digital advertising Archives - MIU Your Creative Digital Agency

July 6, 2023August 30, 2023

Dress To Impress With AR and VR In Fashion Branding

Fashion is sophisticated and complicated, being at the forefront of creating trends and pushing boundaries to pursue beauty. Many praise the fashion industry for innovation and criticize its ethical standards.

You’re familiar with these challenges if you’re running a fashion business. But could AR and VR in fashion bring your business’s sustainability to the next level?

We say yes!

Contemporary fashion thrives on innovation and technology, and industry professionals like yourself know that technology is constantly changing. According to the Consumer Market Outlook, the lucrative fashion industry fetched around 1.46 trillion USD in 2020. To maintain this revenue, fashion brands must innovate.

So, what’s the next big thing in fashion tech? Experts have said it’s augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Using AR and VR in fashion sounds far-fetched, but the market already uses them.

We’ll show you a few splendid examples for inspiration here, so stick with us till the end!

How Do AR and VR In Fashion Work, Anyway?

If you’re reading this article and wondering what AR and VR are, here’s a summary. AR and VR are the technologies used to create alternative or enhanced digital reality. It includes adding digital elements to real world backgrounds (AR) or immersing customers in entire virtual worlds (VR).

More specifically, AR enhances the physical world by enhancing sight and sound. It highlights specific real world features or overlays digital elements on them.

Viewers can access AR technology on their smartphones through an AR app.

VR is a complete simulation experience in a digital world created from scratch. It introduces viewers to an all-rounded computer-generated artificial environment with interactive elements.

Users can see, hear, and interact with the virtual environment in real time. They use a virtual reality headset to engage with the VR world.

AR is generally more widely used than VR because of its high accessibility on smartphones.

But both AR and VR in fashion provide a unique and memorable customer experience for your brand. They enhance the shopping experience with awe-inspiring graphics and keep your customers engaged.

So why do AR and VR matter in fashion retail?

Fashion retail is going ‘phygital’; more customers interact with retail brands using a hybrid of physical and digital mediums. AR and VR help to bridge the gap between both forms. They offer virtual fashion experiences just as good as physical brand interaction.

AR and VR technology used in the market are changing how customers interact with brands.

3 Ways AR and VR In Fashion Will Impact The Retail Industry

1. Improved Sustainability

The fashion industry has faced criticism for its unsustainable practices and wasteful consumption. But not all is bleak because AR and VR in fashion could be the key to positive change for many fashion businesses.

Augmented reality in fashion industries helps reduce unnecessary product shipping. Customers can try products on before they buy them, reducing impulse purchases.

Globally, there will be less production and consumption of fashion products, decreasing the number of wasted apparel and resources. It’s better for the environment and a step in the right direction for fashion businesses.

2. Reduced Costs

AR and VR reduce unnecessary shipping costs so that you can save on freight charges. It also decreases spending on traditional advertisements like print and television because you can market online.

With AR and VR, you can take advantage of free social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. Use social media to host your AR technology and reach out to more customers at a much lower cost.

3. Increased Sales

Customers are more likely to purchase something when they know what they want. On traditional online shopping platforms, customers can only see 2D product images. They need help to visualize what the actual product looks like realistically.

With AR and VR, they can see and interact with a life-sized version of the product. Instead of estimating the color and size of a garment online, they can try it accurately with AR filters. AR and VR experiences give customers more accurate product information to make better decisions.

Using AR product marketing on e-commerce websites and social media platforms for luxury brands will significantly boost sales.

Nearly 80% of Burberry’s purchases in China happen on mobile devices. Experts predict that around 80% of luxury goods purchases will occur online by 2025.

So, the market for AR and VR in fashion is growing and has excellent potential for many fashion brands.

Augmented reality technology is also excellent for online retailers without physical stores. If you have an online business, customers can’t view your products in an actual store. They can use AR filters as a substitute dressing room to virtually try on your clothes before buying them.

Cool! Now Show Me Some Real-Life Examples Of AR and VR In Fashion

These are some of the most innovative uses of AR and VR in fashion. Take notes from these luxury brands to use their strategies for your business too!

Try Before You Buy

Computer-generated 3D imagery has come a long way since VR’s early days. Modern 3D virtual models are more advanced and look like actual products. It’s because AR and VR digitally simulate hyper-realistic colors and textures of clothing on virtual models.

Customers can virtually apply clothes on AR human models to see how it looks on a human body. Interestingly, they can even customize the human model to look like them. It’s one of the most convenient benefits of using augmented reality technology in fashion.

For instance, Gucci collaborated with Snapchat in 2020 to create a ‘try-on’ feature for shoes. Users could overlay AR shoes on their feet using the Snapchat application. Customers were able to try the shoes without going to the shop. They could buy the product if they liked the shoes in the filter.

ASOS also launched a 2020 AR feature on their app that allowed customers to try clothes on different body sizes. The application offered sixteen animated models of varying skin tones and body sizes. Customers could even test the outfits and human models in realistic outdoor environments.

You can launch small-scale AR filters to showcase your products on a social media platform. Users will have fun trying the clothing filters, and it’s excellent publicity for your brand too!

You can even create virtual fitting rooms offering a head-to-toe makeover for users’ virtual avatars.

Interactive Navigation And Display Screens

Earlier, we mentioned that fashion retail is becoming ‘phygital’, so remember to care for customers at your physical stores too.

Use AR and VR to improve your customer experience at the physical shop. Technology can track the shopper’s location in the store. When they access an AR app on their phone, it shows them a live navigation map. It’s helpful for customers visiting your shop for the first time.

Renowned fashion brands like H&M and Zara also use AR display screens to enhance customers’ shopping experience.

Some display screens include virtual fitting rooms, mirrors with 3D avatars, and touchscreen outfit selection. It attracts attention and enhances customer interaction with the brand.

FashTech To Expand Your Brand Experience

FashTech sounds like a big fancy word, but it simply means ‘fashion technology.’ It includes using AR and VR in fashion to expand customers’ brand experiences.

Use FashTech to expose your customers to more content from your brand. Big-label fashion brands like Coach use FashTech VR to give customers exclusive access to fashion show footage. The luxury brand installed virtual reality headsets in its stores. These headsets allowed consumers to browse looks from their latest runway events.

Fashion week runway shows are only available for a limited audience. But with VR technology, they’re made more accessible to everyone.

Customers experience a different aspect of your brand when you use VR. They can buy limited-edition products and even personally experience events in which your business participates.

You can use VR to give customers exclusive access to fashion week shows, limited-edition brand collaborations, and photoshoots.

Interestingly, VR allows you to build alternate fantasy worlds to complement different fashion themes. You’ll save production costs of renting a physical photoshoot location because you can create it virtually.

How about a virtual runway in a virtual showroom? Bring your customers to digital fashion shows without losing any of the real-life glitz and glamor.

A VR showroom lets your customers experience the feeling of walking down a runway, elevating the fashion experience. Isn’t that a grand idea for fashion week events?

AR and VR will revolutionize the fashion shopping experience for brands globally. Smaller fashion businesses can take inspiration from luxury brands’ strategies and launch mini AR and VR campaigns.

So, implement AR and VR in fashion marketing to elevate your customers’ experience of your brand and products. Dress them to impress, and you’ll also dress them for success!

Also read: How AR and VR are Transforming the Future of Businesses

July 1, 2021July 29, 2021

How Will The Apple iOS 14 IDFA Update Impact Advertisers?

Someone is watching you. No, there’s someone other than your guiding angels. Data on your smartphone or content in it is not restricted to you, and you knew this before you started reading this blog. Didn’t you?

User activities on smartphones and other intelligent devices are tracked. There is nothing new about it. What may interest you is the most talked-about Apple update that rolled out a few months back. Once updated to the iOS 14.5 version, the iOS users will have complete control over who sees what or if they can see anything at all. The users can block the IDFA identifier at the app after downloading it from the App Store.

An identifier for advertisers or IDFA is a typical detector for smartphones. It is an extensively used tool for targeting individual smartphone users and measuring an advertisement’s effectiveness. Over the years, it has been an excellent strategy for different companies who want to push their products or services to a targeted group of customers. Unfortunately, this has been happening at the cost of an individual’s data privacy. The iOS 14 update frees Apple phone users from this compulsion and reinstates data privacy.

Data Privacy – A Rising Concern

It may sound like whining a conservative mind, but that doesn’t negate the threats to the data privacy breach. Data is the new oil, and the world is after your data. Your information feeds the marketing and branding strategies of businesses. Hackers and other cybercriminals are after it to steal money from your savings and cause unknown harm for benefitting their interests. Therefore, you need to protect your data from being accessed by unwanted and anonymous sources. Apple has aptly addressed this concern through their iOS 14 updates.

Data privacy, explained in simple terms, is your right to be left alone with your data. However, the internet and related services usage has left little to no scope for data privacy. This is why you need to check and ensure data privacy always.

One of the most important reasons to be concerned about data privacy is you never know when and how they will use it. The consequences can range from using them for running ad campaigns to stealing money and causing other personal attacks. So, this is why you cannot compromise with your data privacy. Prevention is better than cure, so you need to prevent attempts to such privacy breaches.

The Impact Of iOS 14 on Digital Advertising

Phenomenal growth and expansion of social media reach and influence over ordinary people paved a lucrative way for brands. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google, TikTok and others depended on user data to feed their campaigns. They track users, obtain data and use it for Facebook ads, Google ads and other ad campaigns. The iOS 14 update will impact advertisers in two major areas – one is in ad targeting, and the other is in ad measurement.

Impact on ad targeting

The prevailing system allowed brands to target their audiences at the device level. IDFA is a random number used to identify a specific advertisement. It used to track your activity on the apps you download either from the Play Store or the App Store. Every smartphone comes with a unique ID; Apple phones also have one each. We are talking about iOS update and their consequences, so that I will talk about iOS phones. So, advertisers could easily track your activities; know what you clicked, what you bought, what apps you have installed, what videos you watch and other few things. So, you see, there is no room for privacy. Based on the obtained information, they would classify you as an identified customer and target you for other digital advertising.

Apple took up this issue with the iOS 14 update and allowed the users exclusive right to block unwanted IDFAs. Thus, the Apple phones of individual customers who will disable sharing their IDFA will become inaccessible. The advertisers won’t be able to target them. The impact of iOS 14 on digital advertising is a critical limitation.

Impact on ad measurement

How an advertisement performs is crucial and decides its effectiveness. Besides ad targeting, different digital advertisements are tracked to know their performance. Advertisers track users to know about the campaign performance. After the iOS 14 update, users who have opted out of sharing their IDFAs will not be tracked. Their devices will become unreachable, and no data can be retrieved from there. Hence, it is pretty challenging to say how it will affect ad measurement.

Potential Alternatives To Dilute Limitations Built By The iOS 14.5 Update

While we hate being exposed to a data privacy breach, we cannot deny loving those timely updates and offers from our favourite brands. Can you deny that? It would be difficult for most of us to say that we don’t like it. However, you can explore the middle path. Here I am suggesting a few safe ways to enjoy the best from both situations.

You can turn off the unique identifier and take a chance by allowing app tracking transparency.
There are a good number of popular and verified apps that you can trust. However, I would suggest you not to trust them blindly. Keep an eye for the odds and change your settings as soon as possible.
Make up your mind to not get provoked by different digital advertisements. The advertisers cannot do much if you are not interested. So make sure to show your inclination to only the brands you trust.

Data privacy is your right, and Apple goes a step ahead in ensuring that for you. The iOS IDFA update’s impact on advertising further highlights the stance. However, you can always be a part of the custom audiences and restrict any unwanted usage of your data.

App developers across the globe are some of the busiest professionals because businesses are switching over to online selling and operation. You will have more tempting brands who would try to impress with their line of products or services. It’s fantastic to shop for your favourite brands in real-time and from the comfort of your home. However, make sure to keep up your data privacy.

October 22, 2020June 30, 2021

The Head to Toe of Video Marketing

Although video marketing is fairly new, the increasing global internet penetration rate has propelled this form of marketing into the spotlight. With the evolution of social media and the rise of accessible online tools, many businesses have quickly adopted this strategy into their marketing plan.

Video marketing explained

It is a known fact that videos attain more reach than images or text, making it very helpful for driving leads and sales. In fact, 72% of consumers prefer learning about a product or service through a video.

Let’s face it — stories sell. Videos provide more engaging content than images or text ever could. Many consumers are often too busy or lazy to read product descriptions or research on a service and would prefer to see your business in action. Videos do just that — they captivate even the laziest due to how easy it is to consume information in a video.

To meet this growing demand, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn have all become ‘video first’ and created new video-friendly placements like ‘live’ broadcasting, and ‘stories’. At the same time, the popularity of video-based platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, and Tik Tok have exploded and become staples of online video consumption. – Biteable

Video marketing goes beyond just creating and placing advertisements online. There are many types of videos you could do for your business. Some of the more notable ones include:

Product demos
Testimonials and reviews
Vlogs
Explainer videos
Tutorials
Behind-the-scenes
Live streams

Videos are great SEO material — YouTube is the most used website after Google, and that includes its search engines! They are an effective way to reach a massive audience due to their wide exposure and ease of sharing.

In fact, it is important to remember that 76% of consumers would share a branded video with their friends if it was entertaining. So create fun entertaining videos to encourage social shares. These can increase traffic to your site and generate revenue for your company. Don’t believe us? Check out Biteable’s summary of video statistics here.

Tips for creating a successful video marketing strategy

In order to plan a good video marketing strategy, there are a few factors you have to keep in mind. A good video marketing plan includes the steps we have listed down below but is not limited to them. Read through and see if you agree.

1. Establish your goals

The first step of any campaign should always be to determine what your goals are. Is your main concern to bring awareness to your brand and grow your audience? Videos are a good way to introduce yourself to the public and can be the start of a long-term relationship with your consumers.

If your goal is to increase brand awareness, your KPIs should focus more on total video views, shares, and view duration, rather than sales.

2. Define your audience

Before you can jump into crafting a video for your marketing campaign, you need to understand your audience. Who do you want to make the video for? Who are you trying to attract? More importantly, what are their interests and preferences? Without such information, your campaign can easily turn aimless.

3. Decide the content

Okay, so you have your goals and your target audience. What’s next?

Now, you can confidently decide what kind of content you want to put out and the type of video best suited for it. What is the message you want to get across? What sort of video would help you achieve that? Product demos, for example, would help in driving sales, so consider that if sales are your main target.

Always strive to keep your video entertaining yet educational, no matter the type. You need to keep your viewers engaged for your video marketing to be effective. Do remember to keep in mind the budget you need for this as well — which may depend on the type and reach of the campaign you want to run.

4. Consider which platform to use

Are you planning to upload your video onto YouTube? Or Instagram? Depending on your platform of choice, you might have to consider certain factors. For instance, video dimensions. Clearly, a vertical video would fit more appropriately if you were planning to post it to Instagram, particularly as a story or IGTV.

You would also need to keep in mind the video length. No one wants to watch a 10 minute-long explanation of your business on Twitter. Of course, even if you were to post it on YouTube or Facebook, data has highlighted to us that 2 minutes is the best length for optimal engagement.

Another important factor to consider is that 90% of consumers watch videos on their mobile, and that more than 50% of all videos are watched on devices. According to Google, smartphone users are twice as likely than TV viewers and 1.4 times more likely as desktop viewers to feel a sense of personal connection to brands whose video ads appear on their devices. Now isn’t that powerful?

5. Have a clear CTA

CTAs are an essential component of any marketing plot. Needless to say, there should always be a call-to-action at the end of your video. This tells consumers the next step you want them to take and nudges them to take action.

6. Have a good title and thumbnail

Unfortunately, first impressions will always play a part in any sort of information consumption. If neither your title nor your thumbnail stands out, consumers will most likely scroll past without registering it. Captivate attention with an interesting title and thumbnail!

You can even conduct A/B testing on your homepage with Google Analytics to determine which thumbnail or which title would work best. Alternatively, you can also conduct A/B testing on Facebook with their Facebook Ads Manager tool — if that is the platform you intend to use.

7. Track data and analytics

The last step, though not the least, is to measure how well your video is performing. This is where the fruit of your video marketing efforts lies. Observe metrics such as number of views, click-through rates, social shares and more.

Here’s an additional tip: since video marketing overlaps with content marketing, you can definitely make use of whatever videos you have on hand to generate more content! Include them in your articles, blog posts, and even email marketing campaigns. After all, statistics have shown that emails with videos can increase click rates by 300%.

Just like the statistics above shows, we know how big of a difference a video marketing campaign can make. At MIU, we take each of our marketing campaigns seriously and as our own. Whether we are dealing with video campaigns, email campaigns, or content marketing, you can find all of our services right here. Have any marketing needs? Let us know.

October 1, 2020October 5, 2023

The Ultimate Guide to Advertising in Singapore

The world of advertising may be a complicated one to navigate, particularly in an era where options abound. You might get overwhelmed with having to make advertising decisions for your company. What should you advertise? Where should you advertise? How should you advertise?

First and foremost, you should understand that advertising is not the same as marketing. In fact, it is merely a subset of the larger branch known as marketing. Where marketing involves a lot more research, advertising is in its most basic form the act of promoting your product or service directly to your consumers.

At its core, marketing is a lot more customer-oriented, often consisting of data and analytics, where consumer behaviour is observed. Advertising, on the other hand, tends to be more product-oriented and involves putting information collected during the marketing stage into practice.

Most Common Types of Advertising in Singapore

illustration of traditional marketing vs digital marketing options — Examples of the types of advertising that exists (Source: 99Designs)

There are many ways to advertise your product or service in Singapore. Depending on your targeted audience, budget, and the product or service you are advertising, you may consider various platforms to promote your business on. Here are some of the most accessible types of advertising in Singapore:

1. Print advertising

One of the earliest forms of advertising available, print advertising refers to any type of promotion done on paper, such as in newspapers or magazines. This category can also include brochures, flyers and leaflets that can be handed out to consumers.

2. Cable TV advertising

Cable TV was also an early form of advertising that arose in the 20th century with the advent of television. TV ads are commonplace in Singapore, often manifesting as commercials that play during programme breaks. A huge demographic of Singaporeans still watch TV, so this is a good alternative to print advertising.

3. Mobile advertising

We’ve all gotten one of those messages before (Source: Disruptive Advertising)

Another device you can tap into for advertisement purposes, besides cable TV, is mobile phones. Although usually only used by specific industries (e.g. banks, insurance companies), it is a pretty well-known form of advertisement. Surely, every one of us has at least gotten an advertising message once in our lives — unless you don’t own a mobile phone.

4. Digital advertising

An up-and-coming form of advertisement, digital advertising involves anything that is conducted via online platforms. The most well-known examples include Google ads, social media ads such as TikTok Ads, and even paid content marketing. The online market is a huge base you could tap into, and many companies have begun to undergo digital transformation. Having an online presence is now seen as a necessity.

5. Outdoor advertising

Best department Store in orchard road - Robinsons The Heeren, Singapore Traveller Reviews - Tripadvisor — Digital billboards such as the one at Robinsons are but one example (Source: The Hustle)

Beyond the aforementioned types of advertising, the last type of advertising you can find in Singapore are outdoor advertisements. They generally include billboards, bus stop ads, display ads on the MRT and other such signage. Often placed in high traffic locations, outdoor ads are a quick way to get your message out there and attract your intended audience. Government ads tend to employ this method as a way to efficiently educate the general public.

How to Launch a Successful Advertising Campaign in Singapore

As previously mentioned, advertising is merely a subset of marketing. In order to conduct an effective advertising campaign, it is important to employ other marketing strategies along with your advertising campaign.

To plan an effective marketing campaign, we recommend companies to seek creative agencies for their marketing services. It is not always easy to come up with an impactful ad — look at this NETS e-payment ad that suffered backlash for its ‘brownface’ controversy.

Avoid pun-ishment this New Year! (Source: AsiaOne)

Of course, it is also helpful to look at past cases of successful ads that were done. These ads by the Singapore Police Force have received much praise for their witty yet impactful content. One of the reasons why such ads worked for the SPF was because they understood their audience. Knowing that the majority of their online audience preferred humorous content, the SPF crafted their ads to appeal to them.

With our experience in advertising as a digital marketing agency, MIU is confident in our advertising campaign ideas. Our advertising plans are merely a small part of our marketing package — browse the services we offer for a deeper understanding of our company. If you believe that our working style aligns with your company’s, you can hit us up for a free recommendation! After all, who doesn’t like free stuff?

Tag: digital advertising