Apptastic: Blippar – the new era of search?

Why type words into a search bar when you can just use your camera to find the answers you’re looking for? A new app called Blippar promises to transform the way we interact with the world around us and search online.

Users can use their camera on their smartphone to ‘look’ at any object and then use that to search online. When a user ‘blips’ they’re presented with info about it e.g. if they blip an album cover, they might be presented with access to videos of the band, a site to buy tickets to an upcoming gig or a live twitter feed.

Could this visual search replace text search as we know it today? Blippar claim they want to make the entire physical world searchable online via mobile and wearables – to make everything ‘blippable’. Indeed, in a world where image based social platforms like Snapchat and Instagram have displaced more traditional text- based comms, and wearables are becoming more desirable than weird, we can really see this taking off – if users have a reason to engage.

But what does this mean for advertisers? Makers claim the app uses AI to refine and personalise visual search results for each user – good news for targeting capabilities. It also promises to turn branding touch points into 360 experiences – amplifying existing media solutions with interactive features, potentially increasing engagement and education through each touch point. Brands like Heinz have already had huge success with it.

Blippar could be the app that turns the buzz around augmented reality into just that, a reality. Blip.

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