Carat US', SVP Head of Innovation, Sarah Stringer shares with Adweek how augmented reality connects with consumers in a way VR can't.
Augmented reality is quickly becoming the darling of the media industry. Unlike the dash for virtual reality over the last five years, AR has crept up through popular games and social platforms to become a transformative tool for media. What makes it so transformative and appealing to consumers? For one, while VR is largely a solo experience (at the moment, anyway). AR allows for a shareable digital experience rather than being isolated in a headset. AR is more natural for consumers in their current UX habits, being used to glance or being absorbed into their device, playing with their handset and getting a digital response from touch and gestures. AR allows consumers to invite their friends to experience something with them rather than passing a VR headset around to experience something alone. It is the layering and playful manipulation of real-world assets that have audiences engaged and eager for more.