AR Web Based Ideas For This Year

We’ve put together a selection of our favourite Augmented Reality experiences and AR Web Based marketing campaigns. All of these marketing campaigns used Web AR technology, which meant that users did not have to download an app to view the AR experience. They can simply take their iOS or Android device out of their pocket, point the phone camera at the material and watch it come to life! From AR portals that transport consumers to different countries, to highly engaging AR experiences built into printed brochure designs. This list of examples should act as a spark for your creative minds - the possibilities are endless.

AR Web Based Brochures & Flyers

The first AR web-based example is from one of the UK’s top tourist attractions, Alnwick Garden. Every year Alnwick Garden welcomes thousands of visitors to their beautiful grounds, including the world famous Poison Garden which is home to a selection of the world’s deadliest plants.

Alnwick Garden integrated their 2D showreel video into their Spring/Summer promotional brochure. Users can take their iOS or Android smartphone, point their camera at the activation QR code and watch the brochure come to life.

As you can see, this Augmented Reality experience featured a custom call-to-action ‘learn more’ button to direct users to the Alnwick Garden official website. The Aircards team created an extremely user-friendly AR web based experience to deliver drastically increased engagement with the printed marketing material.

Lewis Collins, Aircards, Business Development Manager said:

“We loved working with the team at Alnwick Garden to develop something so creative for their new brochure designs. Our dev team continue to deliver these 'wow' experiences for our clients and this is another clear example of how web-based Augmented Reality can be used to amplify the effectiveness of print material.”

Web Based AR Outdoor Advertising

Outdoor advertising (OOH), or out-of-home advertising is the method of using advertising to reach people outside of their homes. According to OAAA, consumers can spend up to 70 percent of their time out and about. When you combine app-less AR, or Web Based AR with OOH, you can produce higher engagement rates and increased brand awareness.

There are a selection of Outdoor Advertising areas that lend themselves to AR Web Based experiences. Broadly, they can fall into these three areas:

1.  Billboards

You can find Billboard advertising on almost every morning commute, wherever you live or travel. Billboard advertising can be placed next to high-traffic roads and pathways to catch the attention of passers-by. One important aspect to keep in mind when thinking about rolling out a Augmented Reality billboard experience should be the placement.

Highways are not a good idea as drivers should be concentrating on the road and not on an AR experience, however billboards in heavy footfall areas like Times Square or the High Street in any city would be a great place to deploy such an Web AR billboard campaign. The Trainline is a good example of AR web based outdoor advertising done right. They allowed customers to point their phone at a billboard to see departure times of upcoming trains, all within Augmented Reality.

2.  Posters & Print Ads

Posters are ubiquitous in settings like trade fairs, exhibitions, offices and retail stores around the world. Web AR technology can convert these traditionally static, analogue print assets into a dynamic, digital experience. In this way, a whole new media channel is created, layered on-top of the print communication and accessed through the use of any standard smartphone camera.

The theory for print ads is much the same - imagine interactive, engaging experiences within a magazine or newspaper, delivering a range of digital content directly to the consumer which wasn't previously possible. From 2D video to 3D animation, a whole range of eye-catching content types are possible, delivering an experiential twist on traditional print advertising.

3.  Transportation & Travel Hubs

Buses, trains and subway advertising, either on the outside of the vehicles or inside the carriages/buses is a common form of advertising. Often cutting through the noise is the first hurdle for brands looking to deploy a campaign like this. Using Augmented Reality is a great way to draw attention, stand out and create a buzz around your brand.

Web AR Direct Mail Campaigns

Direct Mail is making a strong resurgence due to the saturation of Social Media advertising. Consumers appreciate and engage with direct mail at higher rates when compared with social media marketing simply because it hasn't been done-to-death. One of the previous downfalls of direct mail campaigns was the lack of accurate analytics to track performance. When you incorporate Augmented Reality experiences into your printed direct mail pieces (flyers, postcards etc), you're not only increasing the engagement rates but your also able to track every move your customer makes.

One example of a AR web based direct mail campaign is this excellent example from Boot Barn. Take a look at the video of their Web AR experience in-action below and if you'd like more information, you can also find out more about this campaign over on the Boot Barn AR case-study.

AR Web Based Experiences: The Future

Now that you've got those creative juices flowing, are you ready to launch your own AR web based experience to drive results?

Whether it's Outdoor Advertising, a Direct Mail campaign or just a crazy cool Augmented Reality portal to transport customers to another world - it's all possible. Our team are Web AR marketing experts, we work with creative teams, marketing agencies, freelance marketers and brands to create and deploy amazing Augmented Reality marketing campaigns that drive outstanding results.

If you're ready to get started you can get in touch with our friendly team, or your can learn more about our Web AR technology and view recent AR case studies.