Augmented Reality (AR) can enhance the viewer’s experience of your advertisement, making it fun and interactive. You could show a virtual 3D rendering of your product as if they were holding it, or display added information when looking at your product.

How it works

To use Augmented Reality the viewer needs a device capable of running a (web) application, equipped with a screen, a camera and an internet connection, like a PC, laptop or Smartphone. When you hold a marker in front of the camera, the application will recognise this marker and start downloading the added information. It will overlay this information on the marker in the live video stream, using the position, size, angle and rotation of the marker as seen by the camera in real-time.

The information can consist of multiple static, animated or controllable virtual elements, like text, video or 3D objects. You could create a static product presentation, let the user interact with the product or create a game using AR.

How to use it in online advertisements

Link your online display ads to a webpage where visitors can choose to print your marker(s). Don’t forget to include basic instructions, a link to the AR (web) application where the marker(s) can be used and maybe some share-links for friends and social networks. Let the users do the rest. Just have a look at this great example from BMW.

And for offline advertisements?

With the increase of processing power in every new Smartphone, more and more phones are able to meet

the requirements for Augmented Reality. This allows you to put markers in your real world advertisements, like bus stop billboards, so people can view the added information wherever they see your ads. If the phone also has GPS and compass capabilities, you could even let the user navigate to your nearest store.

Create an innovating ad campaign and it might even go viral.

Want to see more on Augmented Reality? Then check out this article on Wired.com.