Augmented reality ads are becoming a hot pick for brands such as Nike, Pepsico and Hyundai in India as well
Angels fell to earth recently, in augmented reality at least, in a recent advertising campaign in London. On March 5, Unilever-owned Lynx (known as Axe in the rest of the world), put signs in a London station telling travellers to look up to a giant video screen. On the screen, they saw an image of themselves plus the angels, who are featured in the ad campaigns.
Popular abroad for a couple of years, “augmented reality advertisements” (some call them digital trickery) have started making their presence felt in India as well.
Remember PepsiCo’s 7UP launch campaign — You Click, I Dance — featuring Southern superstar Allu Arjun? Consumers in Andhra Pradesh who bought 7UP PET bottles could use the AR code (a graphic black & white box) printed on the bottle sleeve and place the bottle in front of a webcam to make the star dance in seven different styles. PepsiCo says the campaign was a big success. “7UP was the first brand in India to bring alive the next-generation AR technology,” a Pepsico spokesperson says.
Bangalore based advertising agency, TELiBRAHMA, which started what is now the fastest growing advertising trend in India, says it already has 35-40 major brands in its kitty. Suresh Narasimha, CEO, says he had just three clients last year.
Almost all major Indian companies have joined the augmented reality bandwagon.
Augmented reality is basically the concept of overlaying a live video stream from a camera on a mobile phone, with a layer of internet generated data. This data, which may be used for entertainment or informational purposes, is becoming more popular with the advent of mobile phone operating systems such as Google Android.
Here’s how. A consumer can take the picture of an almirah, for example, and can see how that product will look in a specific corner of his house even before buying it. The technology can also help a consumer see his/her face without wrinkles, acne or scar. It can also act as virtual trial rooms for consumers to try out their favourite apparel brand.
One of the early users of augmented reality campaigns was Nike India, which gave consumers a real in-store experience through this technique. Sanjay Gangopadhyay, managing director, Nike India, says the platform helps in providing consumers additional information on the brand and about the technology offered in Nike’s products. Once the consumer downloads this information using a mobile phone, it gives him/her the flexibility to access the same at his own convenience. “The benefits of customising the content to specific locations, specific products and at specific times have made it a great marketing tool,” Gangopadhyay adds.
Hyundai also benefitted by showcasing its Nextgen i10 campaign through this technique. G Sanjay, General Marketing, Hyundai India, says the response was fabulous and the company received about 5,000-6,000 downloads in just two months. Gangopadhyay says Nike has seen over 125,000 downloads each season and plans to persist with such campaigns in future as well.
TELiBRAHMA’s Narasimha says the technology is so evolved that you don’t even need a bar code. The best part is it’s not anything abstract: one can also measure the number of queries, downloads and consumer’s response through this technology. Though augmented realty ads now account for just 5 per cent of the total advertisement spend, Narasimha says it’s a game-changer.
An increasing number of Indian companies agree.
