A look inside the Madplum toolbox—Augmented Reality
At Madplum Creative, our focus is on delivering memorable consumer experiences for our clients—after all, that’s what we crave as consumers ourselves. This practice has us looking ahead to reimagine ways that brands can interact with their customers at various touchpoints. Leveraging new technologies is a method of gift-wrapping that Madplum is invested in, and augmented reality (AR) is one of our favorite tools in the toolbox.
Augmented reality (AR) provides unprecedented levels of brand engagement, merging product, digital, and retail in an experience that puts the consumer at center stage. As opposed to virtual reality (VR), which merely mimics reality, AR provides an interactive technology overlay to real life. AR is transforming the way we approach branded interactions—and everyday life—in big ways. The applications are staggeringly endless. Imagine this… your child has a severe nut allergy, which makes grocery shopping a nerve-wracking (not to mention time-consuming) experience. Thanks to an AR app on your smartphone, you can hold your device up to shelves to visually highlight products that are confirmed nut allergen-free, making it possible for you to safely browse the aisles and imparting peace of mind about your purchases. AR also has exciting new applications for the auto industry, transforming navigation abilities and making it easier and safer than ever to get to your next destination. Instead of constantly looking down at your phone, many cars have the option to come equipped with an AR mapping overlay in which turn signs, speed limit warnings, and hazard advisories seemingly hover a few feet above the actual road through your windshield, allowing you to keep your eyes on the road at all times.
One of our earliest experiences with AR came out of a project for our client Punto Destino—a luxury architecture and real estate company based in Mexico City. Their goal was lofty: to become recognized as the premier real estate purveyor in the world’s largest city. Their target: young, savvy, up-and-coming professionals with money to spend on housing in the city’s trendiest areas. To accomplish their goal, we knew we needed to think outside the box with a big idea that was equal parts nimble and noteworthy. By laying some initial foundations in research, we learned that a key need lacking in Mexico City’s housing market was an access to information. We decided to craft a journey for prospective buyers with an augmented reality mobile app that provided a personalized, live experience of the neighborhood around them. Similar to an interactive Yelp, the downloadable app allowed users to hold up their phone screen around town to highlight points of interest, new bar and restaurant openings, and nightlife hotspots to literally bring the consumer home—and sell a ton of apartments in the process.
The second phase of our efforts for Punto Destino is still underway, but will involve using AR app technology to create app that augments the experience of the apartment construction site. Users will be able to take the app to the building in any stage of development to see a virtual rendering of the completed project. The functionality will also allow users to see which apartments have already been sold and which are still available, experience the views from apartments without the scaffolding, and dive in to see full-room renderings where finished walls don’t yet exist. It’s a way to personalize the apartment-hunting process and sell the a finished reality where one doesn’t yet exist. Check out our full case study on the Punto Destino AR project here.
At Madplum Creative, we believe augmented reality is an exciting emerging technology that is just beginning to show its true potential. We’re committed to staying on top of industry trends to ensure we’re bringing the most cutting-edge, current news to our clients with ideas to help transform their brands. Every week, we meet with a key trendsetter from San Francisco’s Art Institute to brainstorm around the latest and greatest in the technology, and we’re already booking our yearly ticket for the AWE (Augmented World Expo) happening in Santa Clara in May. It’s just another way Madplum Creative is dedicated to amplifying the gift of experience, turning the seemingly impossible into a very-much-possible reality for consumers—and generating ROI for brands in the process.
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