Augmented Reality Ads and Facebook - Your Perfect Match

In this present age of science and technology, Augmented Reality (AR) has become trendy lingo. You will hardly come across an individual today who doesn’t know anything about AR, from games like Pokemon GO, Snapchat, or Instagram filters, and, of course - famous AR advertisements, like those from Ikea, Starbucks, and Papa John’s.

So… why is augmented reality such a hot topic for advertisers?

The rate at which the world is advancing digitally could be said to be… quite significant.?

“As of January 2021 there were 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide - 59.5 percent of the global population. Of this total, 92.6 percent (4.32 billion) accessed the internet via mobile devices.”

The world will never be the same after the effects of COVID-19, with the roll out of worldwide lockdowns pushing a boom in digital technology and work from home scenarios. Even before 2020, you would be hard pressed to find a modern business operating ‘off the grid’ and not using computers, the internet, or even social media for at least some part of their business. While hard copy and print advertising still holds its place, it’s clear where the future of advertising is headed.?

“Advertising across all digital channels will exceed 60% of global adspend for the first time in 2022, reaching 61.5% of total expenditure; their share will rise to 65.1% by 2024. Zenith estimates that global adspend will reach US$705bn in 2021, up from US$634bn in 2019, and will rise to US$873bn by 2024.”

How does this translate to Facebook?

Facebook AR ads appear in Facebook Mobile News Feed and allow users to experiment with your brand's AR camera effects in just one click directly from the ad. You can add a CTA within the camera experience to allow users to go from engaging with your product to purchasing.

Facebook says:

“Your ads can use augmented reality camera effects to let people interact with your products on the mobile Facebook News Feed. Partner with an augmented reality producer on the Spark AR Partner Network to create and upload augmented reality effects on the Spark AR Hub. Then, create your augmented reality ad in Ads Manager.?

When someone taps your ad on the mobile News Feed, a visual overlay tells them how to interact with your product, brand or effect. Include a call to action to encourage them to make a purchase or visit your website to learn more. People who interact with your ad can take photos or videos to share their experience on Facebook Stories or News Feed.

After you run your ad, you can analyse your results with metrics for augmented reality ads, including Instant Experience view time and Effect shares.”

Some top examples of AR ads

We are now quite familiar with the experience of virtually “trying-on” make-up, sunglasses, or other items. Facebook first introduced a tool called AR Try On in 2019 to select merchants that allowed users to virtually try on certain products. Some of the most well known ads are those of Michael Kors trying on sunglasses, and Sephora trying on makeup.

Some other great examples of AR advertisements can be found here: