Marketers prepare for augmented reality to go mainstream
Marketers are preparing for the introduction of augmented reality (AR) into mainstream advertising, with leading platforms such as Facebook and Snapchat expanding their AR options. Facebook has created a system named the Camera Effects Studio, which can create real-time clips with augmented reality overlays. Snapchat’s virtual overlays are increasingly popular, and Apple's iOS 11 mobile operating system will have new AR feature ARKit, when it is released next month. The number of AR users in the US is predicted to increase by 36% between 2017 and 2020.

This past weekend in New York, the United Nations created a Facebook Live filter for World Humanitarian Day that let users overlay their real-time clips with augmented reality, particularly scrolling copy that told stories about civilians who have been affected by conflict. In Times Square, AR-enhanced videos aired on one of the iconic, commercial intersection’s large billboards. The endeavor was powered by Facebook’s 4-month-old AR system, dubbed Camera Effects Studio, which is getting the attention of brand marketers.