brand-e

By Simon Fuller. Augmented iPhone. More brands – and their fans – are set to get a piece of augmented reality action, thanks to a new AR engine from UK-based mobile tech outfit Yuza Mobile. SKAN – Private Label, for the iPhone, combines cutting-edge augmented reality with a content management system to enable brands to quickly get involved on the AR app scene. Though not at ridiculous prices.
“I think the benefit of SKAN is that it offers an affordable route into the AR space,” says Richard Skaife, CEO at Yuza. “It’s a way of unlocking access to info.”
What these apps can do really depends on the needs of the individual brand – and its consumers. For example, a hotel might want to put SKAN to good use by letting guests know just what attractions and offers are around in the local area, providing a handy service to their guests, and improving consumer relations in the process.
And music festival organisers might use it to give gig-goers directions around the festival site, or to allow them access to virtual message boards. And Yuza’s image recognition tech can take the experience further, enabling iPhone users to SKAN their new favourite bands and check out everything related to them on the Net.
Yuza says the SKAN engine is pretty flexible, with various modules available including the abovementioned image recognition, as well as features such as location tagging.
“It’s customisable, in terms of the features set, the icons, the menu – so hotel guests will have different apps from [consumers] at a festival,” explains Skaife. “For example at a festival, we’re integrated with iTunes music, so people can access [the music of a] band they’ve just seen direct from the icon. The user interface will differ on different partner’s platforms.
“[Brands may be] looking at it as a free app, or at the monetary value,” continues Skaife. “Festival organisers might use [an app] for its revenue potential, increasing the festival experience… in terms of info, [for example] directions, info that’ll make life easier for people at a festival. What’s fundamental is the unlocking of info. AR is about [that] extra level of information that can be given, and that’ll differ [from brand to brand].”