So how do advertisers reach the 71 million “Millennials” in GenY that spend over 200 billion dollars annually and will soon replace the baby boomer generation as the largest percentage of the workforce?  The answer: Advertising can no longer be a group of old men deciding what is best for consumers.

According to the book, Trust Us, We’re Experts: How Industry Manipulates Science and Gambles with Your Future, Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber attack the 20^th Century model of marketing and public relations for misusing their power as “experts” in the eyes of the consumer.

Products and services used to be validated using this “third-party technique”, where an industry would purchase the services of so-called independent experts (a.k.a. advertising agencies) to promote a message that would monetarily benefit a specific industry.  The advertising spin-doctors would then shape a message to flatter the product or service, while simultaneously discrediting or attacking the competition.  Sometimes they would even go so far as to suppress or manipulate problematic data about the product or service to make it “sell-able”.

But advertising has taken a turn – consumers no longer rely on the experts.  Not only do they not want to be told what to buy, they don’t want to be pushed into what to think, who to vote for and how to raise their children.

Today’s advertising is about the consumer deciding what they want to see and buy.  For example, according to a national survey from Arbitron and Edison Research, 48 percent of Americans 12 years and older have a profile on one or more social networking sites.  On Facebook, the most visited website, consumers can “like” a note or post a page. Advertisers code the site to recognize those favorites and use this information to target the needs of consumers.  All of the sudden on your Facebook page there is an ad for your favorite band on tour in your area or a new restaurant to try on your street. No more pop-up ads flashing shiny letters and “experts” selling you catchy phrases and manipulated data.

Advertisers finally realize that it’s not about how much spin they can put on a product or service to increase sales – it’s now all about YOU.

Sounds like a science-fiction movie, but the technology is here and now. It is Augmented Reality, and your wireless provider has a team dedicated to its strategy and market pollination. Several apps are already available — offering travel-type data overlaid on your phone’s camera display. See Yelp’s iPhone Augmented Reality app. And geo-specific overlays are only one piece of the augmented reality pie. The resource can be used with packaging, clothing, print — you name it.

Augmented Reality (AR), as the name suggests, is the blending of virtual information and 3-D graphics with the real world. To experience it, you need a video device (like the camera on your handheld), a visual cue (a symbol marker or motion that unlocks the animation), and a connection (wifi). Bring the marker into the camera’s view and the 3-dimensional animation is triggered. The fun part is that marker can be as simple as a black and white symbol or as specialized as your product’s packaging. Lego uses AR in a store kiosk to provide a 3-D glimpse of their built models. See the video demo below.

Source: Orlando Attractions Magazine

Beyond the bells and whistles, AR has the power to offer a complete visualization of product, service, or concept. View the United State Postal Service application of AR for selecting the best shipping box. This type of functionality enables the end-user to streamline their postal tasks and eliminate confusion, saving time and money.

An AR component can be appropriate for campaigns ranging in size. Use a marker that is familiar with your audience, keep it simple, and explore the idea of bringing the AR experience beyond your site. Burger King used a dollar bill as the marker for their Dollar Menu campaign, which was implemented across web banners. See Burger King’s Dollar Menu Promotion.

The technology can connect real world experiences with the messages your campaign aims to convey. From taking a demonstration to the next level at a tradeshow to offering a unique visualization of your product online or in store, the opportunity to create an intimate and high-tech brand experience with your consumer can be found with an augmented reality solution. See how Belding Associates can help make Augmented Reality for you!