{"id":114133,"date":"2016-08-04T13:02:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-04T18:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/augmented-reality-blending-real-world-and-digital-marketing\/"},"modified":"2024-12-23T00:35:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T05:35:58","slug":"augmented-reality-blending-real-world-and-digital-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/en-gb\/insights\/blog\/paid-media\/augmented-reality-blending-real-world-and-digital-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"Augmented Reality: Blending Real-World and Digital Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unless you\u2019ve been snoozing like a Snorlax, you\u2019ve probably heard of Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/em>. It\u2019s a free-to-play augmented reality game in which players use their smartphones to locate and catch Pok\u00e9mon.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also the most interesting marketing development we\u2019ve seen in years.<\/p>\n

The crazy thing is, that\u2019s not even an overstatement. The game itself may stand the test of time (as, indeed, the original has) or it may end up being a fad \u2013 it\u2019s the potential of the technology behind the game that\u2019s important to marketers.<\/p>\n

By looking at why Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/em> is so successful and how businesses are utilising it, we can gain an insight as to how augmented reality might be used by marketers in the future.<\/p>\n

\"Augmented<\/a><\/p>\n

The Invisible Hand of Google<\/h3>\n

Aren\u2019t you over-hyping it? Jumping on a current trend and spinning it? Surely any marketer seriously using Pok\u00e9mon Go in their strategy needs a good hard look at themselves?<\/em><\/p>\n

I won\u2019t lie \u2013 a lot of blogs recently have discussed Pok\u00e9mon Go as if it is a digital marketing panacea. No, you can\u2019t pin your digital strategy on buying a Pok\u00e9Stop (in-game locations where players collect items) outside your shop. But when you consider that Google pumped millions into the game development, you know there has to be an angle for digital marketers. Google just wouldn\u2019t bother otherwise.<\/p>\n

It all started when Niantic was spun out from Google. Niantic was formed in 2010 by John Hanke, former CEO of the company that created Google Earth.<\/p>\n

The group\u2019s first foray was a location-based mobile app called Field Trip<\/em>, which involved finding hidden items in the real world. This was a test of the location-based game mechanics and allowed them to collect a lot of user-generated data about locations across the world.<\/p>\n

Niantic\u2019s first big product, however, was a game called Ingress<\/em>, which combined location-based gaming with augmented reality for the first time.<\/p>\n

It was only after The Pok\u00e9mon Company got involved that Niantic officially spun out from Google. During the split, Niantic announced the three biggest investors in Pok\u00e9mon Go: The Pok\u00e9mon Company, Nintendo, and \u2013 of course \u2013 Google.<\/p>\n

When viewed through this lens, the entire Niantic project is simply an investment by Google into researching the potential user and tech issues, applications, and revenue streams of augmented reality.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, they can do it via a relatively safe, fun game, where users are keen to report issues, rather than a high-pressure commercial environment where any issues could potentially cost the company millions.<\/p>\n

Now that they know what it can achieve, it\u2019s only a matter of time until Google starts using augmented reality for its next big project. And for digital marketers, the outcome could be the start of an epic shift.<\/p>\n

Why is Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/em> so popular?<\/h3>\n

Whether they realise it or not, people don\u2019t love Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/em> only because it\u2019s a great Pok\u00e9mon game; they love it because it\u2019s augmented reality with mainstream appeal.<\/p>\n

Augmented reality is a live view of the real world (like what you see when using your phone\u2019s camera) that has been augmented by a computer-generated sensory input, usually an image.<\/p>\n

Take a look at the screenshot below, which is an example of what players could see when looking at their phone.<\/p>\n

\"Augmented<\/a><\/p>\n

It does what is says on the tin, taking a live view of the real world, but augmenting it with computer-generated images.<\/p>\n

There has always been a divide between physical and digital gaming. Beating the lava level on Super Mario Bros. 3<\/em> and scoring the winning try in rugby are both ways to win a game, and yet they don\u2019t really feel on the same level.<\/p>\n

The augmented reality feature of Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/em> blurs the lines between physical and digital. Players must get up, go out, and wander around their area in order to catch Pok\u00e9mon. They\u2019re even seeing the real world projected onto their screen, and yet it\u2019s still a digital game.<\/p>\n

Augmented reality combines the best of both worlds, which provides the opportunity for mass market appeal.\u00a0 The concept is nothing new, but Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/em> represents the first time it has been implemented without limiting itself to a particular demographic.<\/p>\n

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