Finding innovative ways to grab people's attention can be difficult, especially for advertisers and marketers competing for attention in an increasingly busy media environment.
People are bombarded by advertisements from the internet, television and the world around them. Most people claim they hardly notice advertisements, let alone interact with the brand.
That is where augmented reality or AR comes in, and big things are expected of it. Put simply, AR is any technology that augments the real world with computer generated content.
While the technology has been around for a while now, it is still developing and is a relatively new way for firms to target customers and provide a channel for people to engage with an advertisement.
This work is already being done by AR specialists like Total Immersion. It works with companies like Coca Cola, 20th Century Fox, Boeing and even the United States Army to create advertisements designed to break through the clutter and get customers attention.
Myles Peyton, sales director of Total Immersion, said: "We are looking towards hockey stick growth in this market.
"It is all about looking at how to use Augmented Reality, whether it is in a PowerPoint presentation, advertising or office technology you will be seeing this technology."
AR includes things like QR codes and smartphone apps such as Layar. Both of these encourage users to interact by drawing them in to a new experience.
QR codes can be accessed using the camera on any smartphone. The code either directs consumers to a website or superimposes a 3D image over the real world being displayed on the smartphones screen.
Apps like Layar do much the same thing, except they use a person's location to augment specific data without the need for any sort of QR code.
Peyton said Layar is only the start. Soon there will be other apps that allow customers to interact with products and services.
"Something I can envisage is Augmented Reality on the move. Like in newspapers and on billboards where customers can just point and shoot to engage.
"That creates a bridge between the advertisements and reality," Peyton said.
While the technology is complicated, the application is simple.
AR allows businesses to target advertising, make it location specific and encourage customers to interact with both their products and their brand.
That will make it an increasingly important part of any future marketing and advertising campaigns.
Brad - like you, I see incredible potential in the rapidly emerging augmented reality space. I predict that, in the not too distant future, we'll be wearing "AG spectacles" that give us a heads-up display of virtual surroundings.
It gives the saying "see the world through different eyes" a whole new meaning...
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