Augmented reality: How brands can catch up

As the Pokémon Go phenomenon takes hold, a leading augmented reality (AR) expert says brands should be thinking about how the concept can be used to reach audiences differently.

Jason Ried, MD of Fuzzy Logic, says AR allows people to enhance their real world with digital elements which provide information or graphics.

Pokémon Go is a free-to-play location-based AR game developed for iOS and Android devices.

Ried believes Pokémon Go is a mix of a number of excellent decisions combined with technologies maturing at the right time. The game uses augmented reality to display the Pokémon creatures in a player’s environment. Players need to hunt for a Pokémon and the game uses geolocations to ensure they’re hidden in more popular areas.

Ried says AR should be considered the next big brand frontier. "It’s an opportunity to have a direct conversation while giving customers the ability to interface from the comfort of their home. Imagine a new car gets previewed in a motoring magazine but now users can simply open an app and instantly see a 3D version."

Ried believes brands shouldn’t be thinking about just pushing content to users based on locations, but should try to understand more about users based on their locations and use that information in an appropriate way.