Rather than dwelling on past achievements, we’d like to take the opportunity to usher in 2015 and boldly predict that it’s going to be an even more rewarding year than 2014.

With CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2015 coming to a close it’s clear that consumers of all shapes and sizes are becoming even more connected to multiple smart devices. It’s not news to us or many in the creative industries, but it is heartening to see the technology and digital innovations we’ve been developing solutions for becoming second nature to mainstream audiences.

Our augmented reality and location aware platform, Reality Engine, taps into the needs of these smart consumers and enables brands to integrate engaging and useful digital experiences into print, packaging and the real world. Reality Engine is already powering smart mobile solutions for retailers (Tesco) and publishers (Bauer) and we’re looking forward to enabling other brands and partners to build new audience engagement by connecting the real world with the digital world over the coming months.

So, here’s to 2015; a smarter, more connected year than the last where digital innovation will be the biggest winner.

The post Engine Creative recognised in the Top 100 Most Awarded Agencies of 2014 appeared first on Engine Creative.

There are currently a number of opportunities whether you’re a designer, developer or a bit of both:

Senior Designer

We’re looking for an inspirational Senior Designer to join our growing creative team and produce standout work for our great clients.
Find out more and apply online

Web Developer

We’re on the look out for an ambitious Web Developer to join our growing development team.
Find out more and apply online

Digital UI/UX Designer

We’re looking for a switched on Digital UI/UX Designer to join our growing design and development team.
Find out more and apply online

Android Developer

We’re currently looking for an awesome Android Developer to join the Engine Creative team and help us deliver great apps for great clients.
Find out more and apply online

iOS Developer

We’re on the lookout for a super talented iOS Developer with proven experience to join our talented development team.
Find out more and apply online

Front End Developer

We’re looking for a skilled Front End Developer to join our studio and work on a variety of exciting digital projects.
Find out more and apply online

No agencies thanks. If you’re a canny candidate, go direct to the source and get in contact with us now. Send us your CV, create a unique video message, do something different or just drop us a line.

The post Come and join the Engine Creative team appeared first on Engine Creative.

Location aware augmented Christmas magic

The ‘Santa Vision’ feature is integrated into the new Store Locator section of the Tesco Discover augmented reality app. Store Locator uses GPS, device orientation and location hotspots to help Tesco customers find their nearest Tesco store using visual search. If users want to add some augmented Christmas magic then the ’Santa Vision’ view provides a 360˚ North Pole scene. Tesco customers can still use the Store Locator functionality whilst in ‘Santa Vision’ and can also explore the North Pole to find Rudolf and his team of reindeers flying amongst the Northern Lights.

Contextual marketing solutions

Whilst this unique combination of augmented reality and location aware functionality is just a bit of festive fun, it hints towards a contextual marketing future full of new opportunities.  Having the ability to deliver timely content based on specific user location will enable marketeers to target messages more effectively and deliver content that end users really care about when and where they want it.

As a leader in the field of augmented reality solutions for brands, we are working on creating innovative and interactive content but making it even more useful to users based on their context and driven by rich and dynamic data. With the number of connected devices – mobiles, tablets, wearables, etc. – becoming more widespread we also want to make sure that augmented reality (AR) experiences adapt accordingly.

We want AR to be seen as the natural bridge between the real and digital worlds and if a little bit of augmented Christmas magic helps us get there then great!

The post Augmented Christmas magic is all around with Santa Vision appeared first on Engine Creative.

Launching this weekend (the 22nd of November) in Tesco Extra stores, shoppers can pick up a free Disney Frozen sticker folder and free stickers while stocks last. Using the Tesco Discover Augmented Reality app, Tesco customers can then relive the magic of the Frozen movie and bring the stickers to life on their mobile or tablet device. Each sticker enables Frozen fans to explore a different 3D scene from the highest grossing animated film of all time as well as access a range of video content.

Take your own Elfie-Selfie with Tesco Discover

Tesco customers (and their kids!) can also have a selfie taken with their favourite Frozen character. A different character to have your selfie taken with is unlocked on each sticker, with innovative face tracking technology used to customise the selfie with a suitably Christmassy accessory, from reindeer antlers to an elf hat.

The Frozen Augmented Reality campaign has been promoted online and across social media channels with customers getting excited already.

Tesco customers can continue to collect the Frozen stickers each week in the build up to Christmas and use the Tesco Discover app to bring the stickers to life.

Augmented Reality magic = greater consumer engagement

The Tesco Discover Augmented Reality app enables shoppers to discover great videos of their favourite recipes, Scan-to-Shop gift guides, magazines and catalogues, enter exclusive competitions and play a range of interactive games that can only be accessed by scanning Tesco products and publications using the Tesco Discover app. The Tesco Discover logo is now on products, publications and in-store and the Tesco Discover AR app is becoming the natural bridge between the real and digital worlds for thousands of Tesco customers.

This latest Augmented Reality (AR) experience for Tesco and Disney has been designed and published by leading AR creative agency, Engine Creative. From developing the initial app in early 2013 through to creating a range of AR experiences for Tesco customers, Engine Creative is working in close partnership with Tesco and its brand partners to deliver engaging and useful content to shoppers on their mobile and tablet devices.

To experience the Disney Frozen Augmented Reality experience download the Tesco Discover app for free and grab a free Frozen sticker folder in any Tesco Extra store.

The post Tesco brings Disney Frozen to life with Augmented Reality magic appeared first on Engine Creative.

Inside AR launched with the announcement of the latest update of Metaio as well as covering a range of R&D Augmented Reality projects that the company are working on.  Metaio 6 includes new and improved versions of SLAM and 3D Tracking combined with RGB-D depth tracking, accurate Face Tracking, and more interactive AR scenarios.

As the leading creative agency in the UK developing Augmented Reality solutions for some of the biggest brands in the world (Tesco, TopGear, Lacoste, etc), Engine Creative were invited to share their experiences of delivering engaging AR experiences in the retail sector.  Strategic Director Andy Wise took to the stage on Thursday to showcase the new version of the Tesco Discover AR app and also announce the launch of our unique AR publishing solution for brands, Reality Engine.

Reality Engine is a new Augmented Reality publishing platform that brings together Metaio’s great AR capability with Engine Creative’s 3 years of creative, technical and commercial experience in AR to offer an easy and powerful way to create and publish rich AR experiences.  For brands, agencies and developers already using Metaio then Reality Engine offers an easy way to publish AR campaigns whilst accessing additional location features.  We’ll be releasing additional information on Reality Engine shortly and you can see the interview Andy did after the presentation on YouTube.

Augmented Reality conference insights

In terms of our key insights from Inside AR, it was great to meet up with a range of Augmented Reality experts from around the world and soak up so much knowledge. There were some great Keynotes and Workshops and seeing how other creative agencies from around the world are starting their own Augmented Reality journeys was heartening; we can confidently call ourselves AR experts and are hoping to support more brands, agencies and developers in embedding Augmented Reality into their communications strategies.

A big thanks to the Metaio team for organising such an inspiring Augmented Reality event and keep your eyes and ears open for more information on Reality Engine in the coming weeks.

Oh, and if you’re ever near the Olympic Park in Munich, take a quick trip over the road to BMW Welt and the BMW Museum; they’re an absolute design inspiration!

The post Insights from Inside AR Augmented Reality Conference appeared first on Engine Creative.

In the past we’ve scanned money, had celebrities fighting it out, and even hidden treasure within the magazine; this year it’s all about the Celebrity Safe!

Interactive AR hidden in the pages of heat

All you need to do is scan the right pages of heat magazine, get yourself showered in gold coins and guess who the safe belongs to from the visual clues. If you think you know, then you could be in with a chance to bag yourself £1000 – bonus!

Through the creation of the heat extra app we’ve introduced interactive content onto the pages of heat magazine for over 2 years, creating numerous pioneering and award winning AR campaigns in the process. We’re currently looking at new and innovate ways for the readers of heat magazine to get interactive, so watch this space.

The post Bag yourself £1,000 with our interactive AR campaign for heat appeared first on Engine Creative.

The Smarties™ Awards recognise the best in mobile marketing innovation covering everything from advertising, apps and messaging to mCommerce and CRM on all mobile devices including smartphones and tablets. Engine Creative’s work on creating, developing and building the user base of the Tesco Discover Augmented Reality (AR) app and AR publishing platform is shortlisted as being one of the most innovative mobile apps in the UK.

Mobile marketing innovation

Tesco have taken a lead in the retail sector by enabling their customers to connect the physical world to the Internet using their Tesco Discover AR platform. Starting with own brand products and publications, Tesco has built up an impressive user base of over a 150k active users of its Tesco Discover app.

The rapidly growing and engaged user base has enabled Tesco to attract major global consumer brands including Coca-Cola, Disney and Merlin Entertainments to invest in the Tesco Discover AR platform for a range of immersive campaigns created, delivered and monitored by Engine Creative.

By taking ownership over their own AR platform, Tesco has managed to achieve massively increased dwell times compared to other media types and has also trumped stand alone AR platforms with average results for AR campaigns using the Tesco Discover app more than 2.5x longer than its rivals. Future developments include integrating advanced Augmented Reality functionality such as proximity and beacon technology.

The winners of the Smarties™ Awards will be announced at a ceremony in London during November.

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With over half a million members, the Club is the world’s oldest and largest camping club. Moving from traditional print publications to offering members an engaging digital alternative is seen as key to broadening the membership and delivering greater value to existing members.

Adobe DPS agency partner

Acting as technical partners, Engine Creative developed a custom app based on the Adobe DPS (Digital Publishing Suite) platform with creative direction from the in-house team at CCC. The members only app enables CCC to manage access to publications through direct entitlement. The app also provides the Club with marketing tools to promote CCC membership including sample editions and in-app banners.

Engine Creative has previously acted as an Adobe DPS agency partner on a creative and technical level for a number of global publishers and brands. The creative agency partnered with Immediate Media to launch the interactive edition of TopGear magazine as well as delivering interactive iPad advertising for Mazda.

The iPad app is available to download for free on the App Store.

The post Engine Creative delivers to 500k+ members as Adobe DPS agency partner appeared first on Engine Creative.

So, we thought it was time to try and set the record straight and look at 5 reasons why (and in what context) Augmented Reality fails for brands.

1. Lack of brand ownership

Firstly, we believe that AR is a platform that should, ideally, be owned by the brand. What we mean by this is that stand alone AR platforms offer a great entry into the world of Augmented Reality for brands although, long term, the real customer engagement is with the platform providers.

Users open up their Layar or Aurasma app (other AR platforms are available) and scan a Pepsi can whereas we believe that users should open up their Pepsi app and scan to enjoy an immersive and cohesive brand experience.

Giving brands complete control of their AR platform not only allows them to deliver a cohesive and relevant brand UX but also puts them in complete charge of their mobile strategy. This, in turn, delivers much longer term gains for both the brand and their users.

2. Poor experiences on lower spec mobile devices

By its very nature as an evolving technology, AR is continuously iterating and is now able to offer far richer and more immersive experiences than when we delivered our first AR campaign for TopGear at the end of 2011.

Back in 2011, the iPhone 4s was king of the smartphones and the iPad 2 had just burst onto the scene.  As an agency, we pushed AR to the limit in terms of delivering a rich and seamless AR experience for TopGear Magazine readers which worked fantastically on the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 but was less convincing on other devices.

This award winning AR campaign was definitely innovative although it wasn’t necessarily accessible to the widest possible audience and other AR campaigns have suffered from particularly poor experiences on certain devices. Since then we have learnt the importance of creating inclusive AR campaigns for iOS and Android users and are able to deliver different AR experiences to different devices.

This ‘responsive Augmented Reality’ approach is the only way to make AR truly ubiquitous and enable brands to tap into its huge potential.

3. Augmented Reality used as a gimmick

New technology can often be seen as a gimmick when it first enters the public consciousness. This is partly because people don’t fully understand the opportunities that the tech offers and partly because it is used in ways which seem to have little long term value.

Take Google Glass as an example.  It has been much derided by the media as nothing more than a Google Gimmick and the current working case studies haven’t exactly been revolutionary. However, if you look at the smart glass market more generally (let alone the wearables market) it is clear to see the long term value of Google Glass even if it has a to evolve somewhat.

This premise is the same for Augmented Reality. There are a number of AR campaigns that exist and you’re left thinking ‘What was the point of that?’  We always aim to create something which is engaging and useful to both the user and the brand such as the Lacoste AR app which allows shoppers to try on their new range of LCST trainers; a quick and easy way for shoppers to explore the product range in greater detail and a new channel for Lacoste to connect with their audience in-store.

4. Not integrating Augmented Reality into the wider mobile strategy

Isolated AR campaigns are great at creating short term impact but can be quickly and easily forgotten if they’re not embedded into a broader mobile strategy.  A number of global brands have dipped their toes in the water when it comes to AR but few have successfully integrated Augmented Reality into an ongoing strategy which recognises the importance of mobile in our increasingly connected worlds.

When we first started working with Bauer Media on developing the heat brand our remit was to build an engaging mobile channel from nothing. Our approach was to identify heat’s primary channel (the weekly heat magazine) and find a way of bridging the gap between the traditional print world and the new mobile world of its readers. By creating a free heat extra app which enabled readers to access exclusive celebrity content by scanning the magazine with their smartphones, we provided instant value and an obvious reason for the heat audience to download the app.

More than 100,000 downloads later and after ongoing iterations to the app, heat now have a mobile channel which has become integral to their multi-channel offering. The current heat extra app still includes the functionality for users to scan the heat magazine to access exclusive digital content but also has a range of additional features from streaming radio and TV to a weekly quiz and social integration.  Most importantly, heat’s users are engaged with the mobile channel and 21.9% of users spending 10 minutes or more in the heat extra app with AR continuing to play a central role in the success of the mobile strategy.

5. Limiting Augmented Reality to just image recognition

Augmented Reality is much, much more than image recognition and is set to become the digital eyes, ears and virtual sensors of the physical web.

Early consumer facing AR campaigns have relied heavily on image recognition to deliver digital enhancements to users and, whilst this is still at the core of Augmented Reality activity, integration with other sensory technology can increase relevance, engagement and usefulness of Augmented Reality for a wide range of scenarios.

One of our Augmented Reality technology partners, Metaio, is working on thermal imaging research which will enable users to use ‘Thermo Touch’.  The Thermo Touch prototype registers the heat signature left by a person’s finger when touching a surface to activate enhanced digital content.

We’ve already explored the wider potential of AR by integrating iBeacons micro-location technology into the Tesco Discover app to deliver relevant and useful digital content to shoppers in-store. Our development team is also currently working on audio recognition, face tracking and SLAM (Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping) as well as improved micro location and geofencing capability which can all be integrated into future AR campaigns for brands.

Making the most of Augmented Reality in a connected world

As Augmented Reality technology matures, the opportunities for brands to connect with their audiences in seamless, engaging and useful ways using AR increases rapidly. With so much industry chatter around the Internet of Everything (aka the Physical Web) it is clear that brands need to get to grips with a new and very connected consumer.

All of the research and development activity in the AR sector is rapidly coming to the consumer market to provide brands the tools they need to make Augmented Reality integral to their communication strategy. Our role at Engine Creative is to help brands understand how consumers will interact with the Internet of Everything and we believe that AR combined with creative and innovative thinking will provide many of the answers.

The post 5 reasons why Augmented Reality fails for brands appeared first on Engine Creative.

Metaio are widely acknowledged as the world’s leading organisation researching and developing software technology in the Augmented Reality sector. Metaio’s award-winning SDK powers AR apps with wearable device support, unrivalled visualisation, facial recognition and much more.

Innovative Augmented Reality solutions

Becoming a ‘Metaio Certified Developer’ enables us to harness the latest AR features and also help input into the development process of the Metaio SDK. Recent research into ‘Thermo Touch’ technology has cemented Metaio’s place at the forefront of the Augmented Reality revolution.

Metaio’s forward thinking approach to innovative Augmented Reality solutions makes them the perfect technical partner for Engine Creative and our vision to connect the physical world with the digital world through broad ranging, creative led AR solutions for the biggest global brands.

Members of the Engine Creative team will be hosting an AR webinar in partnership with Metaio over the coming weeks. Details will be announced on Metaio’s website shortly.

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