Snapchat Launches New, Voice-Powered AR Experience with New Balance

Snapchat has partnered with New Balance to launch a new AR-focused ad push for the holidays, which incorporates voiceML – i.e. audio prompts – into the experience to discover relevant products.

As you can see in this sequence, using the new New Balance Lens, Snapchat users will be prompted to answer a series of questions in the app, using their voice, as opposed to typing, which will then help them discover the best product matches for their specific purpose.

As per Snap:

“Snapchatters will answer questions about the person they are shopping for. Using VoiceML, Snapchatters have the ability to use their own voice and answers to get matched with the perfect gift ideas for themselves, friends and family. Once questions are answered, Snapchatters will have the ability to unveil the product recommendation with a unique unboxing experience.”

It’s another angle to the AR experience, which could provide a more immersive, engaging experience, by facilitating more natural connection, as opposed to typing.

I mean, that’s not a massive shift, especially given that most people are so used to typing these days anyway. But it’s another consideration for potential ways to invite people into your AR experiences, and build additional engagement into the process.

And with AR already becoming a valuable complement to online shopping, and helping consumers to make faster, more beneficial decisions, it’s worth considering where AR experiences may fit into your digital outreach process, and whether there may be ways to incorporate AR engagement into your promotions.

Creating for AR is not necessarily simple, but it may also not be as complex as you think, and with Snap offering free AR courses and tools, it could be worth checking out, and investing time into exploring your options.

The new New Balance Lens experience will be live in the US only on iOS and Android through to December 31st, 2022, and can be accessed via the Lens Carousel in the app.