Pixelbug, the region’s first marketing technology innovators, announced the launch of their new augmented reality solutions for businesses.
Augmented reality is the process of overlaying digital content onto a real life physical environment when viewed through camera-enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets or personal computers.
Having already successfully executed major projects in the region for P&G, Novartis and Samsonite, Pixelbug has firmly established itself as the marketing technology partner for leading multinational and local brands.
“75% of mobile phone users in the Middle East own smartphones and 67% of those access the net through their devices”, said founder and managing partner Dany El Eid. “What we aim to do is allow people to engage and explore products and brands in ways that were never before possible using augmented reality technologies”.
Managing partner Elie-Charles Youssef said, “Digital marketing campaigns with augmented reality features deliver, on average, 55,000 unique users per month with an average dwell time of 7 minutes and 45 seconds.
“What’s important to note here, versus other marketing initiatives, is that the technology is not forced onto the consumer. It is a decision by the consumer to engage out of an interest and willingness to explore a product in a fun and innovative way, in their own time”.
Smartphone penetration in the UAE is one of the highest in the world at over 62%, followed closely by Saudi Arabia at 60%. While augmented reality business solutions are not yet main-stream, several leading brands have adopted the concept hoping to associate their brand with the innovative technology.
“As one of the region’s leading brands, Ariel is always exploring new ways to showcase its innovative technology and communicate with our customers in an engaging way”, said Omair Siddiqui, Brand Operations Manager at P&G, Dubai UAE.
“We work closely with Pixelbug, as our marketing technology partners, and together have successfully launched interactive on ground activations that immersed our customers into Ariel’s cleaning process. We were able to fuse virtual elements with the customer’s real life physical interactions with the Ariel box, creating a totally new experience”.
Dany believes augmented reality (AR) technology unlocks boundless opportunities. “The best thing about AR is that it transcends all industries. We’ve worked with government, automotive, education, healthcare and FMCG brands. We currently have interesting projects in the pipeline with major airline, banking, tourism and hotel brands”.
A key advantage of AR applications is the data analytics, which provide crucial information on the number of active users, gender, ethnicity and most importantly in app. dwell time – data that can be used to measure ROI. Leveraging AR with a print advertisement campaign, for example, can yield powerful results and provide accurate user demographics for print publications that were never before possible.
Elie added, “We always strive to deliver experiences that serve a purpose or solve an actual business issue, be it driving footfall, increasing awareness or maximizing sales. The “wow” factor alone just isn’t sustainable in the long term”.
Pixelbug focuses on enhancing business objectives by using interactive digital solutions designed to drive sales and deliver breathtaking customer experiences.
