Camera Marketing is the way forward for brands to engage their audience

The avenues through which we consume content are ever evolving and now with everyone always having cameras on them, through a smartphone, there is yet another medium for marketers to engage their audience. Behold, Camera Marketing! Giving brands the opportunity to play around with more interactive and intuitive experiences for consumers, this form of marketing blends reality with the virtual. Take for example, how online retailers across the jewellery/ fashion/ apparels segment, among others, let their end-users 'try before you buy'. The possibilities are limitless.

So, what is Camera Marketing?

From virtual search tools and image-recognition platforms to branded filters, we have only just begun to scratch the surface when it comes to the ways in which cameras can be mobilized. One of the most popular forms of camera marketing is the use of augmented reality (AR) - an engaging approach where the brand is a participant in the “conversation” rather than a company delivering a message. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) wouldn't have been a viable digital reality today, if not for camera technology. Face filters, world effects, mini games, image trackers, gamified filters and virtual portals are some of the many examples of how marketers are leveraging camera marketing.

It's a win-win!

Brands are now able to sell various immersive and 3D experiences as part of their marketing effort by giving consumers the tools to tell their own story. It's a win-win for both! Not only does it allow consumers to interact with brands in a more stimulating and non-passive manner, but it also leads to more brand recall for the marketer. Consumers become brand ambassadors by recording and sharing their experiences online on their social media accounts.

Video is King

Videos are the future of marketing, and we have several marketing stats to back up that statement. Zenith predicts that in 2021 an average person will spend 100 minutes daily watching videos. That’s 25 whole days in a year, to put it in perspective.

Also, with the explosion of video-based content platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok, there is an increased demand for video consumption. User generated video content has been truly democratized by TikTok followed by the rise of other short form content platforms such as Moj/Takatak among others.

A video is fifty times more likely to show up on Google search results than a traditional web page. All this just goes to show that video is king, and short format snackable video content is the way to go forward.

How should brands leverage Camera Marketing?

As with other mediums, brands need to have a 360-degree approach wherein camera marketing is integrated with other communication channels to ensure consistency. Execution wise, brands will have to liaise with SM platforms to leverage their unique offerings complemented by the creative and production teams, who will be able to create immersive storytelling experiences that are not only creative but stand out against the competition. Whether that is done in-house or through a specialised agency, depends solely on the discretion of the brand.

What's in store?

Let's say 5 years ago, the very aspect of creating an AR/VR experience was cumbersome and expensive. Be it investing in AR assets or hiring an AR engineer, incorporating camera marketing would have been a distant dream without an enormous marketing budget. However, with increasing marketing efforts, more tools, more social media platforms and more resources at their disposal, brands are greatly simplifying and lowering the cost of bringing AR to life.

In a sea of competition, embracing new forms of technology is not only critical to rising above the noise but also engaging your audience in ways that redefine your brand's personality.