Total Immersion's Augmented Reality Blog

Andrew Pang (Managing Director, Leovation Ltd), Ruben Padilla (Managing Director, Augmented CPG) and Greg Davis (General Manager, Total Immersion) gathered to discuss uses of AR in packaging and publishing.

Davis began with an overview of AR as a vehicle to bring interactivity to traditional print media. A core premise of printed communication is storytelling, “the art of using language, vocalization, and/or physical movement and gesture to reveal the elements and images of a story to a specific, live audience” (National Storytelling Association). Broadly speaking, the areas of printed communication fall within news, leisure content, and printed packaging.  Some of these will experience a more significant digital shift, while others will retain a tactile, digitally-enhanced traditional experience. Davis showed a few sample projects produced by Total Immersion and its Partners, including educational products and InStyle Magazine.

Padilla discussed the benefits of augmented reality in helping CPG companies both differentiate from competition and communicate information digitally with the durable product. With a limited amount of space available on packaging and shelf hangtags, augmented reality increases the amount of messaging that could be conveyed in-store. With 30,000 new products launched in the US annually, it is imperative for brands to stand out. In the fast moving CPG space, packaging has evolved into the most prevalent communication tool, or as Padilla stated, “Packaging is the product and the product is packaging”. In this respect, AR also helps CPG companies overcome the data gap at retail. As retailers can view and analyze sales data before manufacturers, they have the opportunity to remove a successful product from a shelf and replace it with a private label good. AR steps in as a way to add value and de-commoditize a product, shifting the balance of power at retail.

Pang laid to rest fears that the print industry will disappear, demonstrating how Leovation creates synergy between the print and digital realms, and showing how in the future there will be a greater push for cross platform applications including mobile. Leovation has launched AR books in 17 countries and 15 languages, and its clients include the Disney Channel and Disneyland in Hong Kong. They recently worked with Ariux to create over 120 webcam cards. Over 2 million of the traditional-plus-AR cards were sold, commanding a $1 premium over traditional greeting cards, with a nearly 50% conversion rate of buyers of the card to the AR experience.

Filed under: AR Immersion 2010 | Tagged: AR, AR Immersion 2010, Augmented CPG, Augmented Reality, Leovation, Packaging, print, Publishing, Retail, Total Immersion | 1 Comment »