NEW YORK ? Augmented reality is truly the future of mobile, per panelists presenting client case studies at the Mobile Marketing Forum.  

Although the channel is still in its infancy, initial trials show that it is both effective and engaging. Two executives from The Hyperfactory talked about augmented reality and their experiences with these types of campaigns.

?Augmented reality has been around for many years but it was ultimately a big budget initiative,? said Howard Hunt, vice president of new business at The Hyperfactory, New York. ?Now brands are entering the stage."

First a consumer sees a black and white marker, which is a point of reference,? he said. ?The phone scans and detects a 3D image in proportion to the marker.

"Augmented reality rapidly increases the type of things that can be done in the mobile space.?

Mr. Arbor gave an example of an online augmented reality campaign.

General Electric ran one where users had to hold up their marker to Web camera to unlock this whole 3D image of wind turbines and greenery.

Consumers could blow into their PC?s microphone to turn the turbines.

Now brands are adding mobile to the mix because mobile does not tie you to the desk, you are free to move around and this unlocks even more possibilities. It is a whole new level of interaction.

Nike ran a mobile campaign using augmented reality technology to target teens in Hong Kong to promote the launch of the sportswear giant's T90 soccer shoe.

The campaign, which The Hyperfactory created with ad agency McCann Erickson, started with a series of hidden codes all throughout Hong Kong in Nike flagship stores and at MTR subway stations.

Consumers had to find the markers and point their camera phone at them, which summoned an image of a Nike soccer shoe and ball on their screen and revealed a special code unique to that location.

Once consumers got the next location, they then were able to text in these special codes to find out the next secret destination. Texts also counted as a sweepstakes entry to win Nike merchandise.

The codes invite users to download a mobile application that allows them to view the T90 shoe from every angle in 3D on their mobile screens.

The more codes that consumers collect, the more chances they have to win Nike gear.

The aim for Nike was launching the new boot and letting people see its features from every angle. Hong Kong is footwear-crazy and the fact that this happened around the time of the Olympics and Euro 2008 Tournament means everyone was in sports mode.

The results for this campaign were astounding. Thousands of interactions were achieved and 60 percent of those who texted-in downloaded the application.

Jeff Arbor, senior vice president of North America at The Hyperfactory talked about Coca-Cola Fanta?s use of augmented reality.

Coca-Cola Europe targeted tech-savvy consumers mostly in their 20s with a new mobile application created to push its Fanta soft drink.

The application launched across Europe in January 2009, supported by print and online ads, on-pack promotions, point-of-sale material, viral marketing and public relations.

The application is called Fanta Virtual Tennis. 

Players take their position on either side of a printed game board available for download at http://www.fanta.eu.

Once in position, the 3D augmented technology recognizes the game board and lets players see what looks like a full-size tennis court on their mobile-phone screens.

Players can use their mobile devices as tennis racquets to hit a virtual ball whose movement is determined by the angle and position of the phone.

Fanta Virtual Tennis offers a two-player mode and a single-player practice mode where the player hits the ball off a wall.

The game was tested in New York's Times Square.

?Augmented reality for mobile is mostly found in applications right now,? Mr. Arbor said. ?But browsers are next.?

?There are augmented reality apps that let consumers identify monuments and land marks,? he said. ?Others let users point a phone to the street ID and see what stores are around.

?It is like Foursquare on steroids.?