Brooklyn Decker for the Barnes and Noble and Esquire campaign.
Augmented reality for a while seemed like 3-d TV’s, something that looked good, but that hadn’t really found a way to become relevant to people’s lives. I knew those holographic messages on Star Wars and all that teleporting on Star Trek could not be as far into the future as they seemed.
Today, there is a way in which this technology can make something that is very improbable in real life, happen on demand.
Why ask for an autograph from a cranky celebrity, when you can actually take a picture with them on your own time and without the respecting the norms of personal space?
That is what Barnes and Noble and Esquire let you do through their new augmented reality campaign.
All users have to do is download the free iPhone app, and go to one of the participating Barnes and Noble stores to find a life-size picture of Brooklyn Decker (February’s Esquire cover girl) posing for pictures next to the magazine section. Brooklyn can be photographed in 5 different poses and users are actually encouraged to share these pictures in each of the partner’s Facebook pages and on the model’s Twitter account.
The beauty of this technology is that it can be adapted to every situation. It’s not something reserved exclusively for national giants.
People in our own community that have huge followings such as our dear Paula Deen, could multiply themselves and be where their fans are, even if their schedules didn’t allow them to do it in person. Restaurants could produce AR images of their menu, and people could get a sense of what they could be having for lunch or dinner if they stopped by that particular establishment. There could be photos of famous celebrities that pop-up next to the landmarks that were featured in their movies. Imagine having a picture of Forrest Gump sitting on a bench offering you one if his iconic chocolates. And the list could go on…
This is certainly a new take on this technology that opens new possibilities for interactions with your customers. Those dreams of holographic messages and being in two places at once are finally becoming a reality!
What do you say? Would an AR version of your favorite celebrity be enough to satisfy your curiosity?
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