CorpComms Magazine

Augmented Reality is quickly becoming this year's technology story. From smartphone applications which allow commuters to find the nearest Boris Bike Bay or commuters to the capital to find the nearest tube station, to motion capture shopping experiences which enable users to virtually 'try on' garments whilst browsing clothes stores online - new applications of this technology are appearing at an astonishing rate, and if the (considerable) hype on the subject is to be believed, the dawn of a new technological era which is set to revolutionise the way the way in which we communicate and do business may already be here.

It certainly sounds impressive, but before becoming swept up in the all-singing, all-dancing tide of 'AR', it is worth taking a step back and considering whether this emerging technology genuinely warrants the phenomenal buzz it has created - does it have the potential to be a serious business tool capable of adding real value, or is it little more than an expensive gimmick?

Simply put, augmented reality is the notion of overlaying computer-generated information onto real world objects, people, or locations - combining the virtual with the physical in real time and quite literally, augmenting our perception of reality. The idea is to supplement or enrich a real world experience through superimposing a layer of digital content, and right now we are primarily seeing this manifested in two ways. Location-based augmented reality uses information such as the user's direction of travel, velocity, altitude and so on, to deliver additional graphics or data (for example, reviews of a nearby restaurant) to the screen. Marker-based augmented reality meanwhile, involves the user either holding up a predefined barcode-like symbol, or allowing their image to be captured by their web camera, in order to enable them to view or interact with a virtual object (such as a three-dimensional animation).

The concept itself is not new. In fact, the gaming industry has been playing with various forms of augmented reality for almost a decade, but with advancements in areas such as GPS, more powerful personal computers and the proliferation of smartphones, it is only recently that augmented reality has had the potential to capture a mass audience.

Test driving AR

As a consequence, it has also captured the collective imagination of marketers who have been quick to embrace this new channel. Car manufacturer BMW recently developed an augmented reality application that allowed people to virtually 'test drive' their Z4 sports car model (with an on-the-real-road price of up to £39,000). Users were able to move a 3D image of the car around on their desk using their keyboard, change the colour of the exterior, and even create artistic paint trails with the tyres which could then be shared on social networking sites. German sportswear giant Adidas has developed a range of trainers with an augmented reality code built into the tongue, which (when held up to a webcam), allows users to participate in interactive games in which the shoe itself becomes the controller.

It is easy to see why the technology holds such appeal. It offers an exciting, engaging way to communicate with consumers and because of its relative newness, an experience that people are even willing to actively seek out. Amid the recent avalanche of flashy applications however, there is little evidence to suggest that this technology is the game-changing innovation that its proponents fervently believe it to be, which begs the question of whether companies are currently utilising its full potential.

Marshall Manson, director of digital strategy for Edelman UK, is sceptical. 'I'm not seeing anybody doing business changing stuff. At the moment, it's all about giving people the novelty of the experience, rather than doing something massively substantive,' he says. 'That's the thing we've got to see develop over the next few months - a move towards more substance and real value, as opposed to just something nifty to play with.'

Jon Silk, senior digital consultant at Waggener Edstrom, agrees. 'There are a lot of applications which are just vanity projects. It's a gimmick at the moment, and very much swamped with people doing it for the sake of it...That said, I think it does deserve the hype because it's a fascinating technology. The fact that we're hooking up our webcams to external data and graphics is really exciting and I'm not surprised that marketers have jumped on it and are using it purely to be seen to be using it - at the moment the medium is the message. We're yet to see that many truly useful applications.'

It is likely that as the novelty factor wears off and the technology develops during the coming months, it will be possible to see just how interesting and useful a tool augmented reality can be for businesses in terms of adding value to the customer experience. Much of what has already been seen has focused on the use of augmented reality as a sales tool or channel for brand reinforcement, but there is undoubtedly enormous potential for companies to use this technology as a means of engaging with their customers in a unique way prior to, during, and beyond the transaction.

Useful applications

Silk cites the application created by the American Postal Service as a rare example of how using augmented reality can aid a business in operating more efficiently. This desktop tool superimposed the correct sized box needed for a particular item when it was held up to a webcam, allowing the customer to find out which one they needed to purchase for their parcel from the comfort of their own home. It may lack the glamour of some of the more talked about augmented reality applications, but as Silk points out, 'it was something that the company wasn't able to do before. It's brilliant because it filled a need that both the company and its customers found useful.'

Another example of a pragmatic augmented reality solution comes from toy brick maker Lego, which has created a point of sale interaction with potential customers. Activated by a QR code (a twodimensional bar code read by scanners) the 'digital boxes' that Lego is currently rolling out provide users with a 3D graphic of what a finished product will look like once built.

From conference to crisis

To date, augmented reality has focused on business-to-consumer level transactions, but there is a great deal of scope for this technology within the sphere of business-to-business communications as well. Aside from campaigns, augmented reality lends itself well to activities such as maximising a company's presence at conferences and exhibitions. Stands could be located instantly and users could be provided with additional information, audio content, graphics, or even product demonstrations, simply by holding up their phone. Augmented reality could also prove an interesting way in which to train staff and a memorable medium through which to engage employees or communicate the corporate message internally. American-based media software company Gravity Jack claims to have launched the world's first 'augmented office' -which provides its employees with RSS feeds appearing from the walls, along with floating Twitter feeds and share graphs when staff look at a NASDAQ ticker or world times when they glance at a clock.

Lewis PR has devised an AR Crisis Comms App. 'We're launching the application this month,' says chief operating officer Paul Charles. 'We have a crisis card (about the size of a credit card), and on the back is the marker. When you put it in front of your camera, there will be us giving advice on what to do in a crisis.'

Reality check

The potential for communicators is vast, but there are some pragmatic considerations to be taken into account when considering whether developing an augmented reality tool is appropriate. It can be expensive and incredibly time consuming to develop, so if a company's requirements could be met equally well through an alternative channel, such as a website or mobile phone app, then it may end up being a waste of resources.

It is also necessary to understand both the technology and your company's audience, particularly when considering a mobile-based augmented reality app. If the target audience does not have access to the necessary technology to view your application, then it clearly will not have the desired reach or outcome. From a webcam-based augmented reality perspective, it is necessary to consider the time that a user will need to invest and endeavour to make the process as painless as possible for them. As Waggener Edstrom's Silk points out: 'Often you have to go through three or four steps to get it to work - install something, grant something permission, print out a tag, hold it in front of the screen and so on. Try to keep it as simple as you can. If you have a problem to solve and you can solve it using augmented reality then great, but if it is pure marketing or showing off then just don't bother taking the user through this convoluted process.'

Similarly, consider the strengths of augmented reality as a channel and how these correlate with your business requirements. Lewis PR's Charles says: 'It's a very visual approach to PR and marketing and it can be great for providing you with a snapshot of a particular product, for example, and what its strengths are. I think AR is very useful if you are a brand that wants to promote a strong product or get a very clear and concise message across, but it's not a communications channel for something complicated, detailed and long-winded. It's there to be a very quick and easy way of understanding something.' On the flipside, the potential limitations of the technology also need careful consideration. Augmented reality can be constrained by the processing power of mobile phones, and applications which rely on GPS will only be as effective as the GPS itself.

As the technical issues are smoothed out and the technology evolves, augmented reality is likely to become increasingly ubiquitous in our everyday lives, and the possibilities for how it might be used seem limitless. Ryan Malone, operations director of Propeller Group, suggests that it may be difficult to predict the future of augmented reality at present since 'it is a technology-led phenomenon; as the technology gets better we are going to find uses for it rather than making the business case first and trying to adapt the technology'.

There is no doubt that augmented reality is in its infancy, but based on what has been seen so far, it seems safe to conclude that it has a place in the future. Exactly what form of AR might be seen in the future is uncertain, and it may be the case that it is more appropriately viewed as part of a broader evolutionary process that will result in other technology. 'We are going to see further phases where it will undoubtedly become a tool that you can speak to, as well as hear from,' muses Charles. 'I think it will become a two-way process rather than a pre-prepared package. It's got the potential to be the robot of the future.'

share me: del.icio.us | digg | reddit | Tweet