Have you heard about Pepsi Max’s recent “Unbelievable” ad campaign? Pepsi took a completely ordinary experience, waiting at a bus stop, and turned it into something, well, unbelievable.
People waiting in the bus terminal saw crazy scenes – think UFOs shooting down beams and giant tentacles creeping out of sewers – when they looked out at the city street through a “glass” window. But it wasn’t a glass window at all. It was augmented reality (AR) at work.
The effect was achieved by swapping out a transparent bus terminal wall with a HD video wall. A camera placed on the opposite side of the wall captured exactly what was happening outside of the terminal. This real-time footage was then projected onto the video wall, so it appeared to be your typical glass bus stop wall.
With a few twists.
To create the “unbelievable” scenes, technicians overlaid the real-time street footage with premade 3D video clips, so the interactive final product really looked like it was happening. Click here to see the finished product.
This campaign was no doubt successful from a PR point of view, but is AR technology good for anything besides making a viral video?
Do I wear my lucky Penn State jersey every game?
(Yes…yes, indeed).
Take IKEA. The housewares giant offers self-service software with AR-scannable products to help customers visualize pieces in their homes. Customers select an item on their mobile device and then point the device at their desired space. When they look at their screen, they’ll see their room in real-time, complete with a scaled, 3D version of the item they’re considering in it.
Or take Volkswagen. They’ve used AR technology to create an interactive tablet-based app to help mechanics. Similarly to the IKEA example, the app overlays scaled 3D graphics with the live camera feed to create a comprehensive experience. The app displays everything from custom component options, step-by-step maintenance instructions, labeled car parts, and more.
Why are companies investing in AR technology like this? Two words: customer engagement. It’s all about bringing the customer into the experience to feel closer to the brand.
So the question isn’t can AR be used for something other than buzz…it’s how will you use it? What other creative uses of AR, with or without video walls or mobile apps, have you seen?