Many countries have imposed lockdown procedures that have forced people to stay in their homes and close stores, which inevitably reduced engagement with consumers. As the summer approaches, some of the social confinement of COVID-19 will hopefully come to an end soon. As a result, people are eager to spend time out of their homes more than ever.
If you are a marketer or a business owner who is looking for new ways to attract your audiences’ attention and entertain them throughout their buying journey, you need to consider holograms in your upcoming advertising campaigns this year. Many brands nowadays are taking advantage of 3D holograms to raise awareness, reach more consumers, generate sales, and strengthen relationships with their customers.
But first things first, let’s have a brief look at the history of the hologram and give credit to the geniuses behind this invention.
“You cannot predict the future, but you can create it”
– Scientist Dennis Gabor stated in his book “Inventing the Future”.
The word Hologram is a combination of two Greek words where “holo” means “whole” and “gramma” means “message”. In 1948, holographic technology was first invented as experiments by Dennis Gabor, who is considered the father of holography for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1971. However, the holographic image quality was poor, small, and blurry and that was mainly because the device absorbed the light instead of projecting it. Later in the 1960s when the laser was developed, three scientists – Yuri Denisyuk, Emmett Leith, and Juris Upatnieks – achieved great progress in 3D visualization and made the first hologram of a three-dimensional object.
Their inventions were invaluable and the basis of numerous scientific and technological breakthroughs in different areas. Fast forward to decades later, the known holograms today have advanced drastically. They can be used in a wide array of arenas including, security applications, science fiction, advertising, medicine, education, retail, gaming, and many more.
Curious about how it works? Watch this video!
The Hologram is Conquering the World of OOH Advertising
According to Technavio, the use of digital holography technology in various sectors will be one of the major trends in the global holographic display market during 2018-2022. Digital holography technology is primarily used in the healthcare, advertising, media, financial, and education sectors. During the forecast period, this technology is expected to be extensively featured in sectors such as automotive, gaming, retail, and aerospace, and defense.
The Hologram Can Make a Difference in Your Advertising Endeavors
The hologram is being used in digital signages, billboards, brick-and-mortar front windows, retail stores, booths, exhibitions, and events. This kind of technology will definitely grab the attention of passersby and surprise them in a good way as it brings advertisements to life. Therefore, there is an increasing tendency to use this technology for advanced digital signage coupled with augmented reality technologies to engage consumers and provide them with interactive advertising and promotions.
Brands are not only able to better connect with their customers but also align themselves and tailor their approach to reach their target market in a more personalized way. Holographic Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising is considered a great asset to the brands’ experiential marketing efforts and is absolutely noticeable by passersby that they may do a double take. Some customers will even visit the place, especially for entertainment and to take pictures with the hologram.
Kill two birds with one stone by attracting customers, entertaining them, and letting word of mouth do its magic. What makes it even more significant, is the shareable experience that’s worthy of being passed from one person to another. People would tell their family and friends about their experience and that creates a buzz on social media about your brand. Consequently, it forces companies to connect and engage with their followers on social media platforms rather than focusing on collecting more of them.
Imagine walking down a shopping street and a talking hologram character pops up out of nowhere in front of you at an entrance of a store, asks you to come in, guides you through the process, and recommends offers – won’t you be intrigued to give it a shot? This technology is shifting the retail sector to a whole new level that will cause sales to skyrocket like never before.
For example, in the 2014 holiday shopping season, the Canadian retail chain, Harry Rosen, thought out of the box by displaying a human hologram named “Vincent” in their storefronts, with the ability to count individuals and analyze crowds to measure the level of interest and deliver the correct value proposition message.
The Hologram Can Add Value to Any Marketing Campaign
Technologists have been working on novel ways to enhance the features of holograms to make it more consumer-focused and to come up with more effective ways to utilize them in marketing and advertising. Holographic technology is highly beneficial and has many useful features like the eye-catching 3D visualization of the products. This gives a unique user experience in order to examine how the product would look or feel in the real world. Moreover, the interactivity offers the audience the chance to discover exciting graphics right before their eyes with responsive touch screens. Also, most hologram devices used for advertising are equipped with Wi-Fi features in order to make it easy to connect to the advertiser network and upload content efficiently. What’s worth mentioning is that they are smart, sleek portable devices that could be set up and installed effortlessly at trade shows, offices, retail stores, events, malls, and indoor or outdoor areas.
3D Holograms Give OOH Ads A Sci-fi Movie Experience
Digital Out-of-Home Ads
Mercedes-Benz created the world’s first outdoor holographic digital OOH ad in Berlin to raise awareness of the blind spots on driveways as they are a much-neglected area that claim hundreds of lives every year. The German auto manufacturer installed a billboard with a 360° holographic prism to promote its new E-class that’s equipped with an active blind spot assist.
DBS Bank, a multinational bank based in Singapore, used holographic digital OOH ads in its latest advertising campaign in Hong Kong to promote the new iWealth app. The bank deployed a holographic bus station in a luxury shopping district that featured visual characters portrayed by actor Louis Koo and actress Jessica Hsuan who wave at the pedestrians and explain the information of the bank’s new product.
Holograms for Events
In 2011, Mariah Carey performed a concert at the same time in 5 European cities including, Germany, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Poland, for a Christmas campaign by Deutsche Telekom. She came out in the form of a hologram which engaged and interacted with real dancers and live audiences.
WestJet created a Christmas miracle event called ‘To Give Or Receive’. Some families who were visiting a market in Toronto were invited to a life-size WestJet to take part in an extraordinary experience they would never forget. A holographic Santa was accompanied by actress Ebeniza Scrooge, asking the families to check a present for them under the Christmas tree and decide whether to donate it or take it.
Ralph Lauren presented its spring 2015 polo line for women as a 4D holographic runway show during the New York Fashion Week. “I really wanted to do something big for the new polo women’s brand — something set in the city — that felt modern. We returned to Central Park, a place I love, and captured the spirit of Polo with a truly innovative mix of fashion and technology” said Ralph Lauren.
Exhibitions
Hologram definitely makes the best first impression ads, adds value to your booth at exhibits, engages passersby, and educates consumers on your business in an extraordinary way. It also enhances your brand image and generates more business leads.
Digital Signage
An effective way to attract the attention of customers who pass your store, whether in malls or streets, is by displaying the logo of the brand in an engaging manner that catches the eyes.
In Retail
Ralph Lauren had a breathtaking artistic front window on Fifth Avenue in New York City using hologram technology that showcases their new sports line. The holographic ad represented athletes with different visual effects in action, representing Polo Sport’s core qualities of strength, speed, movement, and style.
The future
Researchers from the University of Sussex have invented the so-called ‘Multimodal Acoustic Trap Display’ using low-cost and commercially available materials – a pioneering device that works by using sound waves. The device exhibits interactive objects that can engage with the audience in a creative way, as they can hear it, touch it, and even feel it. The process is done by ultrasound speakers that produce sound waves, LED lighting, and a 2-millimeter bead. The ultrasound is a mechanical wave that carries energy through the air that allows the device to generate acoustic noise as well as physical sense. The sound wave keeps the bead held in midair by manipulating its position and making it vibrate to produce different sound waves that give it the ability to talk!
Mind-blowing, right?
Mordor Intelligence released a report about the holographic display market, expecting it to grow at a CAGR of 27.3% over the forecast period (2021 – 2026). The holographic display market may witness a sharp increase over the next few years, especially in developed nations such as the United States, with help from various industry players. The goal is to augment the regional demand, which is subject to extensive product applications in automotive, healthcare research, and medical imaging.
This opens up a ton of opportunities in the upcoming years for marketers to have a competitive advantage and outrank their competitors by adopting this tech in creative ways. It will cater to the customers’ needs through a more tailored, personalized, and engaging message – giving them the chance to live an unforgettable experience.
Conclusion
The world is stuffed with static billboards that overwhelm and interrupt consumers. They are fed up with being bombarded with daily social media ads thus, making it hard for brands to grab their target market’s attention.
Hologram is inventive in the advertising field and plays a great role when it comes to intriguing consumers in an unexpected way. It has many features that can enhance the customers’ experience and their engagement, which ultimately increases brand awareness, and word of mouth, and drives more sales.
Some brands have already taken the lead, invested in technology-driven approaches, and stood out from the crowd in order to interact with the audience, who are eager and ready for different and creative ways to interact with the physical world more than ever before in a more personalized way.
In the very near future, holograms will become inevitable and a cornerstone in the media, marketing, and advertising world.
