4. Creating Emotional Connections
Augmented reality ads are immersive, which means they help marketers create a certain emotional connection with customers. Unlike images or banners, for example, AR ads are interactive and lifelike: consumers can see and even interact with them.
Imagine, for instance, an eye-catching billboard advertising a just-released movie. Now think of the magic AR can do: passers-by point their smartphone cameras at the billboard and watch the trailer on their smartphone screens.
Which of these two strategies (a billboard or an AR ad) is likely to incite more interest? No doubt, most customers will opt for an AR ad.
Interacting with AR ads, consumers feel like they're playing an engaging video game. This builds an emotional connection with customers, encouraging them to make purchases.
Needless to say, an emotional connection is a great tool for increasing brand awareness. People better recall brands they have positive associations with, so AR ads are perfect not only for promoting sales, but also for building a company's reputation.
This strategy was used in the Arctic Home Campaign by Coca-Cola and the World Wide Fund. The campaign, aimed at the protection of polar bears and their natural habitat, included an augmented reality event at the Science Museum in London.
Visitors could see themselves interacting with virtual animals in their natural environment. This event helped the Coca-Cola company create deep emotional connections between people and the brand.
Three Main Benefits of AR for B2B Marketing
1. Dynamic Sales Presentation
Say goodbye to boring brochures, flyers, and PowerPoint presentations. Instead of arming your salespeople with stagnant papers or dark-room presentations, arm them with an interactive experience. Their presentation strategy can switch from telling them about your brand and products to showing them.
From brand familiarization to product introduction, augmented reality can bring it to life. Instead of showing a picture of your CEO, why not have her pop up in the room and introduce herself with a custom video? Instead of putting your product in the potential client's hands, why not put it on them? For example, if you are trying to sell your brand of earrings to a shop, they can "wear" them without actually trying them on using virtual try-on AR technology. The possibilities are endless!
2. "Real Life" Look at Product Lines
Whether you're selling microchips or refrigerators, you can layout your product line wherever you are. Clients can scroll through products, or feel like they are in a showroom. Best of all, they can zoom and click to get more information and interact with the products. But remember, the products aren't just tiny pictures on a screen; it's a 3-D interactive experience in the real space around you.
A phenomenal example of this in-action is the Samsung Life Unstoppable event, with Web AR experiences developed and deployed by Aircards. The team created experiences to showcase Samsung's latest product innovations. Take a look at the Web AR product showcase below.
3. Customization Options
Let's say your product can be customized to any brand. You can show them your product line with their logo and brand colors, without having to actually manufacture samples. And, without losing the 3-D effect! Instead of showing them 2-D custom mock-ups or real samples that might end up in the trash, show virtual 3-D samples that move and react to the augmented reality you've created. That's what AR can bring to B2B marketing.
Conclusion
