Showing posts with label Emerging Technologies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emerging Technologies. Show all posts

Saturday, 5 November 2011

The Increasing Value of Augmented Reality (AR)

In our modern marketing paradigm, it’s a given that a message must ‘disrupt’ and break through the noise.  Adding technological innovation is one way to do just this.  Enter Augmented Reality.  Augmented Reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input, such as sound or graphics. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is modified to enhance one’s current perception of reality.  A number of brands have successfully used AR technology for utility-based and innovative applications that amplify their customer’s experience.   Here are some of the best examples from 2010.  

Adidas turned Originals sneakers into a game control device by adding an AR code on the shoe’s tongue. When held in front of a webcam, the code provides access to a number of different interactive games on Adidas website which the players can navigate with their shoe.

Ben & Jerry’s iPhone app with the Moo Vision augmented reality feature generates images related to the flavor you’re scanning which you can click on to find out more info and share with your friends on social networks.

Toyota topped off its digital campaign for the 2011 Scion tC with an AR game on scion’s site. The user prints an AR marker that is used as a steering wheel to race with the new tC, (and potentially win a spot in the global top 100 high scoreboard.)

In November, Airwalk used an augmented reality app from GoldRun to launch invisible pop-up stores, which sold a limited edition of the Jim shoe in New York and LA. To access the invisible store, customers had to use the app to locate virtual Jim shoes at dedicated locations and take a photo of the shoe to gain a pass code to the Airwark e-commerce site. Airwalk reported that since then its e-commerce site has witnessed the most traffic in the company’s history.

Volvo and EuroRSCG 4D teamed up for the promotion of the Volvo S60 by organizing five secret parties in Berlin, London, Paris, Milan and Madrid. In order to get an invite one had to find one of the code cubes, hidden in “naughty” locations around the city. The project was in collaboration with hand picked lifestyle bloggers and blog readers were given clues to discover the hidden cubes by using the Layar Augmented Reality browser.

Toyota enabled car enthusiasts to create a virtual track, by printing off special markers to place around, and take a virtual Toyota Auris for a virtual test track. They also could record their test drives and share the clips on social networking sites, as well as the Auris micro site. Toyota offered a prize for the most innovative track with the winner receiving a super-deluxe home entertainment system to encourage a larger participation.

By printing off a special symbol BMW fans could drive their own BMW Z4 around their desk and colourful designs with its tires. The videos and images taken could then be shared on social networks.

Yet another virtual test drive, this time transforming the user into a rally driver, making it more like a race car game, rather than a regular test drive ride. The user can then share his lap time with friends on Facebook.

Nestlé Kit Kat Augmented Reality Gig
Agency Skive Digital of London created an Augmented Reality campaign for Kit Kat UK. Holding one of the special AR Kit Kat “4-Finger” bar packages in front of a webcam unlocked a one-off Scouting for Girls performance. The special packs also offered consumers the chance to win one of thousands of £100 Ticketmaster vouchers through Kit Kat Music Break.

Virtual mirrors: Created by IBM and EZFace.
The special kiosks were placed in stores in North and South America, Europe, and Asia, covering major cosmetics brands like L’Oreal, Maybelline, Covergirl and Revlon. The shopper can take a picture and virtually try on makeup, while the “mirror” takes into consideration such things as skin tone, facial features, and product colour. The mirror can make recommendations and allow the consumer to share a virtual makeover image with friends online.

Unilever created an interactive ice cream machine that asks consumers to share a smile on Facebook to get a free ice cream.

Neuvo, a collaborative company from Montreal has created a free “try it before you buy it” iPhone app, which connects to Neuvo’s website and on-line store.

Olympus created a viral product demo with which you can virtually explore the camera’s features and also allows you to take pictures and using the camera’s various filters. Afterwards you can share your pics and videos with friends online.

H&M used Goldrun’s app to enable shoppers in New York to try on virtually the clothes it features in its shop windows. The shoppers this way gained a discount code and share their looks with their Facebook friends.

As part of their back to school campaign, Seventeen and J.C. Penny launched a virtual dressing room through which teens could “try on” clothing using a webcam, and shop their items of preference through the J.C. Penney website.

Through its website Tissot lets users print and cut out a paper strip in order to try on virtual watches. Tissot showcased the application with an interactive Selfridges window display. This reportedly resulted in increasing in-store sales at Selfridges by 85%, while the YouTube views of the campaign have surpassed 70,000.

Swiss watchmaker Hublot launched an iPhone application that allows consumers to view the Hublot collection, design their own models and digitally trying them on.
Girard-Perregaux: Yet another watchmaker that created an iPhone app that allows users to “try on” watches.

The French jewelry house lets potential customers virtually try on products with use of their webcams by downloading an application from its website developed by Holition.

US real estate agency ZipRealty through its iPhone application HomeScan allows its potential customers to look through their phone and instantly discover which homes near them are for sale (or recently sold). Homescan provides info like the asking (or sold) price, photos and distance from where the user stands.

For the promotion of Iron Man 2 Paramount and Marvel invited Iron Man fans to take a look inside the Iron Man’s head. Through the movie’s website and a webcam, fans can try on Iron Man’s helmet take photos to download or share over Facebook and Twitter.

The Dutch government placed augmented reality billboards in Amsterdam and Rotterdam to raise awareness about violence against public service employees. The billboards augmented a live street view with a violent altercation, making onlookers realize the impact of their inactivity against violence.

In an effort to raise awareness around the plight of the Siberian tiger, WWF printed special t-shirts and distributed them online and to key stores in Moscow, with placed AR video mirrors that would instantly active the AR experience the moment a WWF t-shirt was detected. The idea was to simulate what a Siberian tiger experiences when it gets shot.

Fashion brand Forever21 installed an augmented reality billboard in Times Square this past June, in which a model dressed in Forever21 clothes seemed to interact with the crowd by taking photos of the passers by or selecting people, picking them up and throwing them into a Forever21 bag.

Museum of London’s iPhone app overlays specific locations around London with historical photographs mixing past with present. The app guides the user to these locations with the use of map or GPS.

Condé Nast Traveler spiced up its iPhone apps by adding an augmented reality feature, which allows the traveler to discover nearby attraction simply by scanning the area around with the iPhone camera.

Hotels.com created Virtual Vacay that enables users to take a virtual tour of ten US cities and find out information about local events and hotels in a fun way. The virtual tourists can even send personalized post cards from their virtual travels to their friends.

IBM’s Seer application helped its users navigate Wimbledon 2010. The users could find information about the closest cash machine’s location; the wait time for certain services and even sees live video from the matches, through their iPhone or Android camera.

Our favourite 2010 AR campaign?  H&M’s Augmented Reality Campaign (using GoldRun) because it combined several technologies at once; augmented reality, geo-location and mobile apps. The GoldRun app is designed to drive traffic to physical and online destinations, increase product sales and enhance brand engagement within a certain geographic location for a predetermined amount of time, in this case – 10 days in New York City. In 2011, we should see more brands combining AR and QR Codes into their Geo-location Marketing strategy and campaigns. 


More from GoldRun:

·      AIRWALK - http://bit.ly/oLs6B1
·      NIKE - http://bit.ly/KtaVXZ

The key to developing successful AR campaigns that provide customer engagement as well as translate to sales will be making sure that they support the local communities. Campaigns that combine these technologies in ways that take the online consumer offline and make the transition of that experience seamless will have nailed it. The best way to predict the future is to create it.  Need some help adding branded utility using Augmented Reality (AR) to your brand?  Goodbuzz can help.  Contact info@goodbuzz.ca to get started.





Tuesday, 30 November 2010

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AND DISRUPTING THE STATUS QUO


As a tribute to some of our favourite past digital campaigns that disrupted the status quo, we've compiled the following.  Note that the years represent when they were introduced to consumers.
CHALKBOT, 2009, for the Livestrong Foundation and Nike, by Wieden + Kennedy. Consumers used a Web site and social media to submit messages “of hope and inspiration” that were chalked onto the course of the Tour de France.
DOVE EVOLUTION, 2006, for the Dove brand sold by Unilever, by Ogilvy + Mather Worldwide, part of WPP. A commercial that began running online before it appeared on TV asked for a reassessment of traditional standards of beauty.
DREAM KITCHENS, 2005, for Ikea, by Forsman & Bodenfors. Ikea’s first online commercials presented 3-D renditions of six wish-list kitchens.
ECO DRIVE, 2008, for Fiat, by AKQA. Software that recorded driving habits and offered tips on efficiency.
HBO VOYEUR, 2007, for HBO, a division of Time Warner, by two agencies, the BBDO New York division of the Omnicom Group and Big Spaceship. Passersby on a Manhattan street were invited to watch the goings-on in eight faux apartments in a campaign that also included a Web site.
THE HIRE (aka BMW Films), 2001-2, for BMW, by Fallon Worldwide, part of the Publicis Groupe. Clive Owen played a mysterious driver in a series of shorts — or long commercials — directed by filmmakers like John Frankenheimer and Ang Lee.
NIKE PLUS, 2006, for Nike, by R/GA, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. A Web site, heralded by Nike as an “online goal-tracking running motivator,” supports Nike Plus shoes, which are equipped with sensors that transmit data to iPods.
SUBSERVIENT CHICKEN, 2004, for Burger King, by Crispin Porter & Bogusky. To promote the TenderCrisp chicken sandwich, Burger King invited visitors to an oddball Web site to order a chicken to perform fanciful tasks.
UNIQLOCK, 2007, for Uniqlo, by Projector. A widget, or small application, bearing the brand of Uniqlo, the Japanese clothing retailer, offered computer users music, dance clips and a qlock — er, clock.
WHOPPER SACRIFICE, 2009, for Burger King, by Crispin Porter & Bogusky. The campaign asked Facebook users to give up 10 friends in exchange for coupons for free Whopper sandwiches. Facebook, which was not party to the campaign, pressured Burger King to end it early — perhaps generating more publicity than if it had run its course.
All the above campaigns leverage both new media and new technologies for “great storytelling” that rivals the stories told by ads in traditional media like television and print.  Viral, branded utility at it's best.





Wednesday, 18 August 2010

Integrating Experiential and Social Marketing – The magic of Coca-Cola’s “Village” Experience

The term Experience Economy was first described in a book published in 1999 by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore.  The author’s argue that businesses must orchestrate memorable events for their customers, and that memory itself becomes the product - the "experience".

Many big brands involved with Experiential Marketing have been wondering how best to integrate social media with live brand experiences?   Moreover, how to engage and integrate all participants as a part of the live event in a meaningful and relevant way?  Coca-Cola enlisted Isreali experiential agency Promarket to do just that.  The innovative Coca Cola Village experiential event synced everyone who participated.  Live in real-time. 

The Coca-Cola Village experience was run in 2010 through Facebook.  Perfect for their target’s technographic profile, a Facebook app allowed teenagers to easily register and participate.  The simple goal was to collect ten Coca-Cola caps, gather eight friends (who did the same) and gain exclusive entry to the Coca-Cola Village.  At the Coca-Cola Village, users were given a unique (RFID Microchip enabled) wristband that held their Facebook login / password - so all they needed to do was swipe when starting each new activity (now integrated with Facebook). Every time a user swiped, his or her Facebook status was instantly updated with what users were specifically doing at the event, keeping friends up to date in real time.   It get’s better.  The wristband also allowed for auto-tagging of all the photos taken at the Coca-Cola Village.


The results? The experience could accommodate 650 teenagers a day and the three-day Coca-Cola Village experience generated over 100,000 posts.   

Watch the Video Case Study


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Goodbuzz® is a Toronto-based Digital Agency that creates participatory media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences.  This is accomplished by focusing on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting. From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz or join us on Facebook. Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.


Monday, 12 July 2010

THE 22 IMMUTABLE LAWS OF BRANDING


  1. EXPANSIONThe power of a brand is inversely proportional to its scope.
  2. CONTRACTIONA brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus.
  3. PUBLICITYThe birth of a brand is achieved with publicity, not advertising.
  4. ADVERTISINGOnce born, a brand needs advertising to stay healthy.
  5. THE WORDA brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer.
  6. CREDENTIALSThe crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity
  7. QUALITYQuality is important, but brands are not built on quality alone.
  8. CATEGORYA leading brand should promote the cateogry, not the brand.
  9. NAMEIn the long run a brand is nothing more than a name.
  10. EXTENSIONSThe easiest way to destroy a brand is to put its name on everything.
  11. FELLOWSHIPIn order to build the category, a brand should welcome other brands.
  12. THE GENERICOne of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name.
  13. THE COMPANYBrands are brands. Companies are companies. There is a difference.
  14. SUB-BRANDSWhat branding builds, subbranding can destroy.
  15. SIBLINGSThere is a time and a place to launch a second brand.
  16. SHAPE A brand's logotype should be designed to fit the eyes. Both eyes.
  17. COLOURA brand should use a color that is the opposite of its major competitor's.
  18. BORDERSThere are no barriers to global branding. A brand should know no borders.
  19. CONSISTENCYA brand is not built overnight. Success is measured in decades, not years.
  20. CHANGEBrands can be changed, but only infrequently and only very carefully.
  21. MORTALITY No brand will live forever. Euthanasia is often the best solution.
  22. SINGULARITYThe most important aspect of a brand is its single-mindedness.

  The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding are by Al Reis.
 

Friday, 9 July 2010

Why not to ask a "Designer" for a favour

The following is e-mail correspondence between an "account person" and a "designer" at a London (UK) agency.


- - - - - - -
From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.15am

To: David Thorne
Subject: Poster
- Hi, I opened the screen door yesterday and my cat got out and has been missing since then so I was wondering if you are not to busy you could make a poster for me. It has to be A4 and I will photocopy it and put it around my suburb this afternoon. 
This is the only photo of her I have she answers to the name Missy and is black and white and about 8 months old. Missing on Harper Street and my phone number. Thanks, Shan.



From: David Thorne

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.26am

To: Shannon Walkley

Subject: Re: Poster


- Dear Shannon, 

That is shocking news. 
Although I have two clients expecting completed work this afternoon, I will of course, drop everything and do whatever it takes to facilitate the speedy return of Missy. 

Regards, David. 


From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.37am

To: David Thorne

Subject: Re: Re: Poster
- Yeah ok thanks. BTW, I know you don’t like cats but I am really worried about mine! I have to leave at 1pm today.

From: David Thorne

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.17am

To: Shannon Walkley

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Poster
-Dear Shannon, 

I never said I don’t like cats. Attached poster as requested. 

Regards, David. 


























From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.24am

To: David Thorne

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
-Yeah,.. that’s not what I was looking for at all. It looks like a movie, and how come the photo of Missy is so small?

From: David Thorne

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.28am

To: Shannon Walkley

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
-Dear Shannon,

It’s a design thing. The cat is lost in the negative space.

Regards, David. 


From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.33am

To: David Thorne

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
-That’s just stupid. Can you do it properly please? I am extremely emotional over this and was up all night in tears. you seem to think it is funny. Can you make the photo bigger please and fix the text and do it in colour please. Thanks.

From: David Thorne

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.46am

To: Shannon Walkley

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
-Dear Shannon,

Having worked with designers for a few years now, I would have assumed you understood, despite our vague suggestions otherwise, we do not welcome constructive criticism. Really, I don’t come downstairs and tell you how to send text messages, log onto Facebook and look out of the window do I? I have amended and attached the poster as per your instructions.

Regards, David.



























From: Shannon Walkley

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.59am

To: David Thorne

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
-This is worse than the other one!  For crying out loud.  Can you make it so it shows the whole photo of Missy and delete the stupid text that says missing Missy off it? I just want it to say “Lost”.


From: David Thorne

Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.14am

To: Shannon Walkley

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster



























From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.21am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
-Yeah,.. can you do the poster or not?!  I just want a photo and the word lost and the telephone number and when and where she was lost and her name. Not like a movie poster or anything stupid. I have to leave early today. If it were your cat I would help you. Thanks.


From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.32am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Awww
-Dear Shannon,
I don't have a cat. I once agreed to look after a friend's cat for a week but after he dropped it off at my apartment and explained the concept of kitty litter, I kept the cat in a closed cardboard box in the shed and forgot about it. If I wanted to feed something and clean feces, I wouldn't have put my mother in that home after her stroke. A week later, when my friend came to collect his cat, I pretended that I was not home and mailed the box to him. Apparently I failed to put enough stamps on the package and he had to collect it from the post office and pay eighteen dollars. He still goes on about that sometimes, people need to learn to let go. In any case, I have attached the amended version of your poster as per your detailed instructions.
Regards, David.

























From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.47am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Awww
-That’s not even my cat. Where did you get that picture? Seriously, that cat is orange. I gave you a photo of my cat!

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.58am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Awww
-I know, but that one is cute. As Missy has quite possibly met any one of several violent ends, it is possible you might get a better cat out of this. If anybody calls and says "I haven't seen your orange cat but I did find a black and white one with its hind legs run over by a car, do you want it?" you can politely decline and save yourself a costly veterinarian bill.  I knew someone who had a basset hound that had its hind legs removed after an accident and it had to walk around with one of those little buggies with wheels. If it had been my dog I would have asked for all its legs to be removed and replaced with wheels and had a remote control installed. I could charge neighbourhood kids for rides and enter it in races. If I did the same with a horse I could drive it to work. I would call it Steven.
Regards, David.

From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.07pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Awww
-Please just use the photo I gave you!

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.22pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
























From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.34pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
-I didn’t say there was a reward!! I don’t have $2000 dollars. Why did you even put that there? Apart from that it is perfect. Can you please remove the reward bit. Thanks Shan.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.42pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

























From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
-David, can you just please take the reward bit off altogether? I have to leave in ten minutes and I still have to make photocopies of it!

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.56pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww

























From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 1.03pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
-Fine. That will have to do!
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