Waitrose has incorporated Blippar, an augmented reality app to enhance our interaction during their Christmas campaign.
Blippar, available for Android and iPhone, uses the phone’s inbuilt camera to add extra features to marketing campaigns. Campaigns can be extended by using the app across posters, packages, logos and TV commercials.
Waitrose has added extra features for viewers watching their Christmas campaign advertisement featuring chefs Heston Blumenthal and Delia Smith.
In the last scene of the 90 second commercial, the Blippar logo on screen encourages viewers to ‘pause and blipp’. Pointing the phone in the general direction of the advert brings up a menu of extra content on your device for extra interaction with the brand.
In the Waitrose advert you can watch a cake decoration class, watch the advert, download the Waitrose app and watch an interview with Blumenthal who features on the advert.
Other brands have used games, 3D images, and the opportunity to share your interaction with your friends on Twitter and Facebook by uploading an image to the social networking sites.
Extending campaign life
Brands such as Microsoft have used it for their XBOX Forza Motorsport advertising, as have Cadburys, Wrigley’s, Heineken and the recently released ‘Hello boobs’ breast cancer charity campaign.
The application will also catalogue and promote all brands currently using the application so that customers can search by brands by name or location for items to Blipp.
The way of interacting certainly seems to be extending the life of marketing campaigns. The company reports an average of seven blipps per user within the first seven weeks of operation.
Using augmented reality apps are great for information discovery through apps such as these and can bring benefits too.
Using augmented reality apps gives social brands an opportunity to transcend the ephemeral relationship that customers have with them into something much more enduring. Brands will be able to extend their relationship with their customers over different channels and discover new ways of maintaining customer loyalty.
Enduring relationship?
As augmented reality apps improve, iron out their beta clunkiness, and combat hardware compatibility issues, I think we may see many more opportunities to interact with brands in ways like this.
However, brands will need to ensure that as customer demand increases, they have the infrastructure and capacity to deal with the new relationship.
Do you think that augmented reality will enhance your relationship with companies, or are you convinced its yet another a ‘flash in the pan’?
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