I am not much of a video gamer, and I have never played Pokeman. But recently, augmented reality (AR) came into my life. My neighborhood is quiet. The suburban location is adjacent to acres of open space, and a few times a year, there are community events that increase the traffic flow. These events are publicized in advance, so I was surprised to see a traffic influx on a recent weekend. I assumed I missed the community announcement. In reality, the only thing I missed was not being in on the Pokeman Go craze. My community had become a hotspot.
As consumers continue to hunt for characters found in the Pokemon Go app, many consumer goods manufacturers are wondering how to leverage AR technology. According to a survey conducted by The Worldcom Public Relations Group, 52 percent of respondent firms indicated that they had engaged in discussions with corporate clients about the potential brand implications and opportunities of the new augmented reality technology within the first week of Pokemon Go’s release.
Nearly three-quarters of the respondents (74 percent) foresee the travel and tourism industry as being the earliest adopters of AR technology as a marketing tool, and 48 percent envision the consumer products industry using AR to drive brand engagement and consumer activation at the brick and mortar level.
“As a new generation of consumers eludes traditional retail marketing channels, AR technology might be the mechanism that gives brands a reason to renew their focus on brick and mortar consumer engagement strategies,” said Jonathan Bloom, marketing chair of Worldcom Public Relations Group Americas Region and CEO of McGrath/Power Public Relations & Communications, San Jose, California.
