Wikitude Helps Brands Like Jack Daniels Conquer the Printing Industry

Augmented reality has trickled into the printing industry for a while and we have observed it spreading into new areas on our blog over the years. With constant new technologies and innovations this field is developing and expanding fast. Now brands like Jack Daniels, TUI and Ford have a new take on packaging by expanding the consumer’s visual experience through AR.

A New Approach with Wikitude

Wikitude, a startup company from Salzburg, developed a new AR software for mobile devices. It is the first application that is using a location-based approach and reads the scanned object’s position with the GPS and compass of the device to calculate the motion sensor. The image recognition and tracking allows for augmented content like videos, slideshows, sound, text, panoramas and even 3D animations. And many brands have already started to work with it.

The Wikitude SDK 8.0 only needs a 2D (printed) AR trigger, known as Image Targets, for the ImageTracker to analyse the live input and choose the right material from the Target Collection and show it to the consumers on their mobile devices. It is even possible to work with multiple image targets. Developers and corporations can start their own project easily by downloading the sample app and working on their ideas with the support of the Wikitude team.

Jack Daniels’ Virtual Storyboard

The whiskey brand Jack Daniels used the technology for an introduction into the history and development of the label. All that consumers need to access the material is to download the Jack Daniels app for iOs or Android and point the camera of their device at the printed label. Jack Daniels had the application developed by Tactic, a studio from San Francisco, who used Wikitude SDK 8.0 to create a vivid experience for their costumers with 3 dimensional pictures and animations.

Every willing consumer can now enter the world of Jack Daniels with 10 minutes of material from the manufacturing of the liquor to the distillery and the history of the company. All thanks to a printed label and the genius idea of bringing AR into the mix. The project was released to the US market in April 2019 and has entered the German distribution in August. Until now there have already been 30.000 installations.

TUI and Ford are Moving to Augmented Reality

Of course Jack Daniels is not the only company that ventures out into the world of AR. TUI has started a trial period for augmented excursions on Mallorca in January of 2019. Tourists were able to explore the cities and points of interest on the island individually with stereoscopic AR glasses. Everything that usually needed to be provided in a guided tour or a guidebook can be excessed on demand and appear right in front of the user’s eyes. The tour includes not only information but also photographs, videos and even 3D models.

Ford used the new technology to explore their vehicles with augmented reality. The concept is very similar to TUI’s approach: A costumer gets the chance to discover the highlights, the manual and experience the smart features of Ford cars on display in their Malaysian showroom. It also provides the prospective costumer with video material and facts not only on the car itself but also on additional information like the requirements for a test drive, a loan calculator and a dealer locator.

In the foreseeable future AR will prove itself to be an effective marketing device: mobile phones will be able to identify packaging flawlessly regardless of the phone’s software or scanned product without any additional application. Technological solutions are already on the market and in great demand.

We are excited to see what other AR projects are in the future of print and smart packaging. Do you know other examples of how AR is used in these sections?