So having made the case in the previous post for clarity in content and simplicity in presentation, it’s time to show that complex means of presentation can also be impactful and – yes – even fun…

Augmented reality (AR) is probably as complex as presentation can get – in case you haven’t come across it, AR involves laying ‘artificial’ information/graphics over images of the ‘real’ world. The first businesses using this technology to communicate a proposition are benefiting from buzz and excitement – and are finding some interesting ways to apply it.

Take GE, who are using AR to raise awareness of their Smart Grid proposition. They’ve created an application that builds a smart grid in your hands when you hold a printed symbol up to a webcam. There’s a video of someone playing with GE’s smart grid below, but their site gives the best illustration: http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/#/augmented_reality.

Right now, there are more examples of AR in B2C marketing – like BMW’s site for the Z4, which tied in to a recent series of TV ads and lets you drive a Z4 around your desk. But people are steadily finding business applications for the technology, as well as ways of making it work in the real world (as with the iPhone app below).