AUGMENTED REALITY VERSUS VIRTUAL REALITY
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE AND WHAT ROLE WILL THEY PLAY IN THE FUTURE OF MARKETING?
Digital transformation is no longer a ‘nice to have’ for businesses, it has become a necessity, and digital technology should now be an integral part of all strategy planning.
But what does it all mean and how do you keep up with all the technologies available?
Let us help you out.
A common question that we get asked is what is the difference between augmented reality and virtual reality? The two always seem to be mentioned together and while yes, they are similar, their concepts and functionality are quite different.
What is Virtual Reality?
Virtual reality normally involves a VR headset that takes you to a virtual world through immersive vision and sound. Using this device, you could be on the top of a mountain in a remote location, standing on top of The Empire State Building, sitting in driver’s seat of a race car, or even relaxing on the beach in the Greek Islands. Put simply, virtual reality replaces your reality and takes you somewhere else. It plays a significant and ever developing role in consumer education, allowing brands to demonstrate new products or offerings simply by providing potential customers the headset for them to have an experience anytime and anywhere.
What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality, on the other hand, adds to your reality. You remain in the same place, but elements and information are added to what you are already seeing – the two worlds are combined. While you don’t need a headset for AR, you do need a smartphone or tablet device in order to bring the technology to life. Via AR, brands can offer their customers totally unique and exclusive experiences via their smartphone. They can try on clothes in the comfort of their own home, it can add features to otherwise plain marketing collateral, or a fun element that creates buzz and excitement around launches or special events. AR is also a fantastic way to add value to customer’s purchases and help provide additional information at the scan of a code.
These technologies are evolving every single day. With Facebook recently announcing its plan to expand into the Metaverse space, it will be exciting to see how it evolves. With new functionalities being added every day, now is a great time to start experimenting and get involved, before your competitors do!