I love keeping up with cutting edge technologies and industry trends because you never know when a fresh idea can enhance a campaign or brand image. Even though a new technology may be all the range and innovative, every business and industry shouldn’t rush out and attempt to quickly insert it into a new media approach just because everyone else is doing it. But if a trend is able to align with given business goals and audiences, experimental technology and strategy can sometimes brilliantly go hand-in-hand. There are a few good marketing examples of experimenting and adopting AR technology that achieves these objectives.

BMW and the USPS have not only used AR to create something viral that helps drive consumer buzz, but it also serves as a strategic application that flaunts products/services. In BMW’s Z4 campaign, a virtual car displays the car’s features and creates an interactive game by allowing the user to mark up his or her desk while controlling though the computer keyboard.  USPS’ new AR application allows consumers to simulate priority shipping options when making a decision on packing size differences.

New Android mobile devices have just released an app called Layar, and the iPhone is now developing Twitter 360, which will become some of the first augmented reality browsers on mobile. The apps will create real-world GPS compasses and visualize twitter friends in real-time through a phone’s camera screen.

Even print publications have gotten in the mix. Esquire Magazine just released an experimental AR December issue that features an introduction on the cover by Robert Downy Jr., three dimensional celebrity interviews, and interactive fashion features through your webcam. While development of the issue cost a great deal of time and money, the magazine is still constantly attempting to progress.

Many believe augmented reality is the future of advertising. This new technology already has the ability to create amazing interactions between digital and print. In a quickly evolving mobile world, augmented reality just might give new relevancy to future print usage if tactics continue to evolve. Any Smartphone could have the potential to turn an ad into an interactive 3D masterpiece. As long as it continues to be used strategically and not just as a gimmick, future possibilities for AR marketing are endless.