BRotD - Entry 0258 Facebook's Next Move

Best Reading of the Day

The wonderful narration of the opening paragraphs had me completely drawn in.

Do you love Facebook?

Or hate it?

Read this piece:

https://www.vox.com/2019/4/29/18511534/facebook-mobile-phone-f8

Here is a snippet from it:

Facebook’s core social network isn’t going away anytime soon, but there’s a good chance — probably a great chance — that the way you use Facebook’s products in 10 years will look and feel very different from the way you use them today. The device you use it on? That may change too.

Zuckerberg isn’t just thinking about that reality, he’s already betting on it.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Is AR Poised to Break Out?

I love these predictive articles.

It is all complete nonsense, really, that someone will write one of these.  Usually they are forced to make a deadline and write about something.  This is like a stocking stuffer for writers.

But it's still fun to read these.

:-)

Will AR have a breakout year in 2019?  Sure.  Or no, no way.

Augmented Reality is one of the latest buzzes going around.  The iPhone X introduced it as a basic function by utilizing the face capture technology to create animated emojis in text messages.  Wow.  Cool.

No.  Not really.

So what's next?  Read on to find out:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/2019-the-year-ar-finally-goes-from-unsexy-to-cool/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

How AR and VR can Help Your Marketing

I'm convinced Augmented Reality has a very strong future to empower digital interactions between people.  VR is more niche as it requires a greater commitment of intensity during the interaction.

Here is one take on how either can be useful for your marketing:

You’re planning your next holiday but rather than reading reviews and looking at images of the resort you intend to stay in, you put on a virtual reality headset and are instantly transported there. You walk around the hotel, head out onto the main strip and wander past the shops and restaurants, making your way down to the beach where you can almost feel the soft sand between your toes and the sea breeze in your hair. You’re longing to get into the turquoise sea and so remove the headset and hand over your credit card.

It sounds futuristic, doesn’t it? Well, newsflash – that reality has already arrived...

Here is the full story:

https://www.clickz.com/4-ways-to-use-immersive-technology-to-change-the-face-of-your-marketing/219424/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Virtual Reality Entertainment in Your Mall

We have all heard a bit about VR, virtual reality, or maybe even AR, augmented reality.

VR.  You know?  Those goofy looking people wearing some crazy futuristic headset and acting like they don't know what's happening in the real world?

Yes that.

Or "Ready Player One" as Steven Spielberg's film showed us (I do not recommend that movie, really a waste of time).

What I wasn't prepared for was a VR entertainment ride in the mall.

Here is a picture of me, on the right, taking the ride for a ... spin.

What I also was not prepared for was what the physical effect of the "ride" portion would have on me when married to the Virtual Reality headset.  Wow!  Complete immersion!

Now, I'm no fan of roller coasters as I've hardly ever ridden them and haven't built up a tolerance to their behavior.  I'm up for the Goofy ride at Disney World but not much more.  I figured, its VR, it isn't real, why not try a big roller coaster for my first ride.

No way!  I immediately panicked!  Had to take the head set off quickly and just move on.

Really?  Yes, it had that much of an impact.  I closed my eyes and chanted "It's not real.  It's not real. It's not real."  Then just gave up.  My next attempt I parachuted in to Normandy on D-Day in 1944. That was much better for me as the physical ride didn't have the same impact.

Bottom line, as I've known for years, if you haven't tried VR you just have NO IDEA what it is like.  This is going to be HUGE.  Movies.  Games.  You name it.

Here is the website for a company like the one I experienced in Boston:

http://www.vr360adventures.com/about-us/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Brands Blazing a Trail in AR or VR

Wait.

What in the world is AR?

For that matter, what is VR.  Wait.  Maybe I know that one.

Augmented Reality or AR and Virtual Reality or VR are becoming hot buzzwords for a reason.  This stuff is really cool.

The folks over at ClickZ who just released a great article challenging brands to bump up their AR/VR game have released another excellent read.  This time they're focusing on brands already doing it well.

Here is a snippet from the piece:

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been two years since Pokemon Go became a national obsession and made augmented reality (AR) not just a possibility, but a reality, for digital marketers. These days, it seems like everyone is trying to figure out how to make AR work for their brand, but the key to creating an AR experience that gets audiences engaging, according to Jason Yim, CEO of Trigger Global, is to focus on functionality rather than novelty.

Here is the full article:

https://www.clickz.com/ar-isnt-just-fun-and-games-here-are-the-brands-at-the-forefront-of-functional-ar/216076/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Brand Prep for Augmented Reality Advertising

Just when you thought you worked out your social media strategy and executed on your mobile plan now it is virtual reality or augmented reality.

Are you ready?

The fine folks over at ClickZ (you really should follow their work) have a great little article on the subject hot off the presses (for my younger readers that means they just wrote it).

Read on:

https://www.clickz.com/augmented-reality-ads-are-here-is-your-brand-ready/215659/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Earlier this week, Facebook announced that it’s moving augmented reality (AR) ads out of Messenger and into the News Feed. Early adopters like fashion retailer Michael Kors and beauty brands like Sephora are creating ads that allow Facebook users to virtually test products from the comfort of their couch.

The move means that even brands without huge marketing budgets should start thinking about how AR can fit into upcoming campaigns...

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Augmented Reality for HBC

I think this is very cool.

We've seen something like this in the world of Lowe's and Home Depot.  Virtual assistance on remodeling efforts or the like.

How about a personal assistant to try on beauty products, through your smart phone?

Read more:

https://econsultancy.com/blog/69016-why-beauty-brands-are-betting-on-augmented-reality/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Sephora is the latest brand to introduce AR into its app, with its ‘Virtual Artist’ feature allowing users to ‘try on’ different looks by overlaying make-up onto photos. A tutorials feature also demonstrates exactly how to achieve specific looks.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant