Zeekit Fashion Try On App

AR Advertising on YouTube & Beyond

When you picture the worlds of Augmented Reality and advertising coming together, what images jump to mind? Flashy banners you can’t get away from? Talking heads intruding on your field of vision?

 

Fortunately, those futuristic images haven’t come to pass and we’re in a position to do better.

 

We know popular culture is full of cautionary Extended Reality media that adds flair to a dystopian world. In our real world though, we are figuring out how AR ads can both entertain and solve problems.

 

Now is the time to shape AR ads into something useful. We need this media to be permission-based. We need it to be smart, personalized, and most of all, to function properly.

 

AR Ads Today

 

Stambol disruptors have long been advocates of try-before-you-buy via Augmented Reality. Using AR technology for product trials is not just about advertising, it’s about changing lifestyles and taking back precious free time that nobody wants to spend driving between shopping locations and standing in line-ups.

 

Earlier this week, Google and YouTube announced AR Beauty Try-On, a feature that allows users to follow along with their favourite beauty vlogger in trying on lipstick and other cosmetics. It’s not available to the public yet, but you can view the alpha version in the first video below.

 

While admittedly there is an element of novelty to a campaign like this, we know the applications (no pun intended) are just beginning to appear in the online landscape.

 

 

 

 

AR Ads Tomorrow

 

AR advertising will continue to grow concurrent with online marketplaces. Yet we also expect to see AR ads appearing out in the real world. The next natural step in the evolution of AR advertising is the incorporation of storefronts. Businesses will reduce costs associated with sample usage or loss through theft. Wear and tear on floor models will go down, while product display options expand.

 

Location-based advertising for mobile users is already well established, so threading in AR is another natural step. Would you want to know when the shoes you’ve been eyeing in your favourite boutique are both on sale and in stock in your size? And by encouraging customers to try on their shoes virtually before physically, that beloved shoe brand will save on the above-mentioned floor model damage, meaning they can offer those sales more often.

 

AR apps can take this location-based promotion one step further. Would you enjoy sharing your shoe excitement on your social media platforms? Maybe even encouraging friends and family to weigh in on your choice, just as though they were shopping right alongside you? Snapchat’s Lens Studio and Facebook’s Spark AR platforms allow creators (including marketers) to upload content. This transforms the very idea of an ‘ad’ into something fun an interactive with the potential to transform customers into promoters.

 

Work with the Right Team

 

AR ads are undeniably an exciting option that maintains a lot of buzz and cool factor for both marketers and customers. But one of the biggest challenges in rolling out new AR ad campaigns is that traditional advertising firms don’t have the technical staff in place to fully realize interactive AR content. Until this status changes, the obvious solution is for advertising experts to partner with Extended Reality experts.

 

Creating AR ad content that is both visually engaging and successful on a coding level is essential if we’re going to shepherd this new form of advertising into the marketplaces of our future.

 

If you’re ready to adopt AR advertising, reach out to Stambol with any and all questions. We’re available to talk tech and help you plan anything from your next ad to a total strategy overhaul.

 

Image Credit: springwise.com / Zeekit Fashion Try On