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Graphic design: Should I outsource or hire in-house?

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 14:23:00 GMT

Do bad hires haunt you at night?

Many times when we need to make hiring decisions, we’re confronted with a dilemma: should we outsource or insource?

While some entrepreneurs rave about the benefits of outsourcing design work, others have given up due to unpleasant experiences.

Well, lean in my friend.

We're about to tell you everything you need to know about both hiring options, so next time you have to make a staffing decision, you know exactly what to do.

Why your business needs a graphic designer

Okay, so we’re not in the ‘80s anymore.

In the current age of social media and all-pervasive digital presence, the importance of visual strategies to boost brand awareness and attract new customers is greater than ever before.

Images are processed 60,000 times faster than text and people tend to spend 10% more time on website images than text.

These stats alone are enough to tell you why good design matters when it comes to scaling and leveling up your game.

And businesses need the help of talented graphic designers to do this.

A skilled designer knows how and where to hit the audience with their designs to achieve the desired results.

So here’s rule number one: don’t cut corners by asking a friend or doing it yourself.

There are two main reasons companies hire graphic designers:

To establish a brand look and create initial brand assets.
To continuously create branded material for advertising and internal purposes.

But while doing so, companies can face a myriad of challenges:

Design work being very time-consuming.
Different brands and different projects requiring a wide variety of styles and skills.
Keeping up with the ever-changing trends in consumer design preferences can be overwhelming.

On top of that, the questions of where to find the talent? How to gauge the talent? To in-source or outsource?

After reading this article, you’ll be better equipped to make the best decision for your business.

Outsourcing your graphic design

Entrepreneur.com defines outsourcing as, “The practice of having certain job functions done outside a company instead of having an in-house department or employee handle them; functions can be outsourced to either a company or an individual.”

Meanwhile, Deloitte’s 2016 Global Outsourcing Survey shows the top reasons companies outsource:

59% – Reduce or control costs
57% – Focus on core functions
47% – Solve capacity issues
31% – Improve service
28% – Gain access to expert talent and knowledge
17% – Manage the business environment
17% – Accelerate organizational transformation

These are all reasons a company might want to outsource their graphic design, but that doesn’t mean it’s without its flaws.

Let’s examine the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing designers to see if it’s the right move for you.

The pros of outsourcing graphic design

1. Lower Costs

From a financial point of view, outsourcing graphic design is usually cheaper than hiring an in-house employee.

When you outsource you have the flexibility to decide how much you spend on each task or project as each one will likely have a different scope or even a different person fulfilling it.

You can set your own fixed budget on the importance and complexity of the project at hand.

In contrast, payments for in-house designers do not have any direct correlation to the amount and complexity of the projects they complete.

2. Flexibility

This flexibility extends to other things as well.

The beauty of outsourcing graphic design is that you can always scale your team depending on your work volume.

If it’s a busy month, hire more freelancers. If it’s a slow period, counting on only one designer should be fine. (And once again, scaling down at your whim helps you save money. You can’t do that with someone on staff.)

3. Talent diversity

You can also always outsource work that requires skills your team is lacking.

Suppose you have three in-house graphic designers.

You have a new campaign that requires some custom animation, but no one on your team has experience in creating them. You can outsource this.

Or let’s say you’re an agency and you get a client who needs great visuals for marketing their yoga studio online, but your designers are only experienced in the fields of media, tech, and real estate.

What should you do?

If outsourcing is an option, you can find a designer who has experience creating this type of content.

This way, you can satisfy and retain clients from across all types of industries, even those that aren’t normally a focus of your company.

4. Fresh ideas

Outsourcing is an interesting way to spice up your designs as well. By hiring someone from outside the company, you are exposed to new perspectives, opinions, and styles.

This can offer some exciting new visuals to attract a new audience or even re-engage some existing customers.

Long term, this can even inspire the rest of your team and boost creativity.

The cons of outsourcing design

1. Divided focus

One of the disadvantages of outsourcing graphic designers is that you never really know how many projects the freelancer may be working on.

In most instances, you probably won’t have a freelancers undivided attention.

This can result in poor or faulty design outcomes which could mean more revisions, wasted time, and more budget. If you are running on a tight deadline, this can ultimately hamper your whole project.

So, you have to be careful while outsourcing designers. It is a good practice to select pre-vetted or reputed designers with a proven track record.

2. Difficult to find a good fit

Every hiring manager who has outsourced knows it can be a bit tricky to find the right fit for the job.

Entrepreneur.com also highlighted the importance of making sure the freelancer you hire can really do the job.

You need to get and check references. “ Ask former or current clients about their satisfaction.... Find out what industries and what type of workload the firm or individual is accustomed to handling.”

But finding and verifying all this information is not always easy, so the possibility of hiring the wrong person does exist.

Another aspect that could cause concern is time differences, as outsourced designers can come from all over the world.

Hubstaff points out that “working across continents can mean business hours might not line up. Make sure you discuss what regular work hours are if you’re working with professionals in other locations.”

3. Management and reliability

Another downside to outsourcing graphic designers is ultimately your lack of control.

Unlike someone on your team, you can’t really control their business stability or their ability to meet deadlines.

There’s a constant fear that they may go AWOL or end up providing sub-par designs. What will you do then?

Furthermore, regardless of the length of the relationship, you will need someone to manage your freelancers as well as deal with recruitment, legal issues, payments, and to create trusting relationships.

These tasks can take a lot of time, especially if you are outsourcing directly to a designer and not through an agency or third-party business. (Note: Many of these issues fortunately can fade away if you have a long-term relationship with a designer or agency.)

Keeping these drawbacks in mind, how can we utilize graphic design outsourcing to its fullest potential?

Well, the trick lies in knowing when to outsource design and how to do it the right way. If you do it right, there’s a lot to gain.

When to outsource your graphic design:

A little bit of planning and foresight goes a long way. If you take the time to set some definite criteria as to when you will outsource design, you can save yourself from a lot of bad decisions.

For example, consider outsourcing if you want to :

Tap into specialized talent, but it doesn’t make sense to employ them full-time.
Free up internal resources and focus on your core activities.
Cut costs for certain projects.
Avoid overburdening your existing in-house designers

But before you turn over a new leaf, Take a moment and consider the following elements to help determine if outsourcing is the right choice for you:

Your graphic design budget —how much can you afford to pay a contractor? Sketch out the budgeting plan for the project.
The management of the graphic designers —will you manage them or will you hire a coordinator?
The designer’s work location —should they attend in-house meetings or can they work 100% remotely?
The legal angle —what type of contracts will you sign before work begins and how will you deal with potential conflicts?
The time and effort it takes to manage all these steps —should you consider a third-party outsourcing agency to take care of the whole process for you?

Once you have sorted out all of these details and prepared to tackle them, your company will set up to reap the benefits of outsourcing.

If you find that it’s not, perhaps you should consider an in-house designer:

Working with in-house designers

The alternative to outsourcing talent is to hire in-house designers, also called insourcing.

This often involves strenuous hiring and training timelines, but there are plenty of advantages. For example, as your in-house designers grow in experience and skill, they can apply what they learn to future work within your company.

Let’s dive into some of the specific pros and cons.

The pros of insourcing designers

1. Cohesion

When it comes to creating and sustaining a brand image, you want a consistent aura or vibe throughout your materials. This is exactly where a closer and long-term familiarity between the designer and the brand becomes crucial.

In-house designers tend to be more cohesive to your brand and company than freelancers as they live and work in it every day.

They are more familiar with the company culture and niche. However, if you develop a long-term relationship with a talented freelancer, you can also get the same benefits.

2. Sense of ownership

An in-house designer, as a member of your team, will likely feel a greater sense of ownership and accountability in the final product.

They likely will have a greater drive to achieve the company’s goals, which motivates them to put their best foot forward and can make their work feel more authentic. Unlike an outsourced designer who may be working with many brands, they are likely to be more invested in your project and success.

3. Communication

Whether you’re working with an outsourced or insourced team, there’s always a risk of miscommunication. Sometimes, the advantage of having in-house designers on the team is that they are readily available to analyze requests on the spot, ask questions, and get clear directions.

With outsourced talent, there’s always the risk of the freelancer being out of touch or running on a different timeline or schedule than you.

The CONS of insourcing designers

1. Hiring process

Working with in-house designers is a long-term commitment and therefore can involve more money, time, and effort than outsourcing. After all, you don’t just get an in-house team, you build one.

Recruiting and onboarding the right new designer is always a time-consuming and expensive process.

You need to put the word out, wait for applications to pour in, sift through the applications to get to the ones that matter, and then finally start the interview process.

So, we are talking about at least a month-long process to hire a single designer. This is a lot of time and effort.

But there are situations when you simply have to devote the time and effort to hiring an in-house designer.

I’d recommend opting for an in-house designer if you want designers:

Who are readily available.
Who are deeply familiar with your organization.
Will cultivate skill within your company.

But regardless of whether you hire in-house or outsource designers, make sure you ask yourself the following questions about all of your candidates:

Do they have the skills to meet the needs of the company?
Are you setting them up for success or failure?
Will they be able to finish their tasks on time?

2. Cost

According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a full-time graphic designer in 2019 is $49,000.

Unlike the flexibility that comes with outsourcing, the salary you’re paying an in-house designer is a constant.

So before you hire someone in-house, make sure you look at your budget from an annual perspective to decide if it makes sense financially and from a productivity standpoint.

Blurring the line

Ready to make a move? Wait, there might be more options!

With the rapid rise of the gig economy, the lines between outsourcing and insourcing are also fading away.

Many companies are adopting a dynamic mix of both to get the most out of a global talent pool and accomplish their goals..

As the lines blur even more between outsourcing and insourcing, one thing is clear: the end of the “classic” outsourcing model is close. The market is teeming with new, inventive sourcing models.

For example, you can insource design work by integrating a third-party platform with your team’s workflow, like DTS .

At DTS , we are committed to providing professional graphic designers, at a flat-rate, who are ready when you need them to seamlessly integrate with you and your workforce.

Benefits of integrating a third-party design platform

There’s a science to graphic design, and we've been in the laboratory. DTS is high-quality, unlimited graphic design services delivered at a flat-rate.

Working with a third-party platform like DTS means:

In just a few clicks, you’ll have access to a professional designer ready to jump into your creative ecosystem.
You’ll get matched with someone who knows you by name and understands your brand and changing business needs.
There is no dealing with HR, no interviews, and no drama. You’ll be able to easily collaborate directly with your designer and share files.
You can easily integrate the designer into your workflow and automate processes. With DTS, for instance, you can build custom graphic design support at scale, across teams and across applications. The actual design work (pixel pushing) is outsourced, while your company still wields the creative brain power.
You don’t need to train people. Our team isn’t made up of contractors, interns, or fly-by-night outfits.
It’s just like having a separate graphic design wing of your company that is always by your side.

Over to you

When it comes to choosing between insourcing or outsourcing graphic design talent, you must first understand your needs.

If a project requires specialized skills your in-house employees lack or you don’t need ongoing design assistance, go for outsourcing.

If you want someone to continuously handle your projects and devote their full creative attention to your brand, hire an in-house designer or better yet, build an in-house design team supported by well-chosen outsourced designers.

Whatever you do, don’t be afraid to experiment and tailor the solution to your needs—it’s the only way to find out what works best for you and your business.

Amp up your Amazon product listings

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 12:39:57 GMT

Add 360-degree images and livestreams

Our brains are built to prioritize visuals. In fact, we humans process visuals up to 60,000 times faster than we process text . That’s why we instinctively know to stop or flee when we’re walking in the woods and encounter a slithering noodle-shaped reptile in front of us.

As an Amazon seller, how do you best harness the human brain’s propensity to process images in order to attract buyers and increase conversions for your Amazon product listings?

By delivering compelling images and videos, of course.

Amazon continually provides new ways for sellers to showcase products in their listings, both visually and otherwise. Here’s what’s slick, eye-catching, and now available.

Amazon 360 Images: What’s Your Product’s Best Side? All of Them!

Amazon now offers sellers in select categories the ability to upload 360-degree product photographs.

In these photos, the product appears to spin so that the buyer can examine it from all angles. This technology is a way for online sellers to emulate the in-store shopping experience via their Amazon product listings. While it doesn’t put the item in the shopper’s hand, it comes closer to the in-store experience than anything else right now.

Snap36, a company that helps online sellers create these specialized product photos for Amazon, claims that 360-degree product photographs increase conversions and decrease returns . Their website also states that Amazon prioritizes 360 photography over all other views.

Categories currently enabled for sellers to use 360-degree product views include:

Home
Home Improvement
Furniture
Lawn & Garden
Lighting
Kitchen
Sports & Outdoors
Toys
Cameras
Automotive
Pets

Ready to get started with your own 360-degree product photos? Here are some pro tips for creating a 360 product video:

Use a DSLR or other camera with manual mode (No, your phone won’t cut it.)
Invest in a rotating turntable so you can rotate the product, not the camera.
Use a white or neutral background.
Light the product to avoid dark spots and shadows.
Use a 360-viewer app to turn your images into 360-degree images.

Currently, Amazon sellers who sell on Amazon.com and on Amazon UK, Germany, and France can enable 360-degree photography in product listings for the categories listed above.

DTSPhoto offers complete solution for 360° Product Photography .

Amazon Live

Remember the Home Shopping Network and QVC? Amazon is keeping this tradition going with Amazon Live . And it’s encouraging brand owners to livestream with Amazon . Why? Because 73% of buyers say they are more likely to buy a product after they’ve watched a video about it .

Broadcasting your own livestream through the Amazon Live Creator app is absolutely free. Brand owners can also apply to be included in Amazon’s own livestreams by contacting your Account Executive or an Amazon Advertising Consultant.

Camera shy? No worries. Amazon also allows the use of pre-recorded video, though they do recommend using other livestream-specific features, such as live chat with viewers, during your broadcast.

Pro Tips for Livestreaming on Amazon:

Showcase your complicated products: A video is a perfect way to demonstrate all the bells and whistles of a product when photography and text description might otherwise fall short. Demonstrate a complex kitchen appliance or a very technical hiking backpack.
Highlight your product’s unique attributes: Every phone case provides protection, but can your phone case protect a phone from a 100-foot drop? Keep the focus on what makes your product stand out from your competitors.
Go someplace unexpected: Show off your product in its natural element. Take your trekking poles out to the trail rather than showing them off in a studio.
Show, don’t tell: You’re on camera, so keep the focus on the product rather than you talking about the product!
Promote Livestreams off Amazon: Make the most of your live video content by also promoting via social media and your mailing list.

As ever, Amazon sets strict rules about livestreaming content on the platform. This includes limiting claims about the product, strict guidelines for the use of reviews, and disallowing content targeted at children. Check out the Amazon Live Creator Community Policy to stay on Amazon’s good side before you begin planning your livestream.

Currently Amazon Livestream is only available through the Amazon Live Creator app on iOS enabled devices.

Visuals Have Gone Big, But Words Still Rock Amazon’s Algorithm and Buyers’ Minds

It’s vital for sellers to make use of Amazon’s photography and video features to stand out from the pack. But don’t lose sight of the fact that the best video and 360-photography out there won’t save your listing if your titles and product descriptions aren’t well written and thorough, or your keywords aren’t optimized for Amazon’s search algorithm. The best listings are those that are robust, clean, helpful, friendly, accurate, and preemptively answer buyers’ questions before they even need to ask. That requires copy, visuals, reviews, Q&A, and of course, a really good idea made into a really good product.

Print Is Not Dead

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 11:33:52 GMT

Everyone knows digital media has exploded and print circulation is in decline, but marketers who buy into the mistaken notion that print is dead and buried are doing themselves a disservice and missing out on a very real and, ironically, novel way to connect with their target audience.

Print hasn’t disappeared, but its role sure has changed. Newspapers, for example, are no longer the cornerstone of marketing. Heck, neither is TV! People have more news and entertainment choices than ever before and myriad ways to consume them. Advertisers have to embrace an integrated content marketing approach. What’s funny is that print, once the old-fashioned content marketing staple, can now actually feel unique—a way to break thought the digital advertising clutter.

Global spending on paid media is estimated to hit $542.55 billion by year-end, according to eMarketer , and digital marketing is soaring. This year, U.S. marketers spent more on digital advertising than on TV for the first time. Meanwhile, global print advertising is expected to decline 8.7 percent to $52.6 billion, according to estimates by Group M .

But “billions” is quite a ways from “zero.” Advertisers still believe in the value of print, just as consumers do. In fact, in the U.S., 90% of adults still read print magazines .

Publishers are reevaluating the role print will play in their portfolios, with some choosing to print less frequently, or in cases like The Independent , which has morphed into a digital-only news company, not at all. In October, The Media Briefing, a news platform for global media professionals, took an in-depth look at the state of print . Chris Sutcliffe, its news editor, proposes that a “pop-up publication” called The New European could represent the future of print news. Print could serve “as an artifact for expounding on topics and delivering analysis that requires time to digest,” he writes. In earlier commentary, Sutcliffe notes that “a print product doesn't necessarily have to have a lengthy run in order to be successful.” There are merits in niche publications produced to serve a clear communication need.

Mediaplanet takes a cross-platform approach to raising awareness, producing niche print magazines in partnership with the world’s leading newspapers along with corresponding digital content. As digital’s dominance increases, our print offering becomes even more unique – a way to rise above the white noise. Here’s when and why brands are opting for the power of print.

Standing out amongst the ever-growing volume of digital content can be challenging. Advertisers use print as a way to make a lasting impression with an audience. Last year, The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) predicted a surge in print magazines from brands, many of which view print as a less competitive medium. The content marketing company Contently won the Best Brand Publication award at the 2016 Digiday Content Marketing Awards for its print magazine, Contently Quarterly. Its editor-in-chief, Joe Lazauskas, calls it one of the most important things that they do.

There is something human and substantial about a print publication. Sales teams can leave printed materials with clients and prospects. Executives can use print collateral as tools at conferences and tradeshows. Mediaplanet produces many of its niche campaigns in partnership with such events, a strategy that makes it possible for clients to distribute copies in-person, in addition to reaching readers via newspaper distribution and on our digital platforms.

Lincoln Electric, a global manufacturer of welding products, launched its new print magazine last year to help fill a need for its audience and its sales team. Its marketing communication manager, Craig Coffe, tells CMI that the magazine is bolstered by its digital presence and also serves as a way to drive online traffic. This feels like a good time to mention that Mediaplanet takes an integrated approach to its content by promoting multimedia elements like bonus digital content and interactive social media features in our print pieces. Just sayin’.

You can’t put a website on your coffee table. If you want to show-off design, print is your medium. There is a reason why catalogs are still popular, even for businesses that do the bulk of their sales online. Print is also absolute. It is what it is. Your work can’t be altered and shared in bits and pieces or endlessly revised.

The Columbia Journalism Review calls print “the new ‘new media.’” It describes its resurgence, and notes publishers that have recently launched new print projects, including Tablet, Politico, California Sunday Magazine, Dogster, and CNET. The article explains that, in some ways, launching a print presence is simpler since digital’s emergence because you can more easily find and connect with audiences and measure their response to topics, which makes it easier to create a print publication that truly meets their needs.

It is easier to cut through the clutter
Print is tangible
It is a component of a diverse, cross-platform strategy
Print is beautiful
Print is novel

What’s old is new again, and in this case, new and old can work together in innovative and powerful ways. To learn more about Mediaplanet’s approach to integrated content marketing, contact us today .

How Augmented Reality Makes Advertising Interactive

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 11:29:58 GMT

Augmented reality (AR) has already become a buzzword in the world of technology. It’s difficult to find someone who’s never heard of Pokémon GO, a bestselling AR mobile game played by millions of people all over the world.

However, AR isn’t just about games. It goes far beyond gaming and entertainment. AR has breathtaking prospects in many industries, from education to healthcare to construction. Now AR has come to advertising, and it’s going to change the way the digital advertising market functions in 2020.

AR makes advertising interactive, allowing marketers and advertisers to reach out to consumers in totally new ways. Many companies have already embraced this cutting-edge technology. If you still aren’t sure whether it’s worth going for, you should clearly realize what benefits augmented reality advertising provides and how exactly you can use this technology in real life.

Reasons to Adopt Augmented Reality in Advertising

The modern world is a digital world: according to a report by We Are Social, there are almost 4.5 billion active internet users globally. There’s plenty of work for advertisers and marketers. No wonder the digital advertising market is booming: worldwide spending on digital ads is expected to grow from 283 billion in 2018 to $517 billion by 2023

And though augmented reality ads have been used mostly by early adopters so far, they’ll become more popular soon as the number of AR users rises. Statista forecasts that AR market size worldwide will increase from roughly 3.5 billion in 2017 to more than 198 billion in 2025.

There are several major reasons why the future of advertising belongs to AR ads; let’s go over them.

Reason #1: Emotional Connection

Augmented reality ads are immersive, which means they help marketers create a certain emotional connection with customers. Unlike images or banners, for example, AR ads are interactive and lifelike: consumers can see and even interact with them.

Imagine, for instance, an eye-catching billboard advertising a just-released movie. Now think of the magic AR can do: passers-by point their smartphone cameras at the billboard and watch the trailer on their smartphone screens. Which of these two strategies (a billboard or an AR ad) is likely to incite more interest? No doubt, most customers will opt for an AR ad.

Interacting with AR ads, consumers feel like they’re playing an engaging video game. This builds an emotional connection with customers, encouraging them to make purchases. Needless to say, an emotional connection is a great tool for increasing brand awareness. People better recall brands they have positive associations with, so AR ads are perfect not only for promoting sales, but also for building a company’s reputation.

This strategy was used in the Arctic Home Campaign by Coca-Cola and the World Wide Fund. The campaign, aimed at the protection of polar bears and their natural habitat, included an augmented reality event at the Science Museum in London. Visitors could see themselves interacting with virtual animals in their natural environment. This event helped the Coca-Cola company create deep emotional connections between people and the brand.

Reason #2: Money-Saving Advertising

Though digital ads are extremely popular, traditional print ads are still far from obsolete. There are many print magazines with catchy images advertising a whole spectrum of goods and services. However, placing ads in popular print magazines can be rather expensive.

Augmented reality advertising is usually more affordable and far more immersive than print advertising. Of course, the price for an AR ad varies depending on its quality: a simple AR ad can cost around $5,000 to develop, while a sophisticated AR campaign with eye-catching graphics may amount to $100,000.

There are two major types of augmented reality: marker-based and location-based. AR ads can be built with the help of either of them.

Marker-based AR ads require a marker (i.e. a target image) that customers scan with their smartphone cameras to bring virtual content to life.
Location-based AR ads don’t require any markers (so there’s no need for a print image), as they overlay virtual content based on a user’s location (with the help of GPS).

Launching an AR advertising campaign is usually a lot cheaper than placing a print ad in a bestselling print magazine. Moreover, the same AR application can be used for many campaigns.

Reason #3: Boosting Sales

Augmented reality ads aren’t the only way of promoting products or services. AR offers other ways for marketers and advertisers to increase sales volumes: virtual try-ons.

Imagine coming across a conventional advertisement for, say, sunglasses. You see nice pictures of the glasses, but can you be sure they’ll suit you? This isn’t a problem if augmented reality technology is used: you’ll be able to virtually try on a number of glasses and choose the ones you like the most.

Needless to say, consumers can try on many other items with AR: shoes, clothing, jewelry, watches, and more. This makes AR ads a powerful tool for driving sales and increasing revenue.

Reason #4: Improving Hyperlocal Advertising

Digital ads use advanced machine learning algorithms to analyze user behavior and interests in order to recommend the right products and services to the right people. Augmented reality ads offer marketers an even better opportunity: advanced hyperlocal advertising.

Unlike traditional hyperlocal ads that, for example, tell customers about establishments such as cafes and outlets, AR hyperlocal ads are truly immersive as they can show objects right on a smartphone’s screen. This way, customers are not only informed about places that might be interesting to them, but are guided there as well.

AR ads are, therefore, extremely useful for business owners and can help them attract more customers.

Augmented Reality in Advertising: Use Cases

Augmented reality ads haven’t become common yet as AR technology is just making its first steps and only early adopters have started using it. However, any new technology requires time to become mature and widespread.

We’ve selected five use cases for augmented reality advertising so that you can understand what unique experiences AR provides.

#1: IKEA AR Advertising Campaign

IKEA, the famous furniture retailer, was one of the early adopters of augmented reality ads back in 2013 when it released its iOS AR mobile app that showed users virtual pieces of furniture from the company’s 2014 catalog.

Customers simply put a print furniture catalog on the floor and scanned it with their smartphone or tablet cameras to see the virtual furniture. This way, customers could see whether a certain piece of furniture would fit in their real-life environments and what color would be most suitable. AR allowed the company to spark customers’ interest and encourage sales.

IKEA is currently building a new AR app based on Apple’s ARKit software.

#2: Pepsi Bus Shelter AR Ad

Bus shelters are often used for advertising, but augmented reality can turn a common bus shelter poster into an unforgettable and entertaining experience. That’s what Pepsi did with its Pepsi Max AR advertising campaign.

A screen and a camera were installed in typical London bus shelters to overlay virtual objects onto a real-life camera view.

Similar technology can be used to advertise anything from a fizzy drink to a new movie.

#3: Toys ”R” Us Campaign for Children

Brick-and-mortar stores are struggling to compete with online marketplaces today. Augmented reality can help them remain afloat thanks to the breathtaking immersive experiences it can provide.

Toys ”R” Us launched a fantastic AR advertising campaign dedicated to the Easter holiday. It was called Virtual Easter Egg Hunt, and children were invited to use their tablets to follow virtual Easter bunnies and hunt for eggs. The eggs’ coupons were for real toys in the store.

AR helped Toys “R” Us create a truly amazing advertising campaign that attracted lots of visitors.

#4: Lacoste Virtual Try-Ons

In 2014, Lacoste launched an augmented reality app for its LCST brand. Users could place their feet on a special marker, scan it with their smartphones, and try on different Lacoste shoes.

This type of AR application is extremely useful for online marketplaces, as people can try apparel before purchasing, minimizing the number of returns.

#5: Net-A-Porter Storefront AR Campaign

Storefronts belong to traditional advertising, but you can add some digital experience to them with the help of augmented reality. Storefronts can contain markers for AR apps that passers-by can scan to enjoy outstanding AR experiences. This kind of advertising isn’t just efficient, but affordable as well, since companies can use their own storefronts for advertising campaigns.

That’s what Net-A-Porter did when it created augmented reality storefronts at its outlets in London, Paris, Munich, New York, and Sydney. Customers could install a special mobile AR application on their portable devices, scan the storefronts, and enjoy AR experiences (360-degree views, product information, pricing, etc).

Challenges in the Path of Augmented Reality Advertising

Though AR can substantially change the advertising industry, there are several challenges in the path of this technology. Let’s briefly mention the most significant.

Challenge #1: Need for a Mobile Application

So far, augmented reality works mostly through special AR mobile applications. And that’s the problem: to immerse themselves in the world of AR, customers need to find a mobile app in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store and install it. Doing so takes time and, moreover, most people would probably need to keep several AR apps on their smartphones to access different AR experiences. As a result, many users don’t want to bother with it and prefer not to use AR apps at all.

The solution to this problem is under way, though. Blippar, a prominent AR provider, is working on a totally new media format called augmented reality digital placement (ARDP). ARDP doesn’t require a separate AR application. Instead, advertisers can use ARDP to create AR ads by using only smartphone or desktop cameras. Thanks to ARDP, users can tap on a rich media ad (a banner, for example) and activate AR.

This technology is going to make AR ads more accessible and, thus, more widespread.

Challenge #2: Hardware Limitations

Would you prefer to play a computer game with realistic graphics or one with poor graphics? Unless you’re a fan of old-school games, you’ll opt for the better graphics. The same applies to augmented reality.

People are unlikely to enjoy an AR app with poor graphics, but smartphones and smart glasses are no match for desktops in terms of graphics power. Portable devices need to have hardware powerful enough to produce high-quality graphics.

Fortunately, the processing power of portable devices has been steadily increasing, and modern smartphones can produce quite sophisticated AR.

Challenge #3: Development Process

If you realize the full potential of AR advertising, you’re probably wondering how exactly you can create augmented reality ads.

First of all, you can use a special AR software development kit (SDK). Many companies are offering these tools, so choosing the right one isn’t easy. You need to figure out what functions you need from an SDK in order to create your AR application. We recommend reading a helpful comparison of the most popular AR SDKs on the market to get a general understanding of what you’re dealing with.

However, using an AR toolkit requires strong coding skills. Many digital advertising agencies simply don’t have the in-house developers to do it. So instead of reinventing the bike, you can cooperate with a reliable technology partner that will provide you with a team of professional software developers. They’ll analyze your project and define what AR SDK is the most suitable and how much effort your project requires.

High Time to Jump on the AR Advertising Bandwagon

Augmented reality advertising gives marketers an enormous advantage, since this technology makes ads engaging, interactive, and efficient. As you can see, many companies have already embraced this top-notch technology and more are expected to follow suit.

If you are ready to step into the world of augmented reality advertising, feel free to contact our team and we’ll help you get your fantastic idea off the ground.