Volkswagen are promoting the big come back of their Golf Cabriolet with an augmented reality app. The French agency behind this concept is Paris based Agency.V. who have created a world first with this AR car showroom app for the iPad2, iPhone and Android.
Once you’ve downloaded the app it lets you explore the vehicle and play with it’s features; you can open the soft-top roof, rotate the car, check the vehicle’s details, change the body colour or the style of the rims. You can even take a picture of yourself with the virtual car and share each step of this experience through your social networks.
While this isn’t ground breaking, it’s great to see VW experimenting with new ways to promote their cars. Keep up the good work! What do you guys think?
It’s available from the French iTunes Store for iPhone, iPad 2 and also for Android which is cool.
Wouldn’t a good video tour fulfill the same purpose only better?
@Creative Slave – a video demo would certainly showcase the product but doesn’t offer the interaction and user control that the AR app provides. I think the clever thing with this concept is that the user can explore and interact with their car in their own way!
I’m interested in the fantastic applications of augmented reality but wonder from a consumer’s perspective whether downloading an app and then having to use the AR interface is any more engaging that something like a specfically built microsite with the same functionality. There’s no tangible reason to want to use this AR other than novelty factor.
I’m not sold on this. I have seen an abundance of AR apps that simply let you ‘explore’ products in 3D. Are consumers actually wowed by this anymore?
Even though they are using great technology, the whole experience comes across a little static. Where’s the added engagement that will make me open the app a second time?
What’s the benefit for a brand to make throw away ‘one-time-opening’ apps?
@Katy, fiar point but in that case you don’t need AR to interact with the car. It just adds a layer of unnecessary complexity.
I’m somewhere between the two positions above. While it’s great to give potential customers the chance to interact with the car and it’s features, literally nothing is added to the experience by it appearing as Augmented Reality. In fact, it looks like you need to navigate icons and tweak settings all the while keeping it pointed at the glyph. I’d say this takes away from the user experience, rather than enhances it. What if you want to sit back in your chair with your iPad and continue the tweaking?
AR needs to Augment reality usefully, in context: add data or interaction that is relevant to the reality you are in. Everything in this video could and should be done in a little app or site, but needn’t be AR.
Whilst I agree AR can be a very very clunky addition to campaigns. There is still a big % of the population who are still to experience it. And with the buzz of a new car, it’s just an additional element to help excite them about buying it.
I don’t think this is ever going to be a sales tool. More an experience tool to create excitement, even if that is only in the short-term while AR is new.
[...] For a truly interactive and detailed experience, Volkswagen are the ones to watch as they relaunch their Cabiolet model.By downloading the app, viewers get up close and personal with all the design features of the car both inside and out. This is a good model for any corporates needing to bring their customers closer to the showroom and wanting that little bit extra to wow them. See here for the video. [...]
This app was initially built for the VW vendors as the the new Golf Cab cars were not delivered to all the dealers. By using this app on their iPad and the special AR plot in their showroom, the vendors were able to virtually show the new Golf Cab to their customer.
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