After a fruitful 2016, at Carswell Gould we wanted to show our appreciation to all of our amazing clients.
And what better way than by using innovative technology that brought to life our friend and world renowned sommelier Gerard Basset. After all, our gift was a delicious bottle of red wine - in a bespoke box with matching card - so who better to leave a special Christmas message than Gerard himself. Wanting to go the extra mile to show our thanks, we decided to create augmented reality (AR) wine labels to go with the South African Shiraz “Great Expectations” – where Gerard leaves his message on the side of the bottle using an interactive “Layar” app.
After downloading the app and scanning your smartphone over the still label, Gerard suddenly starts speaking! “This beautiful vintage 2013 wine is spicy with a lot of black fruit and is very smooth. Perfect for your turkey,” he says after taking a couple of enjoyable sips from his wine cellar at New Forest based Hotel Terrevina.
AR has taken off and is set to continue its boom through 2017. The technology, which connects our digital lives with the physical world, provides new ways to link-up with customers and offers unique and memorable interactions. Pokémon GO is a prime example of the power of AR and offers a wake-up call to any business that hasn’t realised its potential.
AR offers a fun aspect into an everyday product – with the idea being this excitement appeals to a greater number of customers. Ikea, for example, is giving customers the chance to look at how a couch would fit in their living room before actually buying it, while Ray-Ban allows you to see which sunglasses suit your face. It is clear then that AR has the potential to change a range of consumer experiences, from how people find new products to how they decide which ones to buy.
This is achieved by enhancing the physical environment you see by overlaying virtual elements, such as information or images over it, through your smartphone camera or other displays. Ed Gould, creative director at Carswell Gould, said: “We are always interested in the latest technology and wanted to do something nice for our clients – so this Christmas gift seemed like the perfect option.
“On top of receiving a lovely bottle of red wine, our clients were treated to a little insight on what they were drinking from our friend and world leading sommelier Gerard Basset, who we filmed at his hotel cellar."
AR looks set for another big year with more businesses seeing its worth and we’re sure the Layar app will also continue to see a massive surge. We are exploring various ways of using AR with our clients moving forward, such as with Venturefest South - where innovators come together through a number of local events around the country, so watch this space. Visit venturefestsouth.co.uk to find out more.
Bring Gerard to life for yourself by downloading the Layar app and scanning the graphic below.
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