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Advertising on New Media

Brightkite, the Social Discovery Network, has launched the first national augmented reality advertising solution.

Brightkite’s users have been able to access its augmented reality (AR) service since August through the company’s partnership with Layar.

Until now, users of the service could only see their friends’ posts and photos at places around them.

With the launch of a new local advertising solution, they can now also see special offers in nearby stores.

Using the Brightkite service, users can look at the world around them through their phone’s camera to see real-time digital information on top of real-world locations. As the camera is turned in different directions, the graphics change to accommodate the lens’ movements and the user sees all their friends’ Brightkite data revealed around them. New partnerships with retailers, bars, restaurants and other businesses will allow Brightkite users to not only see Brightkite data but also nearby stores and local offers exclusive to each location. This is the first time AR has been used for an advertising campaign in the U.S.

“Augmented reality is one of the hottest new tools out there and it’s no surprise that the first campaign to use it is one of the nation’s largest consumer electronics retailers,” said Brady Becker, founder of Brightkite. “This initiative pioneers the latest in advertising – combining mobile phones, location awareness and augmented reality. This is truly a groundbreaking media campaign about which we, as well as our users, are very excited.”

For the Brightkite users, this novel ad format not only shows them offers that are both relevant to them, but also nearby. For the retailer, the campaign allows them to break through the clutter of holiday advertising campaigns and reach their shoppers directly on their phones as they navigate through their neighborhoods and go about their daily lives.

This AR campaign is running on the Brightkite service through the end of December and is available for both Android and iPhone devices.