The majority of people have just recently learned about augmented reality thanks to Pokemon Go, a free, location-based augmented reality game. A perspective of the actual world that has been enhanced with images or audio is known as augmented reality, or AR. Users of Pokemon Go, for instance, observe the typical street environment in front of them while seeing characters from the game overlaid on top of it.
Although marketers have been utilising augmented reality technology for some time, a popular game like Pokemon Go, which is quickly gaining cultural traction, is obviously beneficial for advertising. Businesses have swiftly come to appreciate the importance of consumers looking for virtual monsters within physical stores. In-game advertising options have been offered by Niantic, a Google spinoff firm that contributed to the creation of Pokemon Go. Niantic has also said that it would let companies to pay to become sites that players will visit.
There are now new fan-made services in the Pokemon universe. These include the Infinite Fusion Calculator and Random Pokemon Generator, which help players with some aspects of gameplay.
Marketers would be advised to keep an eye on the trend and look for opportunities to use the cutting-edge technology. Games like Pokemon Go will only boost the popularity of augmented reality.
Opportunities for Marketing with Pokemon Go AR
All sizes of businesses are vying to join the Pokemon Go craze. You may have seen neighbourhood establishments, like the coffee shop around the corner, advertising themselves as PokeStops, or places where gamers may acquire things that would enable them to catch additional Pokemon. In a McDonald’s in Japan, the first PokeStop that was sponsored first appeared. Onscreen, it resembles a standard stop with the exception of the golden arches emblem. Given that many players are millennials who dislike overt marketing, this kind of subtle branding is less likely to alienate users who are wary of overt advertising.
Marketers are not only sponsoring PokeStops but also setting up shop at other PokeStops and hosting special weekend events where gamers congregate. For instance, the Hillary Clinton campaign arranged a voter registration event at an Ohio PokeStop. After all, as company owners (and campaign staffs) are well aware, getting customers in the door is often the hardest part.
Small brick-and-mortar companies are joining the game by enticing users to share screenshots to Facebook or tag their Instagram for a discount on menu items, hence increasing social media engagement and sales. Small companies may profit from trends like this while they are still in their infancy without spending all of their little advertising resources on something that is so untested and new.
Data Possibilities
Being a participant in a game, albeit a popular one, that might become a passing fad is not the end goal for businesses. Here, significant customer insights are the real prize. There are many chances for marketers to observe user behaviour and then provide relevant, timely information with the help of a game like Pokemon Go, which utilises the GPS in a player’s smartphone to identify their movement.
Serious privacy issues are also raised by the sort of data that is collected by AR games and applications. Traditional advertising may be viewed with some scepticism by millennials, but strangely, technology like this has the ability to learn even more about people than more conventional techniques. And given that Niantic is a Google offshoot, you can guarantee that they’re not passing up any chance to collect data.
What’s New in Augmented Reality While games like Pokemon Go aren’t for everyone, it doesn’t negate the fact that AR marketing has other important, useful applications. Applications for augmented reality that let you “try before you buy” include one that aids in selecting house furnishings and accessories. It might seem hazardous to purchase stuff like a new couch since you can’t really tell until it’s in your house if it will fit in. Additionally, making the wrong decision can be costly. By letting customers “place” items in their homes to see how they fit, both in terms of size and aesthetics, businesses like IKEA and Sayduck have made it simpler for customers to make the right choice.
Even though picking the wrong sofa is more regrettable than picking the wrong makeup shade, it can still be annoying. With its AR cosmetics mirror, which enables consumers to preview how different colours will appear on them before they purchase, Shiseido is lowering that risk.
Using AR, grocery shopping can be more convenient. Shoppers may easily compare items by pointing their phone’s camera at a shelf using IBM’s augmented reality software, which was released in 2012. Based on the user’s choices, the app provides rating information and product information. Additionally, the app provides coupons for specific goods, providing manufacturers with yet another marketing channel.
Digital media and augmented reality
Players of Pokemon Go have been busy posting pictures of their travels on social media, including several Instagram images of Pokemon that have appeared on or nearby. Fun, shareable content features adorable characters and large crowds gathered in unexpected locations.
You can up your selfie game with the help of augmented reality. Snapchat offers a wide range of adorable filters that can do anything from make you appear like a cartoon puppy to put a flower crown to your head, offering fantastic potential for marketers. For instance, a cosmetics firm or a clothing line can let customers “try on” a new style or trend before allowing them to share a picture of themselves online. They will surely inspire their friends and followers to create and share their own photographs by producing this sort of immersive material.
Moving forward
You could probably confidently wager that Pokemon Go is a craze if you were a gambler. Nevertheless, whether it is or not, it has highlighted the potential of augmented reality marketing in a way that hasn’t been done before. In some respects, it resembles a case study for how companies respond to and interact with this novel use of augmented reality, and astute marketers will examine it to guide their own decisions and come up with creative new applications for it. Pokemon’s catchphrase, “Catch ’em all,” seems to be a directive to marketers.