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Business and Marketing Implications of Google Glasses Marketing 7546 Trend Assessment Justin Stroupe

Google glasses trend assessment

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Page 1: Google glasses trend assessment

Business and Marketing

Implications of Google Glasses

Marketing 7546 – Trend Assessment

Justin Stroupe

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Augmented Reality in the Blink of an Eye

It doesn’t seem so long ago when cell phones still had a green screen and had monotone digital ringtones. Then they slowly (or quickly depending on how you look at it) evolved into powerful data packed computers that monopolize our lives. One of the most powerful features of modern smart phones is the ability to deliver information on the user’s geographical environment using augmented reality. Now this same technology is coming to your face in the form of Google Glasses.

Google has teamed up with Android to develop the new glasses that are scheduled to enter the market in late 2012. “We’ll apparently pay between $250 and $600 for glasses with one computerized lens, PCWorld’s Daniel Ionescu noted earlier Wednesday. The lens will be a contextual heads-up display (HUD) that can tell you, for instance, how far you are from your destination”1 says Damon Brown with PCWorld. “Like Android phones, these goggles will be licensed to third-party companies and will use a 3G or 4G connection to download data. And how will you control the menus? By nodding and bobbing your head.”1

The heads up display on the Google Glasses works by using augmented reality. Also known as AR, augmented reality is simply a computer generated image placed on real world background. According to Kevin Bonsner with How Stuff Works “Augmented reality adds graphics, sounds, haptic feedback and smell to the natural world as it exists. Both video games and cell phones are driving the development of augmented reality. Everyone from tourists, to soldiers, to someone looking for the closest subway stop can now benefit from the ability to place computer-generated graphics in their field of vision.”2 Google Glasses are not being designed for constant use, but more as an application based technology that is only used when needed; much like our cell phones.

Although little is known about what the glasses will look like, Google recently released an image of what the glasses may look like below.

Rumors are the glasses will hit the market in late 2012, but Google has kept the development of this technology “hush-hush.” According to NPR’s website “There have been rumors for months that Google's secretive X Lab in Mountain View was hard at work developing goggles or glasses that would bear the Google name.”3 However, they are not sure how the market will accept the new technology. According to 9to5google.com,

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“Google is apparently unsure if it will have mass-market appeal. Therefore, the company is considering making this a pilot program.”4

Current Applications of Google Glasses and Augmented Reality

Google Glasses have not hit the market, and similar products have not been developed. Therefore to understand the current application of this technology, we will need to focus on the current uses of the technology used by Google Glasses which is augmented reality. The early users of augmented reality have been television and most recently smart phones. In both cases, the technology is used to place emphasis on important information, or allow users to see things in a new way.

One of the most prevalent uses of augmented reality has been in television broadcasting, and more specifically sports broadcasting. Nearly all mainstream sports have began using the technology to make the broadcasts more interactive, and it is has been driven by a company called SportsVision. The NFL has made good use of AR by using it to display the location of the first down line with a yellow line. Craig Smith explains in his blog that “the yellow line that runs across the field doesn’t actually exist. It is a computer-generated image that interacts with on-field markers to give you the sense that you are viewing a line on the field that moves every time a first down is achieved.”5 Like the NFL, Major League Baseball telecasts in recent seasons have included the use augmented reality to enhance the viewing experience by using it to show viewers the strike zone or “K-Zone,” and the flight of the pitch. The NHL also used AR briefly to help viewers find the puck by giving them the impression that it was glowing. Golf telecasts have used the technology to add a tracer to shots enabling the viewer to see the ball flight, giving them a better understanding of how players are hitting shots. Other sports such as track and field, swimming, soccer, and even horse racing have also used the technology to enhance their telecasts. While sports telecasts have used augmented reality to improve “viewability,” some have used it for advertising purposes as well.

The NFL, MLB, Hockey and Soccer have all started using the technology for advertising purposes. SportsVision has been a leader in this technology, using augmented reality to display advertisement on the boards at hockey games, behind home plate at baseball games, and on the field at football games. “Marketers always want to put their brand close to the action, but Sportvision can put them into the game — literally. Virtual advertising is executed during game play when viewership is at its peak and fans are sharply focused on the game. A pitcher never sees the virtual image behind home plate when he's peering in at a hitter, but millions of fans at home do.”6 The picture to the right illustrates what SportsVision is doing. Notice the Taco Bell advertisement behind home plate. That is visible to viewers at home, but not to the pitcher or players on the field.

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Another example of what SportsVision is doing is evident at NHL games. They use augmented reality to display the Toyota advertisement on the glass behind the goal. This is not visible in the arena, as it would obstruct the view of spectators, but it is visible to those viewing the game on television. The use of augmented reality for advertising is not just prevalent in sports.

App designers have seen the marketability of this technology, and have capitalized on it as well. Le Bar Guide is an app that uses augmented reality to help bar hoppers find local establishments. “As with similar location-based AR apps, Le Bar (that’s French for bar, by the way) Guide will assist you in finding the nearest watering hole, give you ratings and then even point you to a taxi within stumbling distance.”7 There are similar apps that use AR to help users find and rate restaurants which work very much like Le Bar Guide.

So how do the current uses of augmented reality tie in to Google Glasses? The Google Glasses can capitalize on all of these current uses and more. The difference is, they will now be located right in front of your eyes rather than in your phone.

One key industry that could benefit from this is tourism, and navigation which both share a similar interest. First, tourists can use Google Glasses to locate hotel rooms. The glasses can give possible customers the ability to look at a hotel and see room availability right away along with reviews from others. They may even be able to pull up images of the

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rooms and their prices. One other area that could benefit is navigation, both on foot and by car. Walking tours could benefit from this technology, as patrons can be guided by the glasses, which can be orchestrated by tourist organizations or by locals who upload popular routes. It could also help by locating popular restaurants, and locals could upload reviews of those restaurants. Automotive navigation could be a potential market for the glasses as well. Wallit is another example of how a company is using augmented reality at specific locations to bring people together. “It lets users check in at particular locations and leave messages for others; but also has the added bonus of letting users add augmented reality-style photos to get their points across more visually.”8 This application can be implemented directly into the Google Glasses format and will benefit greatly from it.

The sports industry could also benefit tremendously from the development of Google Glasses. At this time, the only viewers of sporting events that can benefit from augmented reality are the ones watching on TV. Google Glasses will change that. Now spectators at the sporting event can benefit from this technology as well.

Sporting events that can instantly benefit from Google Glasses are The NFL and NASCAR. Currently they both use AR to enhance the “viewability” for fans at home, but fans at the events can benefit from AR first down markers and the ability to recognize drivers and current data as well.

Advertisers at sporting events can use the technology in Google Glasses to reach both viewers at home and fans at the game. As the viewers are using the glasses to improve their experience, advertisers can put advertisements into the field of view as well that are normally only visible to those at home.

Another industry that has utilized augmented reality and can benefit from Google Glasses is the golf industry. Amateur golfers already benefit from devices such as Sky Caddie which give real time yardages. Google Glasses can give golfers the ability to get real time yardages right in front of your eye, along with uploaded shot selection advice from course pro’s and other golfers.

The use of Google Glasses is not only beneficial in the sports and tourism industries, but in retail industries as well. As shoppers walk through the mall, they can use the glasses to

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find sales on clothing, or see what stores have to offer, and what others are saying about those stores and their current selection of apparel. As they walk past a manikin in a window, the glasses can tell the shopper the price of the outfit and what sizes and additional colors the store has in stock. Car lots could use the Google Glasses in a similar way. As shoppers walk around the lot, the glasses can display the mileage of cars and their prices and amenities. It could even link to Carfax to give shoppers a background on the cars. Car lots could even sort their cars so that the glasses could guide user’s right to a section that meets their specific criteria.

One final industry that can benefit from Google Glasses is the security issues. Social media

promotes the rapid movement of information, and that information could be used to

improve the safety of citizens. Google Glasses should have the technology to use facial

recognition, which could be used to ID fugitives, or other criminals, by receiving

information released through different media channels.

Business Implications of Google Glasses

Augmented reality, which is the interface of Google Glasses, is going to continue to grow

and will likely become an important tool used by consumers who want to find information

on companies. Conversely, marketers will need to utilize this technology to promote their

businesses, their products, and use its social networking capabilities to reach prospective

customers. It is also going to revolutionize the way people intermingle by giving them the

ability to find social networks within their field of view. As the technology behind Google

Glasses develops and ultimately catches own, it will shape the way businesses and

individuals look at the world around them (no pun intended).

As businesses begin to see its capabilities as a marketing and informational tool, Google

Glasses have the potential to have implications many industries. John Lynch, with Search

Engine Watch says that it will have tremendous marketing benefits in a few key areas. The

first is the popularity of daily deal promotions. “Google HUD might finally give the search

giant a meaningful mechanism to compete in the daily deals market. If Groupon’s IPO has

taught us one thing, it’s that the daily deal market isn’t nearly as easy to replicate as

previously assumed by business analysts. Imagine the power of being able to subtly offer

daily deal specials to users as they walk down a street. This would offer advertisers a new

distribution method and likely increase the value of a daily deal impression.”9 One of the

key issues with daily deal websites is that we may not need the promotion at the time that

we receive it. However, if the deal pops up for a restaurant as you are walking by, the

timing may be better and the deal will seem more appealing.

According to Mr. Lynch, another way businesses can utilize Google Glasses is with

advertising. He states that “We all know that Google is saving search histories. If you’ve

expressed a previous search interest in yoga, it might be extremely helpful to be notified of

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a yoga studio near your home or office as you walk by.”9 In advertising, there is a term for

cluttered, unclear advertising. That term is

“noise” and it makes it difficult for consumers to

distinguish between different advertisements as

you can see in the example to the right. This

problem is especially prevalent in high traffic

retail areas where many advertisements can be

layered on top of each other. This makes it

difficult for consumers to find relevant

advertising because it can be drowned out due

to all of the clutter.

Some areas even limit the amount of advertising

retail stores can do, as it can reduce the aesthetic

nature of the street. Google Glasses may serve as

a solution to this problem by helping the user sift

through the clutter and find exactly what they are

looking for. Or allow retailers to advertise more

prevalently in areas where it is regulated. This

could also include reviews uploaded by other

users for specific businesses as well, which will

have a big impact on how people shop.

There are some drawbacks that could impact the popularity of Google Glasses. The first

involves the glasses themselves. Sunglasses are considered a fashionable accessory, and

have often added a “coolness factor” to the person wearing them. John Lynch goes on to

say “that they must look incredibly cool or risk getting tossed into the trash heap of

technology products that are technologically advanced, but ultimately get rejected by a

mass audience for superficial aesthetic reasons.”9

Another challenge that could arise is the user friendliness

of the glasses. As with any technology; there will be a

learning curve associated with Google Glasses. Some

predict the glasses will not be operated by hands, but by

the head movements of the user. If this is the case, it will

likely take a lot of practice from users to get fully

comfortable using the glasses.

There are also concerns about the security risk of having an inconspicuous camera. Having

the camera pointed in a way where people may not recognize it, opens up the opportunity

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for snooping. This could put customer banking information and other sensitive materials

at risk.

Like any revolutionary technology, Google Glasses are going to change the way we shop,

play, and ultimately coexist. Businesses are going to recognize its potential and utilize it to

market their products in a new way, utilizing the promotional potential of the glasses.

Spectators may one day utilize this technology to improve their viewing experience at

sporting events. Marketers may then use the technology to add AR advertisements at

sporting events specifically for those spectators. Google Glasses may serve as a potential

launching pad for current augmented reality apps like Wallit which use social media in

public places to allow users to communicate with each other. They will have to overcome

the physical and social challenges that are associated with being a technological pioneer;

however, once the technology gets legs, it will take off and completely change the way we

see the world around us.

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Works Cited

1. Brown, D.. "Google glasses are a prescription for disaster." PCWorld.com. N.p., 2012. Web.

1 Apr 2012.

<http://www.pcworld.com/article/250507/google_glasses_are_a_prescription_for_disaste

r.html>.

2. Bonsor Kevin, . "How augmented reality works." Howstuffworks.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr

2012. <http://www.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality.htm>.

3. Henn, S.. "Google Goggles: Is The Future Right Before Our Eyes?." Npr.org. N.p., 2012.

Web. 1 Apr 2012.

4. "Hud google glasses are real and they are coming soon." 9to5google.com. N.p., 2012. Web. 1

Apr 2012. <http://9to5google.com/2012/02/06/hud-google-glasses-are-real-and-they-are-

coming-soon/>.

5. Smith, Craig. "Augmented Reality: Bringing 3D Virtual Reality to Real World Marketing

Campaigns." What we're talking about. Wedu.com, 20 03

6. "Virtual Advertisements." Sportsvision.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr 2012.

<http://www.sportvision.com/base-virtual-ads.html>. Image citation as well.

7. Elliot, A.. "10 amazing augmented reality iphone apps." Mashable.com. N.p., 2009. Web. 1

Apr 2012. <http://mashable.com/2009/12/05/augmented-reality-iphone/>. Image citation

as well.

8. Lunden, Ingrid. "With $1.2M Of Seed Funding, A SoMoLo App For Augmented Reality

Fans: Wallit." Techcrunch.com. N.p., 3/6/2012. Web. 1 Apr 2012.

<http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/06/with-1-2m-of-seed-funding-a-somolo-app-for-

augmented-reality-fans-wallit/>. Image citation as well.

9. Lynch, J.. "Google hud glasses: Possible features & implications for marketers."

Searchenginewatch.com. N.p., 2012. Web. 1 Apr 2012.

<http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2154712/Google-HUD-Glasses-Possible-Features-

Implications-for-Marketers>.

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10. N.d. Image. http://www.augmentedplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/bionic-eye4-420-

90.jpg