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![\"augmented-reality\"](\"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/augmented-reality.jpg\")
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Greg Jones, director of VR and AR at Google, said earlier this year: \u201cAt some point, we\u2019re going to look back and think, how did we not have a digital layer on the physical world.\u201d Early Augmented Reality (AR) prototypes were unconvincing and for quite some time seemed rather over-hyped; but in 2017 the technology has come on leaps and bounds, and it\u2019s telling that the world\u2019s largest companies, such as Google, Facebook and Apple, are investing heavily in it. In 2017 we\u2019ve seen some trailblazing brands experimenting with AR and VR with success, from catwalk shows to shopping, and as a storytelling format, it is showing great potential.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there is any sector or industry that will be untouched by AR,\u201d Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an interview with Vogue this year, and we see AR completely transforming the world of experiential marketing in particular, opening up a fully immersive 3D experience for consumers. Studies have shown that\u00a0this technology<\/a>\u00a0can be an incredibly powerful emotional engagement tool, even more so than TV, which could significantly help to strengthen consumer relationships.<\/p>\n Moving forward, the digital marketing community has the opportunity to be exceptionally creative and lead the way in AR and VR, giving consumers unprecedented access to brand figures, unseen product, celebrity endorsers, etc. For example, this year Nicole Kidman starred in a five-minute short film for Etihad Airways, titled “Reimagine”, which took viewers on a 360-degree virtual reality story. The concept was to immerse viewers in an experiential journey following Kidman through one of Etihad’s new Airbus A380s flying non-stop between New York and Abu Dhabi.\u00a0Shane O’Hare, SVP of marketing for Etihad, in an interview with Adweek, said: “Some things need to be experienced, not explained. You don’t explain the taste of a meal at a high-end restaurant or the feel of good linen in a five-star hotel bedroom. In the same way, our incredible A380 product cannot adequately be described by words alone, or by traditional film, or even by 3D film alone. It has to be experienced. Virtual reality allowed us to make that experience real for viewers.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2017 was the year when chatbots truly came to life for brands, although with mixed success for some. With social media messaging on the rise, and artificial intelligence systems becoming increasingly sophisticated, it seems chatbot are the way customers would like to converse with brands, once brands have a good enough grasp of the creative execution.<\/p>\n In a survey by Oracle<\/a>\u00a0of senior marketers from France, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the UK, 80% of the respondents said they already used chatbots or planned to use them by 2020. Forty-two percent of participants are embracing automation technologies, 48% are already using automation technologies, and 40% are planning to implement automation by 2020.\u00a0The ease of building a customisable bot\u00a0is clearly appealing to brands, and Facebook\u2019s expansion of Messenger, for example, is making it an increasingly accessible space.<\/p>\n This Christmas M&S has launched its Christmas Concierge chatbot, via Facebook Messenger, which asks users to opt-in to receive daily tips on food, hosting and presents, and they can also browse and shop from a series of curated festive while interacting further with the bot will surface \u201chidden messages\u201d like a Percy pig cameo and jokes. There\u2019s something for everyone, with clever video integration also.<\/p>\n And so, as we move into 2018, we see chatbot architecture evolving to the point that it will become the first port of call for customer service enquiries, among other things.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The impact of social media on influencer marketing has truly been felt this year, and the line between traditional celebrity and social talent has become more blurred than ever, and has certainly reached tipping point.<\/p>\n As the younger generation particularly place greater faith in social media influencers, and become more wary of celebrity endorsements (for example a recent US study by Roth Capital Partners<\/a>\u00a0found that 78% of millennials either had a negative view of celebrity endorsements, or were indifferent to the practice with regard to making a purchase), celebrities are increasingly needing to find new ways to differentiate themselves and forge more meaningful partnerships with brands. For example, Virgin Media recently announced it had appointed athlete Mo Farah as \u2018director of going the extra mile\u2019.<\/p>\n We particularly liked the Drum\u2019s Celebrity Job Generator<\/a> designed for marketers looking for inspiration in their hunt for a VIP with a unique job title.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nChatbots<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Influencer marketing, and celebrities going the extra mile<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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