As AR continues to heat up, we’ve been lucky enough to speak all over the world on the topic. Yesterday, the good folks at GSD&M Ideacity were nice enough to have me as their guest. And I thought, what’s the point of making all these presentations if I can’t share them. So I’m hoping those of you that follow us for our AR work might find this interesting, and if you do, that you share it. It’s titled, “Augmented Reality: From Marketing Buzzword To A Better Consumer Experience”
This post originally ran on ReadWriteWeb on Friday, May 7th. You can view the original article here.
I’m starting to think that the Augmented Reality industry is very close to developing a Jan Brady complex. If you know what a “Jan Brady complex” is, then skip to the next paragraph. For those who didn’t grown up with the 1970s-era television show The Brady Bunch, a Jan Brady complex refers to the middle sister Jan Brady who constantly complained that her older sister Marcia received all the attention. Still with me? Good.
Guest author Matthew Szymczyk is the CEO and founder of Zugara, an interactive marketing agency that consults Fortune 500 brands – including Lexus, Sony PlayStation, Reebok and Toyota – on their strategic utilization of emerging media and technology. Zugara also develops its own proprietary Augmented Reality solutions and technologies. Video demos can be found here.
This idea came about through conversations with people in the AR industry, and also watching presentations and discussions from just about every high profile name in the biz. Some of the thought leadership and insight into AR and its future is just mind blowing. But therein (partially) lies the problem. People in the AR industry (ourselves included at Zugara) tend to talk more about the what ifs than the how and when.
How can AR be monetized right now? If not now, when?
When will AR start showcasing true utility and practicality over endless gimmicks?
How and when will AR become integrated into our daily lives?
Most of these questions are discussed from the what-if end, which results in a lack of investment into the AR industry. Despite the hype for AR, social gaming services like Zynga, location-based-services like Foursquare, and a host of other emerging media and technologies are garnering all the VC and startup capital. So why does AR still have so little respect from the investment community while these other emerging technologies get all the monetary love? Why is Marcia getting all the attention while Jan isn’t? Having met with a few VCs, here are my thoughts:
AR overall is cool but also seems very gimmicky. This hasn’t been helped by the recent onslaught of marketing-based AR initiatives that have no long term value and are really just quick PR grabs by brands. Though there is value in owning the proprietary tech – and, in turn, licensing revenue – it’s not sustained revenue that will attract major investment.
Despite AR being a hot technology for almost two years now, there’s very little in regards to stats, analytics or other measures to show that AR itself is a technology that helps to increase purchase intent and decision-making, raise brand awareness and so on. Where are all the AR leaders with case studies on past campaigns and general AR stats?
In VCs’ eyes AR is still struggling to break from the academic and research realm and into bona fide businesses. As a result, you’ll commonly hear this from VC’s: “AR is still too early stage.” Really? More early stage than Foursquare?
To break out of the Jan Brady complex, the AR industry must be able to define, from a investor point of view, what Augmented Reality is. Is it a technology that will be integrated into location-based-services platforms like Foursquare, or is it a platform that will incorporate location-based services and real-time ads? Or will it be a hybrid of the two? That is a key question since there’s quite a big difference between a technology that’s cool and a technology that can be monetized.
Searching for other emerging technologies and efforts to monetize them garners the following results:
Do the same search on Google for “Augmented Reality Monetization” and you get 28,000 results – most of which direct you to general mobile marketing-based monetization efforts. The only recent article of note is around Layar and its plan to monetize its technology through a store.
I’ve never seen more passionate people at conferences than those who are 100% behind AR (and I’ve been to a lot of conferences over the years for new and emerging technologies). But what we as an industry need to do is to start connecting the dots better for not only investors, but for companies that are looking for more than a spinning 3D model off a marker. Once companies start seeing the true value and utility in AR then there will be kind of long term investment that will connect the dots for VC and jump-start investment capital.
Until the AR industry can start proving that it’s an emerging technology of the future that can be monetized in the present, every time someone complains about the lack of respect all I’m going to hear is “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!”
Augmented Reality Meetup #3 featuring Metaio is about to begin. You can view the broadcast directly on Justin.tv here or watch in the embedded video below!
Like us, many of you are passionate about Augmented Reality. And since news waits for no man/woman, we decided to create an iPhone app so you can always get real-time access to the latest AR related news and conversations.
AR PEEPS: Tracks the tweets of people and companies involved in AR (via @ChrisGrayson).
AR TWEETS: Searches Twitter for “Augmented Reality” to show you what people are talking about right now.
Additionally, you can share the content above via whichever channel is right for you. Email, Twitter and Facebook are all integrated into ARWire and only one touch away.
Check it out (we’d love to hear your thoughts below), and please spread the word. Currently, there’s a free version up in the iTunes store, but a premium version (with ads removed) should be going live soon.
UPDATE: ARWire Premium is live, and can be found here.
ZugSTAR Combines The Interactivity Of Augmented Reality With The Immediacy Of Live Video Conferencing
For all press inquiries, please contact: press(at)zugara(dot)com
February 4, 2010, Los Angeles – Today Zugara is introducing “ZugSTAR” (Zugara STreaming Augmented Reality), a technology that allows people in different locations to have shared Augmented Reality experiences from within their video feeds. Picture a web based video conferencing system similar to Skype*, but with the added functionality of being able to see one another’s “augmented” experience in real time. With ZugSTAR, Augmented Reality becomes a technology that facilitates collaboration, and physical distance becomes less of a barrier.
As a proof of concept, Zugara has already integrated this prototype within their Webcam Social Shopper to create a more engaging, and social, online retail experience. Whether its two lifelong friends attending different Universities, or a mother in NY who wants some quality time with her daughter in Dallas, online shopping can now be a more emotionally satisfying experience. And with the effectiveness of traditional forms of advertising in steep decline, what brand wouldn’t want to facilitate that type of branded experience for their consumers?
The video below demonstrates both the Webcam Social Shopper integration, and a few potential use cases that are currently in development:
“While integrating ZugSTAR into the Webcam Social Shopper is a natural extension of the tech, it’s certainly not the full extent of our vision.” said Matt Szymczyk, CEO, Zugara. “Gartner predicts that by 2015 200 million people will be paying for desktop video conferencing. Now, I don’t want to sound hyperbolic, but this tech has the potential to impact virtually every single industry. Anywhere distance is a barrier to real-time collaboration, ZugSTAR has the potential to provide a tremendous amount of value.”
To illustrate Matt’s point, here are a few potential use cases for ZugSTAR:
EDUCATION (DISTANCE LEARNING): A science teacher can field questions and twist and turn a DNA helix as he/she explains their answers.
MEDICINE: 3D models of an fMRI will allow a Dr. to either consult with other Dr.’s, or explain the test’s results directly to a patient.
PUBLISHING: Augmented Reality Pop-Up Books can enable a parent that’s on the road to help their child to learn how to read.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: A 3D model (e.g. of a shoe or a building being developed) can be shared, and discussed, with colleagues, clients, vendors, and partners.
CASUAL GAMING: Augmented Reality based casual games can now be multiplayer.
So, what do you think? What other industries can this technology impact? We’d love to get your thoughts in the comments below.
About Zugara’s Proprietary Augmented Reality Technologies
The Webcam Social Shopper
For more information on the Webcam Social Shopper, click here.
Cannonballz, A Casual Game Using ZugMO Motion Capture Technology
Zugara, a member of the Augmented Reality Industry guiding “AR Consortium”, is an interactive marketing company focused on emerging media and technology. Zugara’s main areas of expertise include interactive video, social media, mobile marketing and website / application development. In addition to the strategic marketing based services we provide for our clients, Zugara also creates proprietary Augmented Reality technologies and products, including The Webcam Social Shopper, and a web based motion capture interface, ZugMO. Founded in 2001, and based in Los Angeles, Zugara is currently in the process of expanding and opening a second office in New York.
www.zugara.com
www.zugarastudios.com
Copyright 2010 ZugSTAR Technology
Copyright 2009 ZugMO Technology
Copyright 2009 Zugara Inc.
Patent Pending
*Skype is not affiliated in any way with ZugSTAR, and was just used to give readers a frame of reference.
You can find all of this week’s Augmented Reality news on the Facebook page we manage (http://www.facebook.com/augmentedreality). Normally we post the top three most popular stories of the week, but there is a tie, so this week, we are posting the top four:
About a month ago, I wrote an op-ed for Adweek entitled “2010: The Year of Augmented Reality“. What I was trying to convey in the op-ed is that while Mobile will be the key component of AR in the future, right now there are many different advertising and marketing channels that can actually utilize AR in creative and innovative ways. Though I won’t republish the article here (you can read it on Adweek’s site), I did want to include embedded video examples below of how channels such as Interactive Storefront Displays, Digital Billboards, Event Marketing and Point Of Purchase are currently using AR. Web, Mobile and Print get all the press but these examples show how brands should think of AR as being adaptable to pretty much any marketing or advertising channel. If interested in even more examples than below, check out the Facebook Augmented Reality Page which has just about every recent AR example out there. So, without further adieu…
POINT OF PURCHASE
POP might be the most advantageous channel for AR given that a well-planned and executed AR initiative can easily turn consumer purchase interest to intent in a matter of seconds. Kiosk format provides little to no barrier of entry for consumer.
Developed by Metaio
INTERACTIVE DIGITAL BILLBOARDS
Numerous brands could leverage the unique participatory interaction of an interactive billboard.
Developed by Chris O’Shea
EVENT MARKETING
Event Marketing, like point of purchase, is also a great channel for AR, given most consumers will likely already have interest in your brand. Though most of these executions are gimmicks, this channel is maturing.
Developed by Total Immersion
Developed by Metaio
INTERACTIVE STOREFRONT DISPLAYS
AR-based storefront displays can be used in myriad ways to help drive consumers into your store.
Developed by Simon & John
Developed by Jim George & Karolina Sobecka
MUSEUM / PUBLIC WORKS
The binoculars or viewing mechanism mimic how optical AR can function in the future. For now though, AR helps museums become interactive by making history come alive.
You can find all of this week’s Augmented Reality news on the Facebook page we manage (http://www.facebook.com/augmentedreality), but to follow are the three most popular stories of the week:
We Are Organized Chaos (WAOC) is Zugara’s (www.zugara.com) interactive marketing and advertising blog where we’ll be featuring some great projects and discussing upcoming trends in the digital world. Work — good and bad — will be critiqued. Hope you’ll enjoy reading our insights and thoughts on interactive.
I’m starting to think that the Augmented Reality industry is very close to developing a Jan Brady complex. If you know what a “Jan Brady complex” is, then skip to the next paragraph. For those who didn’t grown up with the 1970s-era television show The Brady Bunch, a Jan Brady complex refers to the middle sister Jan Brady who constantly complained that her older sister Marcia received all the attention. Still with me? Good.
