Several of my posts over the past while have predicted that a growing amount of outdoor media will have an additional layer of augmented reality built in, viewable by anyone with a smart phone. Sure enough, check out this recent example from right here in Toronto: outdoor ads for the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle which include a layer of augmented reality, courtesy of agency Red Urban.
Sure, you have to download an app to view it all, but that’s an easy process nowadays. I like how the augmented reality sequences add to the car’s sense of fun and excitement. It says something about the brand, which certainly won’t hurt consideration.
How can other advertisers use this technology? A clothing brand could use a billboard to launch an augmented reality fashion show. A pen or marker company could create a series of augmented reality doodles. A nature-based TV show could have animals leap off its billboards.
The only limit is one’s imagination, and billboards present a rather large new canvas.
