Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market with Images and Design

3. Augmenting the Reality of Mobile Advertising: Sharing Brand Information Visually over Mobile Devices Through Apps

In a world where sites like Foursquare, Facebook Places, and Gowalla are vying for the attention of retailers and corporations, lesser-known GoldRun is actually getting it. The company is augmenting reality to get users to engage with a brand.

Users of the GoldRun app see virtual objects superimposed over real-world places where they look with their iPhone cameras. For example, in a promotion for Esquire magazine, a super model “appears” near the newsstand aisle at a Barnes and Noble bookstore. The idea is that it will “drive traffic to physical and online destinations, increase product sales, enhance brand engagement and bolster viral impact,” says Lucy Swope of GoldRun.

Why It Works

Advertisers are still struggling with the idea of going mobile in their advertising. With GoldRun, users are excited to participate and uncover secrets only they know about. It turns advertising into an experience where the advertising brand is engaged.

Because it appeals to “a wide spectrum of people from film buffs and fashion devotees, to sports fans, deal seekers and vacationers,” according to Swope, GoldRun's app will never get old, as runs are finite and new challenges are being added constantly.

Success Metrics

• GoldRun has seen on average 500 to 1,000 downloads/followed runs ...