All of a sudden our new normal has become a completely virtual life.

IMVU launched 16 years ago amid the genesis of virtual social networks like The Sims and Second Life.  Through all this time, IMVU has grown and continued to attract new users as the platform has evolved.  Currently, it is the largest active avatar-based social network, but in the weeks since social isolation started, the platform has seen a spike in users upwards of 200% growth in registration and the number of daily active users is up 75% overall.

Social distancing does not mean social isolation.

At IMVU, experiencing a virtual life, world, and adventure is the way millions are able to have real human connections while they are stuck at home.  Here’s the thing: just because everyone is at home, it doesn’t mean that you have to be socially isolated. No way! You can still “get out there”, and by “out” we mean “into”, the IMVU virtual world and have a total blast with friends from all over the world who can totally relate and are looking to have a fun time too. All you have to do is join IMVU for free, create your 3D Avatar, and you’re ready to start socializing from the comfort of your home.

And you know what’s even cooler? When you join IMVU, you get 4,000 Credits for free. No other virtual world does that. And get this! You can use your Credits to customize your avatar to your liking or to anything else you can possibly imagine.

You’re in great company at IMVU

If you suddenly start thinking that you’re alone in all of this, keep in mind that IMVU is visited by more than 6 million people from around the world every month. So, chances are you’ll have quite a few options to choose from when it comes to making great connections. From virtual friends to virtual lovers and everything in between. Suddenly social distancing doesn’t seem too shabby, does it?  Look at all the fun we’re having.

Pajama Parties

Movie Night

Paint Party

Beach Party

Retro Dance Parties (the best!!!)

Take it from my friend @MyzTrie13G who recently shared how she’s using IMVU right now amidst social distancing:

Hello everyone … yes it is a difficult time we are facing … and not being able to get out in the real world … IMVU is and has been for me a place that I can go for enjoyment and interact with others … especially now, it’s ok when you can go out and don’t want to … but to actually be told that it’s wise not to … or be told not to go if you don’t have to … never thought this would happen but and things will never be the same again … never know what to expect next … but I believe God has it all in control … and things will get better in His time … we have to just trust in Him. thanks for letting me vent … God bless and keep you all!!

You can enjoy the IMVU virtual world experience on your desktop or online. It’s all up to you! Just download the apps here and get started now!

Discover IMVU’s virtual world now!

The post Social Distancing does not mean Social Isolation appeared first on Tech Trends.

Go on, admit it, we have all tried out socializing in an avatar-based digital world… No? Well? get with the program! It can be hilarious. For most people, their first experience was in Second Life but the options have grown and there are now a plethora of these virtual worlds out there offering online chat, banter and even companionship and dating. There is something hugely addictive about these digital playgrounds and I know I have enjoyed chatting up complete strangers, laughing together at our over the top digital outfits or absurd animal avatars and chuckling when snubbed (usually in broken English) by outrageously rude users. One such platform that is seeing rapid user adoption is IMVU where high-quality 3D graphics and super creative options make it stand out from the crowd.

Available for iOS, Android and desktop users and boasting over 50 million registered users and 10 million unique visitors a month IMVU is clearly one to watch. The platform is booming and celebrated it’s fifteen birthday in 2019. Take a look at the video below to see how the avatars and platform have evolved.

Available for iOS, Android and desktop users and boasting over 50 million registered users and 10 million unique visitors a month IMVU is clearly one to watch
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Users all get a personal homepage that is customizable with color themes, rearrangeable info panels, a personal blog where you can upload images and music and tell the world about yourself
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New users can sign up easily, create their avatar and jump into the action meeting and chatting with people in virtual rooms. Users all get a personal homepage that is customizable with color themes, rearrangeable info panels, a personal blog where you can upload images and music and tell the world about yourself. IMVU also offers animated stickers to let you express your moods and the search function makes it easy to look for new people to meet. Rather than speaking into a microphone to chat and hearing other user’s real voices reply, like you can in Second Life, IMVU features 3D Avatar Chat where typing makes chat bubbles appear over your avatar’s head. This is much more practical for users commuting on the train or quietly chatting while at work, naughty, naughty. These chat bubbles automatically resize based on how much you type. You can click on a balloon to copy the text, and then paste to add text to a bubble. You can even paste in clickable URLs. Also, by clicking on a bubble, you can drag it down to reveal your chat history. This is a familiar and practical interface for all smartphone users.

IMVU features 3D Avatar Chat where typing makes chat bubbles appear over your avatar's head
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More advanced and fun interactions are possible using Avatar Actions. You can easily express yourself with hundreds of Avatar Actions by clicking on your avatar to open the Actions Menu and select the animation you want to use or simply typing in the name of the action to trigger the animation. So typing LOL, wave, and even breakdance will make your avatar act it out! You can also shake hands, hug, hello, serenade, and even body slam your 3D avatars. Just click on the other person’s avatar and choose from the hundreds of fun animations.

Typing LOL, wave, and even breakdance will make your avatar act it out! You can also shake hands, hug, hello, serenade, and even body slam your 3D avatars
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For those looking to avoid the in-game adverts and for more than the basic functions and benefits within IMVU you can sign up for the VIP Club It’s actually pretty good value and looks to be very easy and rewarding. If this sounds like a good idea be sure to refer to the article How to Sign Up for VIP Club Membership for detailed instructions.

VIP Club Benefits:

Exclusive Status:

– No third-party ads
– A free special VIP badge
– Remove “Guest_” tag in front of your name for as long as you are a VIP
– A Free Name Change token after the first consecutive 3 months of membership
– VIP only avatar 3D actions
– Block unwanted avatar actions

Credits, Discounts and More:

– Free 5,000 credits a month
– 5% savings off everything in the IMVU virtual goods catalog
– 10% off badges

Special Privileges:

– Prioritized Customer Support
– Create up to 10 public rooms
– Create up to 10 groups
– Set your own custom room as default for Dress Up and Shopping
– Whisper privately in your chats

More than 43 million products are currently available, designed by more than 50,000 active Creators who upload over 5,000 new products to the IMVU shop every day
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Like many virtual world platforms, the more advanced user functions run on virtual currency. Credits are the currency in IMVU and what you use to buy items for your Avatar in the Catalog. You can buy Credits directly from the Catalog and you can also earn credits in a variety of ways including by becoming a VIP member. As you use IMVU, you will discover lots of ways to earn credits. You can also get credits when your friends sign up for IMVU and when they buy credits for themselves. With an exchange rate of $1 to 1000 Credits, IMVU’s virtual economy represents an inexpensive alternative to traditional shopping. All told more than 43 million products are currently available, designed by more than 50,000 active Creators who upload over 5,000 new products to the IMVU shop every day, from fresh takes on jeans and high-end wedding gowns to unicorns, lips that glitter, and eyes that shoot flames.

If you are serious about building yourself a personal space and new group of friends in IMVU then a VIP pass is a great idea as VIPs can create their own rooms and groups giving you more control over your social circle as well as getting free credits and discounts in the Catalogue to help you build your avatar into something that represents the real you!

Learn more about the VIP Club here and be sure to check out the IMVU News and Blog to see what the company and it’s users are doing to grow and develop the virtual world you are investing in.

If you are serious about building yourself a personal space and new group of friends in IMVU then a VIP pass is a great idea as you can create your own rooms and groups giving you more control over your social circle
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The platform supports a fascinating and diverse range of communities so you are sure to find yourself a group of likeminded new friends from among the 50 million-plus registered users
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The platform supports a fascinating and diverse range of communities so you are sure to find yourself a group of likeminded new friends from among the 50 million-plus registered users from around the world.

The post Get Past the Velvet Rope with VIP on IMVU appeared first on Tech Trends.

Big Data becomes the future of sport and entertainment as IoT takes us closer to the action.

Firstly, congratulations to Welshman Geraint Thomas! 2018 winner of the worlds most famous cycle race, the Tour de France. Only the third British rider to win and the first Welshman, Da Iawn!

This year’s Tour de France has been a bit of a revelation to me. I love watching boring sport on TV, a long weekend of Cycling, Snooker or Golf are pretty much my idea of heaven. Yawn, I hear you say but I love the tedium and the laconic, quietly humorous but aged commentators and I love the fact it takes patience, knowledge and insight to enjoy the intricacies and strategies behind long-form competition.

However, I am of a certain age and the 21st century sees a different kind of audience that demands more information at a faster rate and on new platforms beyond broadcast TV. Innovators in their field, Dimension Data invited Tech Trends to the 13th stage of the Tour this year to see how they are changing the way the Tour is covered and how their groundbreaking data gathering and digital storytelling is engaging a new audience for this 115-year-old race.

The 21st century sees a different kind of audience that demands more information at a faster rate and on new platforms beyond broadcast TV
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There’s a limit to how many TV cameras can follow 176 riders as they fly through the French countryside at an average speed around 25mph. TV is not great at picking out your favorite rider or team for more than a few fleeting seconds per stage while the commentary jumps around, desperately trying to highlight moments of interest in the constantly shifting patterns and tactics of the many race teams. It wasn’t until after the day’s racing that some of the facts and figures came out and could be studied and discussed and any real insight into the sport enjoyed. Well no more. The owners of the Tour, A.S.O. saw the need to revitalise and modernise the race and after partnering with Dimension Data in 2015 have not looked back.

The owners of the Tour, A.S.O. saw the need to revitalise and modernise the race and after partnering with Dimension Data in 2015
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Thanks to a small GPS transmitter under the saddle of every Tour competitor, getting involved in the race in real time, following individual riders and understanding the larger race as a whole, as it unfolds is now a reality – and boy has it made a difference! Pulling the Tour de France into the 21st century has been down to the incredible work of a dedicated team at Dimension Data who designed and manage the data gathering infrastructure and use machine learning and predictive analysis to share the intricacies and unique stories of the Tour with fans around the world.

CTO of Dimension Data Australia, Debra Bordignon explained the evolution of the partnership. Now in the forth year of the partnership, Dimension Data plays a major role in the technology behind the Tour de France experience. To put this into context, the first year of the relationship saw Dimension Data handle data analytics for the race. By the second year, it also took control of the sensors on each bike. This allowed each bike to seamlessly transmit data via the cloud to the race nerve centre – Dimension Data’s big data truck. From there it went live to an ecosystem of broadcasters and sports commentators as well as to a dedicated team of data experts responsible for producing data visualisations for the Tour’s social media channels. Last year Dimension Data brought some new technologies into the mix in the form of predictive analytics and machine learning which we used to predict likely stage results, adding deeper insight and colour to the race commentary with the ultimate goal of increasing the engagement of cycling fans.

A small GPS transmitter under the saddle of every Tour competitor lets spectators get involved in the race in real time, following individual riders and understanding the race as it unfolds
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In a nutshell the rider’s under saddle sensor gathers GPS data, transmits it via the existing broadcast TV network to a nearby helicopter which then passes it onto the Data Truck that is the beating heart of the system and from where Dimension Data communicate with their global teams, work their data magic and share the details and stories of the race with the fans via on-screen TV graphics, online platforms and most importantly, social media.

Photo Nicolas Dormont 2018

From the Big Data Truck, Dimension Data communicate with their global teams and share the details and stories of the race via on-screen TV graphics, online platforms and most importantly - social media
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Photo Nicolas Dormont 2018

Third party data, including 3D terrain maps and weather information, is mixed in to add context and better inform the fans about what is happening and what might happen in the near future. Predictive analysis has really taken off in 2018 as fans want to see what is happening right now and how it might affect the overall race.

We take historical data, such as past performances of individual riders and previous race outcomes, and combine that with live analysis of race stages. This allowes us to make predictions of race scenarios, such as whether the peloton is likely to catch the breakaway or not, Explained Data Scientist Rob Webster.

Third party data, including 3D terrain maps and weather information, is mixed in to add context and better inform the fans about what is happening and what might happen in the near future
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In 2017 the system proved to be more accurate than even Dimension Data’s experts anticipated. Over the 21 stages of the race, it knotched up over 70% accuracy for predicting the Top 5 riders
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In 2017 the system proved to be more accurate than even Dimension Data’s experts anticipated. Over the 21 stages of the race, it knotched up over 70% accuracy for predicting the Top 5 riders. However, the objective was not to create a perfect model for race predictions for a live sporting event (with crashes, injuries and good old mother Nature to contend with) that would be impossible and detract from the exciting and dynamic nature of the race. Concluded Bordignon

The speed at which they are able to transmit, analyse the data, interpret it and share the stories the data tell is a matter of seconds which is vital to fan engagement. These days, a younger audience expects the information they want in their hands now and Dimension Data has helped the A.S.O. engage a new generation of fans aged between 18 and 35 which now makes up 73% of the Tour de France’s 6.5 million-strong social media audience. Data is opening up the sport to a new demographic that will hopefully follow and support the race well into the future. This shift from TV dependent audiences to younger, digital-savvy fans is clear in the figures.

Traditional Broadcast TV

• Viewers per stage: 12M+

Digital Channels

• Online Video Views: 71M
• Unique Website Visits: 12.6M
• Online Race Centre Visits: 9.1M
• Social Followers: 6.5M
• App Downloads: 1.4M

During this year’s Tour, we’ll be crunching over 150 million data points, meaning fans will have access to an incredible amount of information about their favourite riders, teams, and stages. If the breakaway group during Stage 5 of the Tour is set to outpace the peloton, we’ll know about it, and so will Tour de France supporters across digital and broadcast, as data visuals flow seamlessly between all channels and platforms. Explained Peter Gray, Senior Director of the Sports Practice & Technology at Dimension Data

During this year’s Tour, we’ll be crunching over 150 million data points, meaning fans will have access to an incredible amount of information about their favourite riders, teams, and stages
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The success of the A.S.O.’s partnership with Dimension Data and the new ground they have broken in sporting data gathering has seen the launch of Team Dimension Data which now includes the UK’s most exciting rider, Mark Cavendish and with the advanced data solutions at their disposal guiding their training and strategy I wouldn’t bet against them doing very well in the next few years.

Photo Nicolas Dormont 2018

For sporting companies, sponsors and entertainment providers around the world, there is a lot to learn from the advances seen in the Tour over the last few years. Customers and fans want to consume content on their own terms, in their own time, and on their platform of choice. The days of drip-feeding your audience tantalising snippets of information in an attempt to keep them engaged for longer are long gone.

A lot of successful businesses know the importance of making their customers’ experience as easy and enjoyable as possible but companies will be left behind if they don’t understand and cleverly utilise their own datasets to better drive, predict and augment consumer engagement. Tech Trends can see the day when sport and entertainment are dominated by data and the video feed comes second to the advanced, visual delivery of information and story-rich real-time data.

Tech Trends can see the day where sport and entertainment are dominated by data and the video feed comes second to the advanced, visual delivery of information and story-rich real-time data
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For companies looking to leverage Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR Tech Trends offers a comprehensive range of Virtual Reality Consultancy Services.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post Transforming Sports and Entertainment with Data appeared first on Tech Trends.

Tech Trends takes a look at how technology will play a role in the 2017 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

One of the world’s toughest endurance races is about to kick off in La Gomera, part of the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain. Sponsored by Talisker Whisky more than 30 teams of adventurers from around the globe will try to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to the island of Antigua in the West Indies while not drowning, being eaten by sharks or going raving mad after spending 40-70 days stuck with the same sweaty teammates.

Tech is part of a modern adventurer's toolkit
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And as we’ve seen when we covered the F1-Level technology behind the America’s Cup race, tech can lend a hand in helping modern adventurers achieve their goals – in one piece. And when you are out on the open ocean you will be glad of any help you can get!

At first glance the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge conjures up images of whiskered sailors drifting at sea, rowing in shifts and hungrily eyeing up each other up (not in that way) but in the 21st century technology has made the race safer, the boats faster and more energy-efficient. It also ensures communications with home are more reliable, and that rations are nutritious enough to discourage cannibalism (THAT’s what I meant, get your mind out of the gutter). The whiskers, however, remain the same!

In 2017 technology has its part to play, making the race safer, the boats faster and more energy efficient
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More people have actually travelled into space, or climbed Mount Everest than have rowed the Atlantic
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The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge really is one of the toughest endurance challenges on the planet – more people have actually travelled into space, or climbed Mount Everest than have rowed the Atlantic so even with technology on your side you have to be prepared to endure tropical storms, sleep deprivation, cold, sweltering heat, giant squid and the psychological stresses of living and working in such an unpredictable environment.

Boats cannot take any repair, help or food and water during the crossing
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Angus Collins, a two-time race winner, has rowed over 15,000 nautical miles across three oceans
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Angus Collins, two-time race winner and ocean rowing record holder, has rowed over 15,000 nautical miles across three oceans, trekked through the heart of Papua New Guinea, raced a Tuk-Tuk across India, run ultra-marathons around the UK and along the way has picked up a number of world records. Adventure and endurance are his life. He also works at Rannoch Adventure, specialists in ocean rowing and high tech boat builders. Rannoch makes the vast majority of the boats used in the race this year.

“With Rannoch Adventure, we have worked with over 75% of the teams in the past 4 years (including this year). I have trained teams, run logistics and shipping, helped with refurbishing boats, built new boats, weather routing, race tactics etc. We are proud to say that we live for ocean rowing, it’s everything we do and it’s all we do!” Collins says. “The modern boats have been designed by myself and Charlie Pitcher who holds the solo record across the Atlantic, the two of us have been brought up on the water, with Charlie sailing in the Americas cup campaigns. We have taken everything we have learnt from all water sports and put it into ocean rowing. Our aim is to make the lightest, fastest and – most importantly – safest boats in the market, and to date, we have achieved this.”

Carbon Zerow, are aiming to be the first certified carbon neutral expedition to cross the Atlantic Ocean
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When you picture a boatload of men rowing across the ocean it might appear to be a pretty environmentally friendly endeavour. Muscle power over engine power and all that, but 2017 challenge team Carbon Zerow, are aiming to be the first certified carbon neutral expedition to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

When you picture a boatload of men rowing across the ocean it might appear to be an environmentally friendly endeavour
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In a boat loaded with tech, the batteries are vitally important. You need to keep them charged up and ensure that all systems that draw power do so as efficiently as possible, Collins explains.

Without power, the team has to hand steer the boat with no auto-helm, which means less rest for the rowers
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“The hardest part of rowing an ocean is managing power consumption. If a team runs their water maker for half an hour too long, then their batteries will drop dramatically and it can take days to build this power back up. I ensure that each team member has an update on an hourly basis on the power consumption. Without power, the team has to hand steer the boat as opposed to using an auto-helm, which means less rest for the rowers. We have 1 boat that has a new “roaming” solar panel, this means the team has a solar panel (74watts) that isn’t attached to the boat but can be placed in a number of positions to allow maximum sun angle. This solar panel has a built-in regulator so the whole device can be plugged straight into the batteries from the deck.”

Carbon Zerow wants to minimise their environmental impact by reducing their CO2 emissions where they can, and then offset the remaining CO2 emissions, that they can do nothing about, such as the emissions required to produce pieces of equipment and travel emissions from flying and driving. With team members based in the US, Scotland and London the team have partnered with The Carbon Trust and are already tracking their travel and overnight stays as well as opting to take public transport, purchasing used equipment where possible and even ditching red meat, poor men!

I was able to see any changes in the weather before the rest of the fleet which gave me a slight advantage
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The Internet is helping keep travel time down during training by communicating via Skype
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The Internet is helping keep travel time down during training by communicating via Skype but this has meant that they have only all got together to train once this year! Out on the ocean all boats are equipped at the race start, and cannot take any repair, help or food and water during the crossing so it is a very lonely couple of months with no resupply points but INMARSAT satellite technology will be in place to allow the teams to communicate with base.

“It used to be that teams would have an Iridium sat phone to communicate with people back at home,” Collins recalls. “This would be used to download and upload e-mails with weather information as well as daily blogs etc. I used an Inmarsat GBAN explorer 510 in 2016 and was able to download my own weather grib files. This meant I was no longer dependent on someone on land to route me, I was able to see any changes in the weather before the rest of the fleet which gave me a slight advantage. The second advantage to using the GBAN is being able to send videos back home, this helps teams with sponsorship and raising funds/awareness for their desired charities.”

This latest satellite tech will also keep them in touch with loved ones and they can Whatsapp pictures and video updates and speak to friends and family via sat phone too.

I have always been one to see how hard I can physically and mentally push myself
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Yet no matter how much tech you have access to you still have to have the will to endure the physical challenge and the drive to compete. And let’s be honest, watching robots rowing across the Atlantic would not be half as fun as seeing Angus and his teammates test the limits of technology and their bodies.

“Ocean rowing is such a fast-growing sport and each crossing I learn new things from others, so having beaten the race record, I knew it was possible to put new tactics into place with the aim to get the world record. I have always been one to push limits and see how hard I can physically and mentally push myself, and with the world record in sight, I wanted to make sure I was in the boat breaking the record over someone else.”

And thanks to technology, you can also follow their adventures with the Race Tracker on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge Website.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post Technology Helps Tough Guys Too appeared first on Tech Trends.

Brands are using immersive technologies to enhance user engagement and experience in interesting ways. We’ll drink to that! 

This is the age of experience, where consumers have come to expect more of everything. More engagement, more interaction and more effort from marketers. Traditional marketing methods such as poster campaigns on billboards or buses, TV advertising, embedded website ads and pre-play video clips like you see now on YouTube are decidedly outdated. These techniques only really work on a subliminal level, if that, because the truth is consumers have got very good at ignoring advertising. The game has changed to experience-based marketing, and that’s no bad thing

In the age of experience, consumers have come to expect much more of their favourite brands
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Immersive technologies such as Augmented Reality have the potential to break through those barriers by grabbing a consumer’s attention, engaging them directly and exclusively for minutes at a time, and giving them a rewarding and personalised experience with the brand.

AR has the advantage of being much more intuitive and frictionless than VR, as well as cheaper to produce, so it’s no wonder we’re seeing a lot of brands developing interesting content for it. The other thing that makes AR so attractive is that it’s mobile-based and consumers can easily engage with it on their own device in the palm of their hand, as opposed to having to deal with cables and HMDs, which are still cumbersome and still mostly tied to a particular venue. While VR can still have the effect of feeling isolating and shutting out the outside world, AR experiences are inherently social and shareable.

AR experiences are inherently social and shareable
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The intensely competitive drinks industry is at the forefront of AR marketing with big brands already reaping the benefits of this new technology. Big boys of the beer world Budweiser recently launched a very clever AR campaign. San Francisco-based digital agency Float Hybrid worked with sponsors Bud Light and select NFL teams to incorporate the feature into the NFL team apps. Watch the video below and read our review here.

Big brands already reaping the benefits of Augmented Reality Social Apps
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The Bud Light AR campaign was a triumph on multiple levels
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This Bud Light campaign was a triumph on multiple levels, it was literally frictionless as the AR app was embedded within the NFL’s team apps, which fans often already had downloaded to their devices. It was personal and social, using face-activated tech to put the fan directly into the experience and let them choose their preferred team colours and then share their experience straight to social media with the Budweiser branding embedded. This is a very elegant example of the power of AR to personally engage with your core customers and give them a memorable experience that they want to share.

London bar City Social launched a revolutionary AR cocktail menu this year called Mirage
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Upmarket London bar City Social is another example of the drinks industry successfully leveraging AR. Earlier this year they launched an Augmented Reality Cocktail Menu called Mirage, and last month I finally had a chance to try it out. The experience blew me away, and not just because of the strong – and expertly mixed – spirits on offer.

The Mirage experience blew me away, and not just because of the strong drink
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The Bar Manager Lukas Bulika walked me through the Mirage AR cocktail menu and explained how the AR experiences are activated on your mobile by the special coasters served with the drink of your choice. These coasters augment your tabletop into a range of creative animations that complement the style and ingredients of the specially conceived cocktails. Take a look at the video to see some of the inventive experiences on offer.

A range of creative animations complement the style and ingredients of each cocktail
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I got three cocktails into the menu and wanted to continue trying each different drink and its unique linked experience but at that point was a little too sozzled to be fair! They are rather strong tipples…

Augmenting the whole artisan cocktail experience like this was a huge success. The incredible, sky-high City tower location, stunning views, elegant decor, legendary cocktails and fantastic AR experiences come together to give customers so much more than a tasty drink in a nice bar. It elevates the overall experience and sets a new standard for a thrilling night out, which is what you want when paying for a premium experience, whether it’s a mixology cocktail or a gourmet meal.

Augmenting the whole artisan cocktail experience like this was a huge success
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Lukas was thrilled with the boost in patrons the Mirage menu had provided and plans to evolve and develop the concept going forwards using AR technology to help further define City Social the exclusive venue to go to.

Whisky fans were treated to an exclusive Mixed Reality HoloLens experience
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Macallan’s recent MR & AR campaign around its two 12-year-old whiskies is another excellent example of a big drinks brand getting stuck into the opportunities this bleeding edge tech offers to engage with and educate consumers about its products. Whisky fans were treated to an exclusive Mixed Reality HoloLens experience at Gallery 12, a Single-malt infused, mixed reality art exhibition, launched in New York this October to kick off whisky season.

Gallery 12 used Microsoft’s HoloLens technology to tell the story of The Macallan’s two 12-Year-Old whiskies, Sherry Oak 12 Years Old and Double Cask 12 Years Old, while immersing guests in a visual experience that combined whisky, storytelling, digital content and hologram technology.

Wearing Microsoft HoloLens headsets, visitors traveled through The Macallan’s legendary process to help visitors gain an understanding of the unique wood, natural colour, and flavour of each whisky.

The experience combined whisky, storytelling, digital content and hologram technology
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Alongside the exhibition, they released an AR app specifically designed for the newly released Apple iOS11 ARKit. Download the app and point your iPhone at a bottle of The Macallan 12 to launch an augmented journey narrated by brand ambassador Kieron Elliott.

Peer through virtual windows into forests of European and American Oak, learn about the distinct oak casks, generate swirling light ribbons that reflect the natural colours, and activate the distinctive flavours like cinnamon, fruit and honeycomb for each 12-year-old single-malt whisky expression.

The ARKit app lets users visualise the distinctive flavours in the whisky
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The possibilities to change the way brands market their products are clear but few have yet to fully explore the opportunities mobile AR marketing offers. We are on the brink of a boom in mobile AR marketing and a few key players in the drinks industry are already taking the lead, so it will be interesting to see what happens as more brands join them. It is vital that we realise that AR is not just a marketing tool but it also enhances the experience of the product itself as well as providing a social platform for communicating directly with customers. The possibilities are literally mind-blowing, and the potential rewards for brands are huge, so it wouldn’t be surprising if this ends up being the catalyst for a creative arms race.

Tech Trends offers Virtual Reality Consultancy Services that support businesses looking to adopt VR/AR/MR technologies into their strategy.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post Cheers to the future of Mixed Reality appeared first on Tech Trends.