I’m frustrated with Augmented Reality.
Augmented Reality – AR – uses a webcam to overlay a virtual element onto the real world and provide more information than the physical world provides by itself. For example, let’s say you’re sightseeing in Paris. You hold your mobile device up to the Eiffel Tower while walking nearby. Your device pops up a display that provides a brief history of the monument, perhaps a schedule of tour departures, a phone number for the restaurant on top, and maybe a link to the scene shot in the restaurant from the James Bond film “A View to Kill.”
Cool. AR augmented your physical reality by providing additional information that otherwise might not have been readily available. So far, I’m impressed.
My frustration lies with the use of AR at trade shows, meetings or events. Any number of clients have asked us to develop an AR experience for their meetings. I’ve seen dozens of marketers deploy AR technology in trade show booths.
“Hold this piece of paper up to the webcam. You’ll see a cool animation play.”
Okay.
“Now what?”
Nothing. Because the technology doesn’t produce an outcome that links to my needs. It doesn’t add anything to my knowledge or experience. It’s roughly the equivalent of a magic trick – a gimmicky moment and nothing more.
What about marketers who use AR the way I described the Eiffel Tower example, above? As a way to deliver more information about a product on a show floor or a piece of equipment at an exhibit? That would seem to be an improvement but this is where my frustration with AR really kicks in. Why would marketers at live events want to deliver information virtually when they have the opportunity to deliver that same information face-to-face? To ask questions, to elicit feedback, to gauge reactions, to gain agreement for follow on activity. Isn’t that the real advantage, the power, of face-to-face marketing?
As a new media provider, we introduce our clients to industry innovations whenever possible. We lean heavily on technology to support the live experience. We cringe, however, when media or technology try to replace the face-to-face experience. At this point in the live events arena, AR seems to be a technology in search of a problem.
What’s your experience? Have you found an impactful way to use AR on the show floor? In a meeting? At a conference? Leave a comment and share your AR experiences.