Augmented Reality is the next big thing for brands: Frooti, OnePlus, TATA and other brands are leading the way

• Augmented reality has shown great promise in the mobile ad space, along with the gaming industry.
• Brands like Frooti, OnePlus, Godrej and Tata have been quick to incorporate AR into effective mobile-led ad campaigns that have proven to enhance user engagement.
• Vishal Rupani, Co-founder and CEO, mCanvas, walks us through some of the best examples of brands using AR to their advantage.

Augmented reality (AR) has become a buzzword in the online tech space. Almost everyone has heard of Pokémon GO, the AR mobile game. But the innovation isn’t exclusive to the gaming industry. It has shown great promise even in the mobile ad space, and brands have been quick to incorporate AR into mobile-led ad campaigns that have proven to enhance user engagement.

We’ll let these examples do the talking. Here are the five best AR-led campaigns on mobile.
1. Frooti - #TheFrootiLife
In an effort to appeal to its primary target audience – millennials, Frooti launched a campaign to build significant brand recall around the drink when it comes to summer time fun.

Using face detection technology, the rich-media campaign encouraged users to start their front camera and catch the falling mangoes in their mouth in an augmented environment. Frooti thereby succeeded in creating a lasting impact on their users, with this distinct ad experience.


2. Sony Picture’s Men in Black: International
To promote the launch of Men in Black: International, Sony Pictures Entertainment India was on the lookout for a concept that would create awareness about the movie.




Creatively using AR, the campaign encouraged users to shoot down the aliens in their surroundings, leading them to the closing screen which had the movie’s trailer, also allowed users to book tickets.


3. Amazon - OnePlus 6T
Amazon wanted to promote the launch of the OnePlus 6T in an innovative manner. In order to showcase the cutting-edge technology used in the new phone, the route to take was an innovative ad concept.


In the mobile-led ad, users were encouraged to learn about the novel features of the phone by searching for its top three innovations in an augmented reality.


4. TATA Nx Zero Sugar
To create awareness on the amount of daily sugar consumed by an average Indian and to promote its stevia-based sugar replacement sweetener, Tata Nx Zero Sugar, TATA Nx, made use of an innovative mobile ad.
Tata Nx Zero Sugar combined gamification and AR; the rich-media ad campaign encouraged users to look for products that are frequently consumed and tap on the same to discover the hidden sugar.

This was followed with information on the hidden sugar in packaged foods.



5. Godrej Appliances - #GoGreen
Building on the World Environment Day, Godrej Appliances launched their ‘#GoGreen’ initiative with a mobile-led campaign to showcase their range of eco-friendly air-conditioners (ACs).





The campaign encouraged users to find any green object in their surrounding and focus the camera on it. On detecting the green object, the ad revealed the ACs that not only cool the users, but also cools the planet; this was enabled using colour recognition technology.


Needless to say, AR is a game changer in the mobile ad space, and these are only some examples of how brands have used AR to engage users creatively, setting a benchmark that will revolutionize the way users engage with ads.

- This column has been authored by Vishal Rupani, Co-founder and CEO, mCanvas.