As new forms of media (AR, VR, MR) begin to mature, they will become commonplace. Millennials were raised with iPhones and touch screens. Gen Z will be immersed in MR experiences.
These are new marketing platforms and offer unique methods of engagement that static mediums can’t compete with. From a brand perspective, AR offers more accountability, better interactions and quantifiable ROI. All the major tech brands including Apple, Facebook, Google, and Amazon are keenly aware of the power of AR and are developing software that will become instrumental in how they continue to engage with their audiences.
josh hassin (2018), ceo, lookit ar – augmented reality platform Augmented reality in advertising gives brands an opportunity to flex their creative muscles and reach multiple generations at the same time. Consider the ways a teenager might interact with your print ad in a magazine using the native AR capabilities of their smartphone.
While their grandparents might merely read an article (or view an ad) in a magazine, how cool would it be for Gen Z to scan a textbook
to unlock videos, sounds or view limited-edition merchandise in 3D?
Or imagine using the AR feature on your Facebook camera app to unlock exclusive content, music and video from media embedded in a concert ticket? That future is now, as AR has become increasingly accessible for consumers and more affordable for brands to produce.
PokémonGO set the standard high, with the most downloaded AR app in history. Pokémon inspired millions of young people to get off the couch and head outside to visit PokéStops, PokéTrains and PokéGyms and capture a myriad of creatures from the Pokémon universe. Even brands such as Starbucks have leveraged the popu- larity of the Pokémon AR gamification to drive sales by allowing users to unlock a unique PokémonGO Frappuccino flavour. Other savvy brands, such as Cinnabon and BestBuy are also piggybacking on the popularity of PokémonGO by making their physical loca- tions PokéStops. They are also placing Pokéballs on the game map to raise awareness of their physical locations and draw players into their business with the hopes of converting them into a sale (Bradley, 2016).
Similarly, Gen Z is among the earliest adopters embracing virtual reality (VR) technology. In 2017, tech giants Apple, Google and Facebook all announced the integration of AR capabilities into their smartphones and/or apps. For most youth, their first experience with VR is using a Google Cardboard VR viewer, not more expen- sive headsets from Oculus and Samsung. Google is leading the way through the distribution of Google Cardboard viewers that allow thousands of school kids to explore VR content created by YouTube and Google Expeditions that will enable them to explore the ocean floor, or Lockheed Martin’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths)-focused VR app that allows students to visit and explore Mars.
The Simpsons jumped into the VR game in 2016 by giving out free branded Google Cardboard VR viewers alongside branded content specially developed for VR viewing. The Simpsons turned to VR to mark its 600th episode and include The Simpsons fandom in the cele- bration. Fans could then use their branded VR viewer with a specially designed app and enter a 360° immersive experience that transported
them into the world of The Simpsons. For the latest instalment (2017) of the Star Wars saga, Disney partnered with Google on a branded AR experience. After downloading a free app, Star Wars fans could place AR stickers characters from The Last Jedi into the physical world.
While we are still in the very nascent stages of the AR, VR and MR revolution, Gen Z is the first generation to grow up with these technologies. Youth brands have a tremendous opportunity to reach out through original, interactive experiences that merge the real and digital worlds. Let’s look at how an iconic youth brand embraced and combined the emerging technology of AR with mobile smart- phones to create a mobile-first experience that was a hit with Gen Z consumers.
CASE STUDY How MTV embraced AR
After seeing the success of the Snapchat Dancing Hotdog AR filter, a team at MTV started to think about how they could integrate AR into their fan experience.
The key was not just to do it because it was cool or because there was a buzz around what Snapchat was doing. Instead, the MTV team started to brainstorm beyond the gimmicky nature of AR and thought more about how to integrate an MTV AR filter into an authentic, shareable and immersive context.
After much deliberation, and working as a sort of side project, the team came up with the idea of creating an AR filter based on the iconic Moon Person to support the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). The dancing AR Moon Person was launched and engaged audiences far beyond their expectations.
MTV reported (De Napoli, 2017) that the AR Moon Person generated almost 20 million impressions and 2.4 million views across social media over the course of one week.
According to the Moon Person project manager, Thomas De Napoli (2017), the critical metric for the AR experience was to test a new digital experience that would increase brand affinity. When the numbers came in, the AR Moon Person experiment blew their initial targets out of the water and served as a roadmap to transition an ageing youth brand into relevance for a new generation.