Just as I was beginning to think 21st century technology couldn’t get any cooler than the iWatch, Google completely obliterates my thoughts by announcing Google Glass. Yes, Google are branching out into the sunglasses market but Google Glass isn’t your typical sunglasses for holidays and concealing hangovers-it’s a wearable computer in the shape of sunglasses. Sounds like something out of Star Trek (and I am a big fan of that) so this completely blows the iWatch out of the water for me.
Of course Google is not the first company to produce a wearable computer accessory with a head mounted display (HMD) but similar products in the past have tended to look like something that would probably vaporize your eyeballs. The Google Glass looks slick in its design and is something the average person may consider wearing without looking like a geek going to a sci-fi convention (not that there is anything wrong with that). Apart from the design, what really gets me excited about this announcement is how Google Glass will implement augmented reality. If Google manages to pull it off-and from recent videos demonstrating the technology it seems it has-then PR pros suddenly have a whole new medium in which to engage customers.
To reduce the risk of completely alienating any reader who hasn’t the slightest clue what augmented reality is (and no, it has nothing to do with The Matrix although it’s not totally dissimilar ), I will spare them the headache of having to search through the internet by providing a simple definition. Augmented reality (AR) basically merges virtual reality with the physical reality we occupy. Mind bending, isn’t it? To give a more concrete illustration: imagine walking through a shop with your phone on hand. Now using your phone, you can scan over items and a pop up will appear in front of you providing more information on the product.
Initially, it all sounds rather gimmicky but when you think about it, it can provide customers with some deeper experiences with brands that cannot be duplicated anywhere else. The technology is already being incorporated into some marketing campaigns. In order to promote its new S60 model, Volvo allowed users to drive a virtual car via their smartphones by scanning a YouTube video using their smartphone. If done with a lot of thought and attention, AR campaigns can really provide truly interactive relationships with brands.
According to Forbes, the Google Glass campaign has already caused huge waves across the consumer market so expect AR to become more universal in the future. Yet, the most important question isn’t who will use AR but who will own it. Will it fall under the remit of Public Relations or Advertising? Both marketing disciplines have been jostling for control over social media but with AR, I firmly believe PR should be the discipline that steers it. Obviously, I am a PR professional myself so it’s not a very objective view but all the same, PR and AR go hand in hand(they even rhyme when abbreviated).
AR will not be truly engaging if it merely involves pop-up adverts that bombard customers as they scan a product in a shop or scan a billboard down the street with their Google Glass. It will only annoy customers just as pop-up adverts on websites aggravate online users. AR must be about engaging customers with useful and exclusive content that will create meaningful engagement between customer and brand. Hence why I believe PR is the right marketing discipline to do this. However, the industry must not be slow to adopt the medium and PR agencies must establish relationships with AR specialists as well generate content -for clients or their organisation -which can be used within the AR medium.
As technology continues to develop, I believe it’s only a matter of time before we can really build the Death Star from Star Wars. More to the point though, technology aims to increasingly provide us with new ways to interact with things around us and this provides PR with a whole new arena in which to communicate interesting content to our stakeholders/audience/customers.
As the lines between the physical world and the virtual world begin to blur, PR as a discipline must make sure it is able to tell stories and craft engaging customer experiences in both worlds-seamlessly.
The PR and Marketing Geek 