It’s exciting to live in the fast-paced technological revolution we have today. Consumers are gaining access to more cutting-edge experiences than ever before, and augmented reality (AR) is coming to the forefront for entertainment as well as advertising.

Some of the most accessible AR experiences live on Snapchat. So they asked us to conduct a four-country, multicell study of consumers using our scalable Immersion-powered Agile Neuroscience methodology to determine just how immersive AR is, and how it stacks up to traditional advertising. The findings are published on their business blog. Here’s a rundown:

Augmented reality is extremely immersive

Our research found that AR is an emotionally engaging experience. Across platforms, the average Immersion Scores for these experiences were higher than industry benchmarks for Entertainment, which includes hundreds of experiences across TV, film, music, gaming, and sports. Because we know that high Immersion Scores can predict future consumer action with 80% accuracy, this makes AR a really compelling place for your advertising. The people you’re trying to reach are engaged with the content and committing it to memory.

Augmented reality on Snapchat is more immersive than anywhere else

The study also found that AR experiences on Snapchat notched higher Immersion Scores than those on other platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. The experiences on Snapchat averaged a score of 73, compared to an average score of 43 across the peer group — that’s 1.7x more immersive! It’s a compelling case to turn to Snapchat for AR advertising.

What’s more, we also tested branded AR experiences on Snapchat and compared them to advertisements on TV and YouTube. What we found was that over the life of the experience, consumers were much more cued into the branded AR experience than they were into the short-form video clips. This is the advertising of the future.

Read More: Our research on augmented reality

Leading tech companies like Snapchat are using these insights to power their B2B ad sales. Are you interested in finding out what consumers love about your business and prove its value to potential partners?

Let’s talk!

About the Methodology

This study leveraged methodology from our Agile Neuroscience program, powered by Immersion. Participants participated in virtual, individual sessions during which they were asked to use specific media platforms and watch online videos in a randomized order. During the session, their Immersion levels were calculated by measuring variability in their heart rate rhythms using a smart watch. The Immersion platform allows us to map the distinct patterns in heart rate that indicate releases of oxytocin in the brain, signalling emotional resonance and memory commitment. That’s translated into the Immersion Index, which rates a person’s level of immersion on a scale from 0 to 100. This data represents results from the US, though the results prove consistent across other countries we measured: the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and France.