by framing the artistic subject with your mobile device, you could create interactive, audiovisual experiences that add value without detracting from the artwork.

By integrating these innovative AR ideas into your digital marketing strategy, you'll be able to unlock the full potential of this extraordinary technology. Don't be intimidated by these innovative names; sometimes the future is much closer and more attainable than you think.