What You Need To Know About Augmented Reality

Augmented reality: the concept of taking elements of a virtual world into the real world to enhance the things we see, feel and hear. Unlike its sister, virtual reality which throws you into a completely virtual environment augmented reality (AR) uses your existing real-world and overlays virtual information on top of it. We’ve put together some of the most important things you need to know about AR and how you could benefit from using AR in your marketing.

Augmented reality on laptop

Examples of AR

Let’s take a look at some of the companies who completely smashed AR out of the park…

- Pokémon Go
One of the most viral uses of AR was with Pokémon Go - with over 100 million downloads in its first month, and reportedly earning $10 million per day at the height go its success, it was clear that the AR in Pokémon Go was a huge success.

- Google Translate
No, we’re not joking, Google Translate can now be used to annotate foreign text using the camera on your phone. A really useful tool for on-the-go translating.

- Modiface
Ever wanted to try on a certain lipstick or item of clothing but don’t have time? AR now provides a way for clothing, makeup and accessory companies to show potential customers what it would be like to use or wear their products. Modiface has AR mirrors set up in Sephora which allows users to virtually try on lipsticks and other makeup products without actually having to apply them - perfect for people who don’t want to be wiping their makeup off and applying a new product over again.

Social Media

The title of the King of AR in the social media world has to go to Snapchat - the picture sending app which self destructs your messages after a few seconds. It’s pretty much unheard of that someone hasn’t seen a picture of a tween sporting the dog ears, or one of Snapchat’s other novelty camera filters which overlay the image of the person in real time. In fact, Snapchat’s AR hotdog went rather viral - it is a fully formed hotdog inside your Snapchat camera which people can move and film as if it were really there. John Baker, chief marketing officer at Miriam Agency said…

“There’s all this attention and excitement over what’s really very lightweight AR… And Snapchat can rightfully claim that flag for popularising the filters and all this innovation.”

Snapchat has hit advertising goals with its popular filters, where they charge hundreds of thousands of dollars for one-day lenses to promote certain brands.

Have you ever had contact with AR? According to a Deloitte survey, 88% of mid-market companies are already using some form of VR or AR as part of their business. Therefore, your brand could always benefit from experimenting with these augmented apps to really get ahead and stay on trend. 

Written by

Total Merchandise | Editoral Team

Our editorial team is drawn from a pool of experienced promotional merchandise product team members, account managers, marketers and other contributors. With such a wide range of skills and experience, they write about many aspects of promotional merchandise, wider marketing and business matters, as well as company news updates.

Connect with Total Merchandise on LinkedIn Connect with Total Merchandise on LinkedIn

Total Merchandise
5 Promotional Products That Every Business Needs

5 Promotional Products That Every Business Needs

The promotional products you choose to represent your business are of the utmost importance. After all, these are the items that will be showcasing your branding and helping to

Our 10 Best-Selling Promotional Pens To Inspire Your Next Campaign

Our 10 Best-Selling Promotional Pens To Inspire Your Next Campaign

It may well be mightier than the sword - well, according to some, at least - but one thing's for sure: a promotional pen is a highly-effective tool to help market your

The TM Edit: Top 10 Novelty Gifts That Your Customers Will Love

The TM Edit: Top 10 Novelty Gifts That Your Customers Will Love

Are you looking for something unique to add some fun to your promotional activity? Well, we're here to help - look no further than our range of novelty giveaways for th

Why Promotional Products Work: The Value Of Merch For Your Brand

Why Promotional Products Work: The Value Of Merch For Your Brand

Okay, we might be biased but there really is no denying it: promotional products are an incredibly powerful tool for any UK business. Whether you're a start-up looki

Colour Guide: Everything You Need To Know About Blue Promotional Items

Colour Guide: Everything You Need To Know About Blue Promotional Items

With Blue Monday in sight, there's no better time to take a moment or two to think about the colour blue in all its glory. Because it's really not all bad, despite the n

This Just In! Total Merchandise Voted Distributor of the Year 2024

This Just In! Total Merchandise Voted Distributor of the Year 2024

We're delighted to tell you that we've been voted Promotional Merchandise Distributor of the Year in the 2024 edition of the Sourcing City Awards. Incredibly, th