There has been a lot of talk lately surrounding Google and some very special glasses that could open the market for augmented reality (AR) to hit the main stream. But what exactly is this new technology and its impact on marketing?
AR brings graphics, sounds and even smell into a person's field of vision - literally changing the way its users see the world. So from a marketing perspective, AR offers immense potential by allowing people to interact with brochures, property details, newspaper advertising and exhibition stands using their tablet devices or smart phones.
By hovering over a particular image a response is triggered on the phone or tablet prompting anything from a slideshow of images to a video or simple calls to action, such as "Buy Now”.
An example could be an advertisement in a national newspaper. The advert could trigger a video showing the development being advertised. It could go further and include a link to like the company on Facebook or show a live twitter feed in the advert and could generate a personalised email message direct to a sales office. Alternatively, an enquiry form could be embedded into the advert and the user could then fill in the form direct from the Smartphone being used.
A more complex application is using multiple levels of interactivity, such as a commercial agent with multiple office blocks. The agent could embed multiple videos within the advert and arrange them according to location, size or price. The person reading the advertisement could then click on the videos relevant to them. With the ability to embed HTML5 snippets in adverts, the concept of interactivity is endless.
Land Securities are already on to a third application of a more complex form of AR that is already being used extensively for off plan developments in the International Property market. Though specific details of the Land Securities AR app cannot be discussed, it will involve 3D images appearing from 2D marketing literature and will give users a greater scope of flexibility.
Giving clients a vision of the development in 3D either from the marketing material or by standing on site is powerful enough but then putting them actually inside a virtual office to walk around using their tablet computers is an amazing concept. Playing around with office layout and perhaps planning the décor is just another step in the process to securing opportunities with clients before a brick has been laid. This form of highly visual, interactive marketing has the potential to be extremely rewarding for agents involved in marketing offices or units.
Other examples of using complex AR include the ability to stand outside office blocks and while holding up a phone to the building and using a relevant app, view vacant offices with details, photos, floorplans and much more. Rofo.com, a San Francisco based commercial real estate broker, are using this functionality to great effect and have been recognised as the Top Commercial Real Estate Innovator by Inman News and The Webby Awards.
Essentially there are two augmented reality formats that can be utilised in the Real Estate Sector
Simple AR
Complex AR
Towards the end of this year AR will not just be restricted to smart phones and tablets. Google is putting all the AR functionality into glasses that you can wear. On top of that, using voice activation, these glasses can be a camera, video recorder, satellite navigation, mobile browser and a lot more. They will be commercially available at the end of the year for a reported $1,500 but only on a selected roll out, with Google hand-picking people to trial them.
Augmented reality is still in its infancy. It has been discussed for a while, but rarely put into practice especially from a commercial property perspective. However, AR may add a whole new dimension to the way that advertising works for agencies and how developments are sold to both a global market and a mobile society. The potential uses of this technology are almost limitless - so it's time to have some fun with marketing campaigns.
About the author
James Dearsley is the founder of The Digital Marketing Bureau. The company was set up with a belief that new technology and traditional marketing mediums can be used to enhance the experiences for both employees and clients alike. James has 11 years experience working within the Real Estate sector both in the UK and overseas.
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