Quick Tips for Planning Your First AR Marketing Campaign A recent survey by Technavio put the AR augmented reality marketing business at $1.09bn. This is double the size of any other application of AR, including gaming. The success of Pokemon Go had many brands want to jump on to the AR bandwagon hoping to make something that goes viral. But that, in most cases, is a recipe for disaster. If you are mounting you first AR marketing campaign, here are a few tips you should keep in mind.
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Use the right tech: While AR is all the rage at the moment, you have to choose the technology that works best for you. Do you need AR or is image recognition good enough for your campaign? They work similarly - a user scans an image using his smartphone and experiences something. In case of AR, it is digital information superimposed on real world. In case of image recognition, it is a completely digital experience on the phone - no interaction with the real world around. Both are engaging and interactive - you have to decide what works best for your brand.
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Keep it simple: Do not try to build another Pokemon Go that does a lot of different things. Let the AR experience be very focused on a single message, and execute it in a way that it wows the audience. For
instance, WWF created a game where the user feeds rhinos and can choose to donate for their cause. A straightforward but effective campaign that lets you experience the joy of giving.
Make it useful: AR experiences are fun. But it is not enough for them to be just fun. You need to make it useful for your users as well. If it comes across as gimmicky, you will use their trust. If it is just fun - it will get old. As Harvard Business Review spelled it out in a recent article: “The real mission for commercial AR is integrating the technology so that it enhances the customer experience — makes it easier, more fun, and more convenient.” Easier and convenient is at least as important as fun, if not more.
Keep the brand image consistent: This is not something unique for AR campaigns, but marketers sometimes forget this ground rule. All your marketing campaigns must stay true to who you are as a brand. The brand image and persona should be consistent across all activities you do to promote yourself. Do not get caught up in what AR can do at the cost of the brand image.
Remember the context: In 2011, RedBull ran a campaign in the subways. It relied on scanning a QR code to engage with the brand. It was a huge failure. Reason? They forgot the limitations of the location the campaign was being run at. Subways have poor connectivity, and this translated into poor experience for users who scanned the code.
Give proper instructions: When a user experiences AR for the first time - the delight is visible on their faces. But they are not going to navigate their way to this delight by themselves, especially if they are not digital natives and do not find the interaction intuitive. Therefore, you have to make sure to include clear instructions on how they can have the best experience when interacting with you.
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