Get set to try on a pair of digital sunglasses the next time you see an expanded reality ad in Facebook’s News Feed. Facebook is giving promoters new ideas to show off their products, including with augmented reality. The aim behind it is to allow people to view products they are buying for as if they already have them, such as a vehicle parked in the street, in a move aimed at bringing in potential advertisers. For the unaware, augmented reality (AR) is a technology that overlays digital images onto real-world objects. For instance, when people play Pokemon Go on their phone, the technology that visually superimposes Pokemon on their street corner is supposed as AR. Michael Kors will be the first brand to present Facebook augmented reality ads in News Feeds a test drive. The AR experience enables users to work on a pair of glasses, change the product color, and do shopping right inside the Facebook app.
Augmented Reality Ads
Although smartphone messaging apps are not recognized for displaying ads, Facebook has stated that targeting the 1.3 billion people who utilize its Messenger assistance with ads will be an essential part of the company’s long-term revenue growth. In the future, Facebook is operating with organizations to produce a broad variety of AR ads that will cover fashion accessories, cosmetics, furniture, gaming, and entertainment. Some of the brands Facebook has published for this first wave of AR advertisements comprises Sephora, Wayfair, Bobbi Brown, and Pottery Barn. For now, the test run of these ads is only being pushed out to users in the U.S. Ty Ahmad-Taylor, vice president of product marketing for Facebook’s global marketing solutions, showed off advertisements that included his face into Candy Crush gameplay footage, and other ads that enabled customers to see how practical sunglasses and makeup would look on their faces.
Facebook is testing Augmented Reality Ads
A demo of the ad reveals that people can tap on the Michael Kors Facebook ad from their News Feed, which prompts their smartphone’s camera to shift on to capture their face. From there, they can choose from a small assortment of Lon Aviators style sunglasses with different colored shades that they can then realistically apply to their faces. It’s similar to the characters of AR ads Facebook showed off in May for the company’s Messenger app. Facebook has been spending massively in AR as the company thinks it marks a big step in the way people communicate with computers. In 2017, Facebook debuted a set of developer tools designed to make it simpler for people create AR apps in Facebook. Although there hasn’t been a blockbuster AR app since Pokémon Go, which started in 2016, various tech companies like Apple and Google are still prominent devotees that the technology will ultimately catch on with consumers.
One way Facebook is attempting to promote AR to a broader audience by tossing it to organizations as a more compelling way for them to advertise to consumers.
