Takes Two to Tango - What Does the Google Tango Mean for the Ad Industry?

“Video calls, online shopping and dating, even education and travel might all be things that could be changed beyond recognitionwith good 3D virtual reality” (Turnbull, 2014).

The VR industry hasn't exactly boomed as initially expected. No hard sales numbers have been provided yet, and likely this is for a reason. However, it is speculated that the Oculus Rift that was initially expected to lead the revolution in the virtual reality industry has sold mere 165,000 units (http://www.pcworld.com/article/3156648/consumer-electronics/epic-founder-claims-htc-vive-is-outselling-the-oculus-rift-two-to-one.html).  In the meanwhile, Google's Daydream View VR is experiencing overheating issues (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/11/11/googles_new_vr_daydream_view_is_crippling_its_phones/). In short, the VR boom has not happened nearly one and half years since the release of the Samsung Gear VR and nine months after the release of the much expected Oculus Rift. For all of the enthusiasm and excitement, the industry might mimic the pattern of the similarly hyped 3D printing industry several years that is currently reduced to a niche. However, there is hope.

Welcome to Google Tango

In August 2016, Lenovo launched the Phab 2 Pro, their first phone with augmented Google's Augmented Reality technology called Google Tango. The Google Tango is a platform developed by a team of developers that also worked on Microsoft Kinect. The Google Tango allows for the users to use their phone's smartphone camera to interpolate virtual objects in the actual world that they could interact with. Google Tango opens up plenty of opportunities for mobile advertisers to place clever and unobtrusive ads. For instance, if a person is exploring a fridge with Google Tango, the augment reality (AR) system would allow brands to display their products on a user's fridge. Your yogurt might look really appetizing there.

Then There's the Microsoft Hololens

Currently in a Development Edition version, the Microsoft Hololens is a device that would take Augmented Reality to a whole another level by interpolating actual holograms in the real world. Unlike the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, Microsoft Holelens is a standalone computing device that runs WIndows 10. The initial reviews have been overwhelmingly positive but they pinpoint to a limited field of vision issue. This would allow advertisers to involve people physically with brands and events. Through hologram videoconferencing, a lot of promotional events can be carried out. Would you like to advertise your holiday cruise, take people directly to the ship and make them trying to grab and "touch" the dolphins and the whales. This needs to be done in manner that is cognizant and respectful of individual's preference and privacy.

While the virtual reality industry has not boomed as initially expected and the initial products have not been a success, hope might be coming in the form of a new wave of augmented reality (AR) devices. Whether or not advertisers would jump the bandwagon is not the question, they always do. The bigger question is whether ads would flood these devices and be viewed by the users as an obstruction or if they would enhance and make the experience more engaging without intruding the users' privacy.