Two words make up a lot of marketing buzzwords these days: “augmented” and “reality.” While marketers strive to create brand experiences that “feel” real, online marketers seek to make those brands accessible to as many consumers as possible regardless of geography or device.
Augmented reality marketing or “real-life marketing” focuses on the intersection of digital marketing and the real world. The reality is that marketers can’t fully control how a brand’s presence feels in the physical world. As customers interact with your brand in new ways online and via other platforms, the lines between marketing and experience blur.
Marketing spend will plateau, consumers may grow disenchanted with ads, and a whole new set of rules will emerge.
Why Are Brands Embracing AR?
If you’re familiar with the movie Avatar, you’ll know that its creators envisioned a world where humans and creatures from other planets co-exist. In that world, billboards, magazine stands, and even stores can be viewed through the camera lenses of humanoid creatures called Avatars. So it’s not surprising that brands see value in this new marketing reality and are looking to harness it.
According to HubSpot Blogs research, 59% of marketers see AR as having a significant impact on their industry. In the world of digital marketing, the rise of virtual reality, or VR, has made this new digital marketing frontier even more appealing.
VR isn’t just about wearing a headset and being immersed in a digital experience. It’s about being able to physically interact with digital worlds. Because of this, VR marketers can have a greater impact by shaping digital content into something that feels like a real-life experience.
Futurist and innovation expert Peter Diamandis predicts that by 2025, we’ll see many more wearable devices like Google’s Glass that will blur the lines between physical and digital even further. As a result, marketers must now figure out how to adapt their practices to this new digital reality.
How Does The Rise Of Virtual Reality Impact Marketers?
With the rise of virtual reality, marketers are forced to reevaluate the way they approach digital marketing. While marketers must always keep up with the latest trends and technologies, they can’t always rely on digital marketing tactics to drive marketing success. This is particularly true in industries where physical stores and brand face-to-face interactions matter, such as retail and hospitality.
One important distinction between AR and VR is that while AR is built on top of digital marketing and mobile technologies, VR requires its own distinct set of rules and capabilities. When creating a VR experience, marketers should consider developing a strategy aimed at attracting users and keeping them engaged. Otherwise, they risk losing them to competing offers or missing out on new customers altogether.
What Does The Future Of Digital Marketing Look Like?
In 2022, we’ll see even more virtual reality and augmented reality applications emerge, making it even more vital for marketers to understand how these technologies work and how they can be utilized to best effect. While we can’t predict the future, we know that traditional marketing will continue to live in a blended world where digital and physical meet.