In my previous post I discussed my prediction that in 2011 AR will go mainstream and become a fundamental part of every marketing program. If this is to be the case and brands take advantage of everything that AR can offer, then I believe:
Second trend: 2011 will be the year in which virtual air rights/virtual copyright law will feature prominently in the public arena.
Read Write Web’s article, Are We Entering The Age of Augmented Trademark Infringement provides more detail to this idea of Virtual Copyright Law, but the concept is similar to VARs—people hold their logos very dear—when applications soon allow millions of mobile phones to block said logos, brands will fight to keep their advertisements in view.
Virtual Air Rights and Virtual Copyright Law
I was quoted in INC magazine’s article Using Augmented Reality to Market Your Business back in April about a concept I coined called, Virtual Air Rights (VARs):
The simulated space in which the technology (AR) operates…could yield limitless opportunities for virtual ads…Think invisible billboards in Times Square that would become visible when tourists looked at the scene through the cameras in their phones. (INC)
I had been thinking about this concept for a while when I read the ReadWriteWeb article, Google Plans to Upgrade Old Billboards in Street View. It described the patent that was granted allowing Google to put its advertising program from its “Maps” format to the “Street View” format. Meaning, when you look at maps via any augmented reality application, the ads you’d see on your mobile phone (when looking through your camera view) won’t necessarily be the ads that literally exist in the real world. So if you’re in front of a bus stop in real life and see an ad for Pepsi, the AR view via Street Maps may show you an ad for Coke.
The idea is also being leveraged by Microsoft. This video showing Bing Augmented Reality maps (from Photosynth creator Blaise Aguera) is stunning in the 3-D realism portrayed by tech that lets you feel like you literally are walking through the streets of Seattle versus engaging with any other map you’ve ever experienced before.
So simply picture an ad in this view being whatever Microsoft wants it to be vs. what your naked eye sees . In this scenario, The “Virtual Air Rights” for those ads belong to Microsft. So when we start walking around with Augmented Reality Goggles to view the world these types of applications will become the norm and the concept of VARs will be literally in your face.