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It's Time To Unleash The Power Of Mobile AR [blog] #mobile #AR

Red-pill1

I've had a few conversations recently where I've been asked questions about the value (mobile) augmented reality (AR) can add. There has been plenty written about AR and whether it is overhyped or the next big thing. This year I believe we've reached a tipping point. Smartphone and tablet devices + AR + other mobile technologies promise to unleash the true power of AR. Maybe I'm slightly biased, I work at String, a vision-based mobile AR start-up based in London but here's my take:

The questions about AR adding value are valid. Generally speaking experiences thus far haven't been great. Basic user experiences, limited use-cases, and fragmented adoption all play a part. Do consumers really hold up their mobiles to navigate the world using AR platforms such as Layar or Junaio? A certain niche does but it's not mainstream behaviour - well not yet. As an avid user of my smartphone, and the latest apps and gadgetry, these AR apps fail to make my first choice list as a consumer. Why use AR when I can use other more intuitive and user-friendly apps to navigate and discover?

The value has to be there.

Similarly, many other AR experiences on mobile have to date been poor or gimmicky. The main reason is one of timing; the marriage of hardware and software capabilities at the right time. But also one of insufficient planning, execution, communication and education. Of course it's not the case for all mobile AR experiences, it's just that in-the-main the experience does not fulfil the promise. At a time when so much is expected of brands, and so little time is available to consumers, mobile has to add value. Simply speaking it has to be something useful, or something fun. And AR is no different. 

To create true value with AR (both for the brand and the consumer) we must understand and design with all of these principles in mind. Mobile AR presents powerful possibilities but to leverage these fully needs careful planning and clear strategy. It also means understanding the full capablities of the technology.

It all depends on the context but here are four ways that I believe (vision-based) mobile AR will increasingly answer critics and create value:

1. Connecting media and brand experiences like never before.

Mobile AR blends our physical and digital worlds. Any surface or screen can become a connected portal. Previously passive, one-way print media become rich and intelligent digital experiences where advertising or editorial is layered with deeper multimedia content. For example, AR has the potential to become a powerful tool for transmedia storytelling. James Cameron recently announced Avatar Land where the "goal is to go beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experimental storytelling…to give parkers the chance to see, hear and touch the world of Avatar with an unprecedented sense of reality." It will be interesting to see if AR features but the time is right. Transformers 3 trialled AR gaming to encourage engagement around the recent film launch, giving a hint of the tech. potential. Likewise, newspapers have a new digital lease of life, while product packaging and POS present a whole new reason to buy (for example kids brands).

2. Improving and enhancing the way we do business.

AR can solve fundamental business issues, it can improve business processes, or it can enhance the customer experience. From inventory management, such as tracking parts, recalling servicing and maintenance information real-time, to providing interactive 3D, photo-real AR product demo's. We hear how Tesco's South Korean brand, Home Plus, is creating convenient mobile shopping experiences using billboards and planning further roll outs. Integrate AR with this for lifestyle brands and…WOW….the retail experience is digitally remastered allowing consumers to browse, call up information, share reviews, and shop instantly.

3. Providing powerful new distribution and commercial platforms. 

From storytelling to gaming to retail and beyond, AR allows brands to create potent new distribution channels and commercial platforms. We can unlock a magazine ad to browse a product catalogue in photo-real 3D AR, or instantly click-to-buy those pumps from any outdoor poster and share the experience socially. We've already seen AR and retailers team up for location based offers and AR pop-up stores for flash sales but the next generation experiences are going to be far more powerful. The capabilities now exisit to deploy AR as a live performance medium, or to intelligently update content real-time. Take your coffee table, you can now watch Lady Gaga live, then review and buy her latest album, in AR. 

4. Redefining how we interact with the physical world.

So AR can bridge the physical and digital world but what next? Here is a stunning example that explores how we might connect with the world around us. A future where the environment becomes intelligent and intuitive, and connects to people, the things we do, and the things we feel.

Pretty powerful, and this is just the start. We're on a trajectory towards consumer AR eyewear, not right now but it's coming in the not-too-distant future. So it doesn't take much of a leap to imagine the possibilities and where AR is heading. Combine this with the parrellel advancements across mobile, social, location, gaming and the cloud, and that makes for one mouth-watering AR paradigm. One that opens the door for rich, contexutal experiences and opportunities beyond the likes of anything we've seen before.

For now, many love the whizz-bang coolness of AR but the time is right for brands to look beyond this and create new value with this technology, that's where I believe AR it's going to be disruptive, a bit like taking the red pill.

 

Typically brilliant thinking 'Beyond the #mobile web' from @stephanierieger

via slideshare.net

The highlight of my day thus far, and a must read. The goodness comes from delivering 'contextual value' - stuff consumers want or need at the very time and place it matters most to them. For me this is the most important consideration for brands harnessing the true opportunities within mobile.

Now onto more mundane things a.k.a. timesheets and the tea round.

Hybrid Media: How Social is Enabling Event TV [blog] ~ @MobileBehavior #mobile #social

via slideshare.net

Thanks to @MobileBehavior for this beauty on Event TV.

It was reported recently by NMA that 80% of UK mobile users are simultaneously watching TV whist using their mobiles, and you will probably have noticed the rise of programmes now including #tags. Of course, it's not just mobile and TV, we are increasingly media juggling through multiple devices and this deck highlights the trends and the growing opportunities for brands.

Whether you call it 'conversational choreography' or (as per the BBC) 'orchestrated media' TV has a new lease of life and presents producers and brands with powerful opportunites to create richer, interactive and collaborative experiences - extending the traditional TV viewing experience.

I touched on this at the recent @FivebyFiveUK #mobilelegend event, as part of integrating mobile and creating contextual value thinking about the consumer journey. More on this here: http://slidesha.re/e2sLW8 or in my previous post.

The quote from Wired best sums it up though; "TV is moving from a “vast wasteland” to a “vast garden". Today, “TV is a crazy, weed-filled, wonderful, out-of-control garden.” Bring that on!

See original post by Mobile Behavior here: http://bit.ly/faSr2R

Mobile presents the single biggest opportunity for brands [blog] #mobile

Dragon_photo

Last week went in a flash. Lots of exciting mobile goodness starting to shape up. Of particular interest is a project we're working on to enhance the in-store experience through mobile for an un-named UK high st retailer. A space that I think we'll see lots of great shakes in this year. This post by Econsultancy talks about how mobile is reinventing the shopping experience, and summarises some of the opportunities nicely. More on the work we're doing here soon.

On Thursday we hosted the 'How to become a stone cold mobile legend' event. Ballsy title but with great presentations from Jon Mew, Director of Mobile and Operations at the IAB, and our close friends from mobile AR specialists String, the breakfast seminar shared valuable insights into the mobile marketplace, brands harnessing mobile, and some inspirational ideas. The Five by Five deck I presented talks about how mobile presents the single biggest opportunity for brands, and the importance of integrating mobile. It's here for your viewing pleasure (slides 6 and 29 were videos).

The image above is one example of some of the awesome String AR content we showcased. Hold up the iPad 2 to the picture and the wall collapses to reveal a virtual world in which a dragon rears it's head, and then flies out at you. Magical stuff, and just the start!

Last words on this sunny sunday go to Google's CEO - "If you don't have a mobile strategy, you don't have a future strategy." ( ~ @AndrewGrill)

 

BMW "Wherever You Want To Go: Reinventing Mobility"

via youtube.com

An inspirational piece from BMW Documentaries which makes you want get up and run into the street shouting 'think further, faster, higher'! Interesting reference to The 3 Internets, which is akin to the Internet of Things - but intelligent traffic lights - now that's a must!

'If aliens looked down on LA they'd come to the conclusion that the dominant lifeform is automobiles' - how true that probably is.

Right, what can I do better today!?

Via @congbo

Mobile bloody mobile, bugger, tits, sh*t, fu*k, bloody mobile! [blog]

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Apart from the fact it's a fine, fine film and Colin Firth acts his socks off, if you're a brand tip-toeing towards mobile, The Kings Speech is a must see.

In a very crude nutshell the film tells the story of King George VI and his endeavour to overcome a stammer which (amongst other things) threatens his public credibility in the lead up to WW2.

Nothing feeds his stammer more than public speaking, and in particular the wireless radio broadcast. In the end it all comes down to one speech. The Kings Speech. It is do or die.

So why the implications for brands and mobile? Put simply, brands are still stuttering their way into mobile. This is not the case for all brands of course but the general picture is pretty lacklustre.

You will have heard how the balance of power is shifting, from fixed to mobile computing and connectivity. It's shifting fast. Hype and hair gel aside, smartphone adoption is growing at a hefty rate, and in their armoury comes technology and connectivity which is fuelling new consumer behaviours. Our mobiles are our most important device, and coupled with smart-powers they present brands with unparalleled opportunities.

Without hesitancy brands should put mobile up there as a strategic aim for 2011; penetration, usage behaviours, consumer attitudes, and results (strong response rates, recall, and great ROI) all speak for themselves.

So what of the kings speech? A live radio broadcast to boost the morale of a nation. The burden of responsibility and a lack of confidence cajoling each other. How does his majesty come through?

Ok, so it's fair to say we're not comparing apples here but there are relevant parallels for brands and mobile.

In the film, King George VI is open to trying new ideas (in part through desperation!) Speech therapy is finding it's feet, so the need to experiment is good practise. In the case of mobile (and more specifically smartphones) we're in a similar place. It's early days and brands too need to experiment, and not just with 'apps'. Whilst underlying best practices (such as for messaging) still apply, the rules of engagement are still being defined as technology rolls out at a dizzying rate and new possibilities emerge. Brands will benefits from trialling and learning sooner rather than later.

As too will brands who think creatively within mobile. Yes, the screen size is smaller but there are endless creative possibilities - arguably more, when thinking about how mobile connects the digital and real worlds, and the ability to leverage location. There are plenty of examples. Here are just a few: Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Nissan, Honda Jazz, Gol Airlines, Mini Stockholm. In The Kings Speech creative flair is a consistent theme, from the speech techniques employed..."bugger, shit, shit, bugger, fuck"... to the room dressing and open window to deliver the all important speech. Brands shouldn't view mobile as a bolt on but a key and creative part of the mix. Mobiles aren't just another device, they're more capable, more accessible, and more personal than any other. This puts them firmly in the ‘we need to employ strategically’ bracket.

Ultimately, our friend Bertie (KGVI for those who haven’t seen the film) succeeds because of the trusting relationship between Lionel Logue - the unorthodox Australian therapist - and himself. The benefit of working in partnership wins out and brands and agencies too need to work closely to get mobile right. For example, how does mobile sit within a multi-channel strategy, how do mobile and social, mobile and CRM, mobile and traditional channels all play nicely together?

New technology is giving rise to new consumer behaviours, and this presents brands with new opportunities in what’s becoming a new reality, and mobile is central to this. In the end the King nails his speech and it’s happy days, but the story is a nice reminder that brands too need to show courage, perseverance, creativity, experimentation - and along with the occasional fucking expletive - think mobile now.

New shopping behaviours = New retailer opportunities #mobile

Fashism
Recently Vodafone UK chief executive Guy Laurence told senior retailers that they had "lost control of their shoppers", as discussed by the Guardian here. Tech’d up millennials are using their powerful mobile devices as tools to influence their purchasing decisions when in-store. Whether harvesting opinion real-time in the changing rooms, comparing prices, checking-in, or checking out competitor offers; shopping behaviours are changing.

For merchants this presents both opportunities and threats. As discussed here at WSJ retailers can no longer rely on luring shoppers with ‘specials’ that may not be quite so special in the face of mobile price comparison apps, and it is obviously not possible for all retailers to compete at the lowest price game. Graham Freeman talks here about how consumers ‘win again in mobile 2011’ and the importance for retailers to add value through the in-store experience, harnessing valuable insight from social behaviours.

The in-store experience is certainly ripe to benefit from this but the real-time data feed influencing the consumers literally at the point of purchase also presents merchants with the opportunuity to drive sales. At least the potential is certainly there. For example, Fashism is a website and mobile app that lets consumers crowdsource fashion opinion for instant feedback. Snap a photo of your get-up, share it and let the community have their say - reaching out to the fashionista community for real-time influencing is a nice idea.

Overlay this with the social commerce and group buying deals, ala Groupon, and retailers have the opportunity to dynamically package and price product to benefit the consumer and drive volume based on the levels of interest. Gap is one brand that has been successful in employing mobile and social media-based campaigns, rewarding shoppers for check-ins on Foursquare and Facebook Places, and by partnering with Groupon to offer 50% off product (more here) - so are dynamic, real-time, community offers the next step? Maybe it’s already happening.

By monitoring real-time opinion and rewarding the community for their interest (in-store and online) retailers have the opportunity to leverage new shopping behaviours to their advantage and develop deeper relationships with consumers.

Driving consumers in-store and delivering a great experience is good. Personalising and packaging that experience further could make it even better.