It’s 2015. You’re about to record a Snap. But wait, you need the dog filter.
Ah! Now you’re ready.
Chances are this is your first active memory of using AR.
But today, AR is far more accessible and available. It’s in Google search. It’s in virtual tours and try-ons. It’s in architectural renders and business cards.
It has barreled past simple filters and broken into the world of creative marketing where you’ll find it being named in the same breath as VR, Metaverse and the like in any brainstorm.
Today the AR market is valued at $3.5bn and that’s projected to grow to a massive $18bn by 2023. But what does this mean for us as marketers?
It means your clients will be more likely to spend on ideas that use tech like AR to showcase their creative, innovative spirit. And if you’re looking for some inspiration to get you started, have a look at some of our favourite examples of AR in marketing:
When it came out in 2016, Pokémon GO took the world by storm with its innovation. Not only did the game use AR simply and effectively, but it also put millions of smartphone users into a nostalgic world they loved.
Results: $100 million in 20 days | 232+ million players | 500+ million downloads
Taking photos with iconic landmarks—Burj Khalifa, Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel Tower, etc.—has become second nature. So when Snapchat introduced Local Lenses, it allowed users to interact with an AR overlay of a real-world location and add their own artistic flair to the monuments, making it visible to every other Snapchat user who visits the site.
Cheekiness is the bread and butter of Burger King ads and this one takes the cake (or should we say burger?). The brand cleverly hijacked its competitors’ ad spaces and incentivised its audience’s participation with a free whopper.
How do you drive e-commerce sales without making customers visit in-store? Sephora’s Virtual Artist lets customers overlay its makeup products on their faces as filters to let them test every mix possible. It beats being stalked by eager sales assistants 👀
What’s worse than buying a piece of furniture and then realising it just doesn’t fit? By adding an element of try-before-you-buy to furniture shopping, IKEA’s Place simplifies the buying journey and expands the use of AR in streamlining shopping.
Results: 8.5 million downloads
Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle: REVIVRE
AR isn’t a brand new concept in museums, but the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris took it to another by bringing natural history to life. Under its project ‘REVIVRE’ (To Live Again), visitors got to come face-to-face digitally with extinct animals.
In-person concerts may have been cancelled during lockdown but that didn’t keep musicians from performing. The Weeknd went live on TikTok for their first AR concert, offering a fully digital live experience where listeners could vote on scenes.
Results: 1.3 billion views | 350,000 euros raised
This petrol and diesel delivery service likes to keep it simple, smart and sleek. We developed an AR filter that customers could use to scan the CAFU trucks and seamlessly identify and interact with the services the brand offers.
And that’s a wrap on our favourites! But we have a little holiday AR cheer to spread too… we’ve created our own Santa filter!
To join in the festive fun, scan the QR code below or head to our instagram (@creategroup.me) to kickstart your ho-ho-holiday 🎅
Create, every day.