“If there’s one thing I’ve learned not only through Zappar but through all my career in advertising, marketing, and the rest of it is people tend to get fixated about brands, but actually you need to concentrate on people. Because it’s the people that make things happen; not the brands or the business necessarily.”
Augmented reality is becoming a very real reality for marketers in every industry. So what do you need to know to successfully play in this space of “spatial storytelling,” as today’s guest likes to call it? Caspar Thykier, Co-Founder and CEO of Zappar, shares his tips and tricks, including how to create experiences worth remembering and what to keep in mind when incorporating AR into your strategy.
Key Insights
Why Caspar Calls Augmented Reality “Spatial Storytelling”
Storytelling should always be at the center of any marketing initiative you undertake. Caspar cautions against getting so caught up in the technology, that you forget the technology’s purpose.
“No one really cares about the technology. They really care about the benefit it delivers… and with AR, we’ve got to get the tech to work and it’s got to be seamless, but, ultimately, it’s how we tell and deliver compelling stories when seen through a lens and in a user’s environment that matters. And it turns out actually that’s really quite hard to do well.”
Why Your AR Initiatives Must Have a Dedicated “Owner”
AR needs a “champion” within your organization — a person or team who acts as the key owner of the project
“The thing about AR very specifically is that it is… the minister without portfolio of technologies. It’s something that could be used by every department, but doesn’t necessarily land in any single one… There’s so many different parts of the organization that can take advantage of it that sometimes what gets happens is people confuse activity with progress and talk about it a lot, but don’t do very much.”
How To Create Memorable Experiences With AR
“AR tends to double the level of visual attention from the use of other media and it also increases the ability for memory and coding and memory recall by about 75%.”
AR naturally grabs your attention in ways other marketing campaigns don’t. But not every AR experience is created equal. Caspar shares examples of campaigns that have done it right.
You Should Never Have To Force AR Into Your Marketing Mix
Never commit to a new channel for the sake of committing to that channel. Just because something is “cool” or “new” doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for your company. Identify what story you want to tell and what audience you want to reach, and then decide if the new channel is the best way to accomplish those goals.
“I would definitely say you never, ever start with ‘I want to do some AR.’ You’ve got to start with what is the problem you’re trying to solve or the solution you’re going for?”
About the Guest:
“Background in advertising and marketing as an account man having been lucky enough to work at some of the most successful companies with the biggest blue chip brands surrounded by the best people. Now spending all my time in the fascinating new world of spatial storytelling (or augmented reality as some call it).
Having helped set up three companies there’s certainly no substitute for experience and learning from your failures as much as your successes. There’s no short cut unfortunately. It’s all about hard work, timing and a healthy dose of luck.”
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