Touch Digital brings Augmented Reality to local West Midlands businesses

Touch Digital who are based within Coventry University held a seminar meeting yesterday about Augmented Reality over at the Village Hotel Walsall just off junction 10 on the M6. 

The seminar gave some brief outlines as to how the use of Augmented Reality could be used within a business marketing strategy ... 

Aug What? Is what you might be asking just now? ...! 

In the simplest of terms Augmented Reality is the provision and use of graphical images/animation which can then be viewed via an iPhone or Android phone when pointing it at a target image such as a painting on a wall, or image within a brochure or magazine – even a business card. 

James Collinson who is a Touch Digital Event Facilitator was the person who presented the seminar and who during the seminar provided a few examples as to how some businesses already use augmented reality within their marketing activities. 

The first example is an artist who looks to sell his painting via local restaurants - uses augmented reality to explain more about the painting and what it means. For instance, a diner, who might be interested in purchasing one of the paintings, would gain more information by them pointing their phone at the painting when at which point a video might start playing providing full and in-depth descriptions, thus providing greater insight direct from the artist. 

The second example is IKEA who use it to great effect within their brochure, this means that potential purchasers of their furniture can point at the target images within the IKEA brochure and can effectively see that exact piece of furniture within their own room environment. 

Also on hand at the seminar to help all attendees was Touch Digital Project Office Caroline Geraghty, and Client Engagement Officer – Suky Batchu. 

Throughout the event, we had to carry out discussions with those sitting around our individual tables as to how we each could utilise augmented reality within our own business. 

Around our table was Lynne Milford from Print Dot who is based in Wolverhampton, Raj Patel from Champagne People based in Droitwich Spa, Kanayo Eruchalu from Sinnergy based in Birmingham and finally Shuba Gupta from Business Tank based in Dudley. 

Touch Digital is actively looking to promote its augmented reality service offerings to businesses that are based within the West Midlands region FREE OF CHARGE. 

The way they can do this is because funding has been obtained from a European Fund which allows them to provide FOC with the training and introductions to the augmented reality product. 

Augmented reality can serve a good and beneficial purpose for the expanded marketing activities of local businesses, but a good deal of thought has to go into the purpose of its use. 

Many businesses will perhaps opt for the uniqueness of augmented reality without it really serving any benefit to the business other than for them to say “hey look at this”. 

As such 'Touch Digital' has in place a criterion as part of the application process to ensure that those businesses seeking the business grant for this service have to explain prior as to how, where and why augmented reality is for them.