Best WebAR Examples in 2020

On a quest for uniqueness, memorability, and creating an exciting experience for their consumers, more and more brands are incorporating technology into their marketing campaigns. Building apps and branded video games have almost become the norm as businesses seek innovative ways to connect with their target audience.

However, not everyone has the means or the patience for developing software as intricate and demanding as an app. Applications require resources, a team of developers, coordination, constant back-and-forth, tweaking, bug fixes, testing, and so much more. There are easier, more painless ways to get all the benefits of an app without any of the trouble – WebAR.

WebAR stands for ‘web-based augmented reality.’ It is an augmented reality experience that doesn’t require the user to download an app and install it on their device. It is all based on the web, as its very name declares, and thus it is easier to implement on a large scale than a standard application.

In the case of WebAR, all a user has to do is open a webpage URL on their smartphone (iOS or Android) and activate their camera to access the AR experience.

The potential of WebAR is limitless, especially in this COVID-19-riddled world where live events are mostly canceled and social distancing has become the norm.

Purina is a pet food manufacturer that utilized WebAR in its latest campaign showcasing what happens when your pets eat Purina food for 28 days straight. If you visit this link on your smartphone, you can choose whether you want to follow the journey of a dog or a cat.

Through your phone screen, you will watch a playful feline or canine go through a fast-forwarded cycle of 28 days, where Purina informs you of exactly what type of positive changes you can expect in your furry friend’s health. A great example of Web AR in brand storytelling and product promotion!

AR has already proven to be invaluable when it comes to testing out products consumers are interested in. Web AR takes this to the next level, where the potential customer can review the details of the product – and even try it out – in the comfort of their home.

Jaguar offered a Web AR experience where you could sit in their new Land Rover model no matter where you were, and explore the interior of the car to your heart’s content.

You may feel that business cards are mundane and that they can’t exactly tell you much about a business, but we beg to differ. Aircards created a great Web AR experience where scanning a QR code on a business card opened up new contact options, as well as a convenient 3D ruler that was on-brand for the business.

With Web AR, business cards are no longer just pieces of fancy paper with contact information. They can be customized to represent the essence of your business and your products, or even you as a person and employee (or owner) in that business.

Web AR doesn’t just have to be for marketing. It can also serve as a platform for events that were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Take the example of this virtual career fair. This career fair couldn’t be held traditionally, so it was held virtually, wherever the students happened to aim their phone screens at.

All it took was a little open space – such as someone’s backyard – for the students to get the impression they were surrounded by booths of their potential employers. They could watch videos in each of the booths, apply to jobs, and there was even a nice touch of a virtual DJ and fair decorations! It was barely any different than the real virtual careers fair would have been.

Augmented reality is here to stay, there’s no doubt about that. But compared to traditional AR apps – insofar as they can be considered traditional – Web AR offers much more flexibility. It doesn’t require as much financial investment or time to develop, and literally anyone with a smartphone can use the AR effects, no download or install required. Simple, easy, yet groundbreaking!