Introduction to Augmented Reality Marketing
Blurred vision might not be the one reason you see your wine bottle talking to you. Australian company 19 Crimes has introduced an augmented reality app that brings the 18th-century portraits on its labels to life. The company, named after the handful of offenses that would get you sent to England’s penal colonies, has launched the campaign to share "stories of mischief" from the "infamous rogues" who survived the months-long passage from England to Australia.
How the App Works
The app animates the characters on three of 19 Crimes’ wine labels. Users who download the app and point their phone at a bottle of red wine are rewarded with 15 to twenty seconds of jerky-but-believable-ish animated portraits saying things like "I believed my story was over, nevertheless it was merely the start." The characters come to life, sharing their stories and experiences as convict-colonists.
The Inspiration Behind the Campaign
The campaign was inspired by the large popularity of Pokémon Go, which drove foot traffic to nearby restaurants. Marketers took note, and the logic is that if food brands launch their very own fun games or animated labels, people will buy more stuff. However, the barriers to an augmented reality game on every cereal box and beer bottle have prevented the tech from going mainstream. Users typically must download an app, which takes time and precious phone space.
The Challenges of Augmented Reality Marketing
One of the largest challenges of augmented reality marketing is capturing lengthy attention spans. It’s hard to beat popular games like Candy Crush, and winning customers generally is a losing battle. Additionally, checking out where customers actually are is a big obstacle to place-based smartphone marketing.
The Success of Snapchat’s AR Marketing
Maybe the important thing to successful augmented reality marketing is skipping the app-downloading step entirely. Snapchat has already proved its value as a marketing gold mine amongst young users. The company’s AR hot dog, which went viral with over 1.5 billion views, is an incredible example of how augmented reality could be used to create engaging and fun content. Brands like Gatorade, Taco Bell, and Cadbury have also used Snapchat’s lenses to create branded content that individuals like to share.
Conclusion
It stays to be seen whether or not 19 Crimes will have the opportunity to get enough people to download its app to make the augmented reality project worthwhile. However, the campaign is not less than a buzzy PR play, and it’s an incredible example of how augmented reality could be used to create engaging and interactive content. As technology continues to evolve, we are able to expect to see more revolutionary uses of augmented reality in marketing and promoting. Whether or not 19 Crimes’ campaign is successful, it is a step in the precise direction, and it would be interesting to see how other brands follow suit.
