8 Types Of Instagram AR Filters Brands Can Use In 2022
Over a year later, Instagram AR story filters are widely used by companies across the globe as a brand new social media engagement tool to enhance their Instagram marketing campaigns. With the growing popularity of Instagram story filters being added daily it’s sometimes difficult to determine which filters will work best for your business or the kinds of story filters that are available on the market. Here’s an overview of eight kinds of Instagram AR story filters that are often used by brands across the globe!
Here are 8 Types Of Instagram AR Filters Brands Can Use In 2022:
Color Adjusting AR Instagram Filter
One of the initial uses of Instagram filters was to alter the colors of your captured images. This was originally a feature that was offered that users could apply to static images but now with the combination of Augmented Reality (AR) these colour effects can be applied directly to the camera feed in real time. Companies can now design their own color adjustment filters that are based on their own brand or essential visuals.
To promote Selena Gomez, a rainbow light Instagram filter was designed in response to her single “Rare”. The rainbow light is in line with the music video from “Rare” which also includes lights from the rainbow. Furthermore, 3D butterflies flying around the head were also included to enhance the AR experience which is appropriate for her fan base and the intended audience (most likely to be females). This kind of Instagram story filter is great for brands who want to encourage their followers to make use of it to express themselves daily and to create and distribute brand centric user generated content via their Instagram stories.
Beauty AR Instagram Filter
Brands can use beauty AR Instagram filters to encourage consumers to buy their products and create a social media buzz. Brands can use these filters to create a personalized look and highlight their own sense of style. Kylie Jenner is well known for her branded story filters, which she used on Instagram. Her Beauty AR Instagram filter is popular across Instagram. A beauty filter can make a selfie look more appealing and boost a person’s self-confidence
Beauty-enhancing Instagram stories tend to be utilized most by cosmetic or beauty brands, much like the filters created in the case of Mac Cosmetics shown here. Beauty AR filters will more often than not be based on the following virtual makeup AR effects::
- Face smoothening
- Virtual eyelashes
- Virtual eye shadow
- Contouring
- Lipstick
Mac Cosmetics Instagram AR filter was developed to include all of the features that are mentioned above, including a glittery background that immerses the users even further creating a truly enchantingly immersive AR beauty experience. In addition to cosmetic and beauty brands, brands that have an audience of primary customer base made up predominantly of female customers will also able to incorporate some o these AR features in to their Instagram story filters.
To see some of these features in action take a look at the Instagram AR beauty filter that we developed for Beauty Ink which features a smooth skin effect, multiple lash options, smokey eyeshadow with subtle contouring. The aim of the filter was to showcase the eyebrow and lip enhancement work that they do and to increase the creation and distribution of branded content by their users.
Instagram Random AR Filter
The trend of those randomly selecting Instagram story filters started through the AR filter “Which Disney Character Are You?” that went totally viral between December 2019 and January 2020. This filter concept went viral to such a level that Jimmy Fallon even mentioned it and actually played with it during his show. Since then, companies across all industries and sizes have made the most of this AR concept, attempting to attain a slice of virality too, applying it to their own social media marketing campaigns. If it was being applied to a footwear company, perhaps the question would be “Which shoes do you wear” and for a coffee manufacturer, maybe they could go with something like “Which Coffee Should You Have Today?”. Random AR filters are an effective way of using Instagram AR filters to raise awareness and promote brands and businesses as the majority of Instagram users are very familiar with the way they work, and it is easy for them to be discovered organically through the AR filter gallery. The only thing to keep in mind with this concept is that it has been used by a lot of brands at this stage. It’s not a problem per se but it is important for brands to think outside the box and getting a bit more imaginative in how they want the visuals to work and also ensure that the content itself stands out amongst the others.
The AR Tarot filter repurposes an old favorite by allowing users to place a tarot card on their faces. The cards flick through randomly, and you can also choose a simplified interpretation. Dimple’s Instagram account has 20,000 followers, so she was sure to find a niche with this filter.
Instagram AR Quiz Filter
Brands are exploring various ways to engage their audience with AR and the use of quiz filters on Instagram stories. This type of filter pops up a quiz question over the user’s head and gives them 10 seconds to answer it. Once they have finished answering, the correct answer is revealed. Quiz filters can be used by brands to create awareness for specific products or marketing campaigns.
The Quiz AR filter is just another type of AR filter that companies and brands can design to provide a fun engaging interaction with their intended audiences. The way it works is there are a variety of questions, two answers appear, and the user selects the correct answer by tilting their head. Similarly to the Random AR filters, it is important to create something that stands out based on the visual direction or the nature of the questions themselves. This is a case where humor or bragging rights tend to lead to higher share rates. However informative and interesting based content can also work well too.
Aussie Theatre created an AR quiz Instagram story filter that allowed their followers to try and determine the name of a musical that is made from a bunch of Emojis. They gave their followers 10 seconds to try and guess it correctly before the answer would reveal itself on its own. Another kind of AR quiz filter that is quite similar to that previously mentioned AR filter, was that of the “Guess the Gibberish” Instagram story filter where the gibberish equivalent of a phrase is displayed for the users, and they need to select the correct word in just 10 seconds.
Instagram Gaming AR filter
Game AR filters are not as common as some of the other types of branded filter effects. However, they are actually among some of the most frequently utilized kinds of Instagram AR filters. The most well-known kinds of Game filters that we have seen would include the eating/catching game in which Instagram users must catch or bite falling objects with their mouth or else catch them in a basket. Again, similarly to the other mentioned filters this one whilst being a lot of fun has been done a lot of times so it is imperative that the visual design and sound effects are really on point. It is quite easy to create an original concept this way. And if it is paired with a competition, where sharing the score is the entry mechanism then it will no doubt be highly effective. Another option could be to use the same concept but to do it from a different camera angle or perspective, it’s the same filter mechanics but it will help to ensure that the user is experiencing something new and as such it will be more memorable than that of the others.
Below is an example that we made for Every Can Counts, a recycling non-profit. The visual direction was to give it an 8 bit retro arcade vibe that was in keeping with the overall filter mechanics. Pairing this with some cool SFX and 8 bit music fully completed the look.
Real-world filter
Real World AR filter refers to basically any Instagram story filter that gives the user the ability to place virtual 3D objects into the real world like it’s actually there, but you can only see them through your phone’s camera. An example of this is an Instagram story filter that was released for the PS5 box that ended up completely taking off and being a total hit even though it was such a simple filter to develop. The filter essentially just placed a PS5 box, making it look like the user had actually got a PS5. This was highly relevant as there were shortages and the product was in high demand. Users could then mess with their friends and make them think that they had one. Although the story filter was not developed by Sony themselves to advertise PS5, it certainly started lots of conversations, a load of user-generated content, and a ton of FOMO.
If an organization has a character or mascot to show off in real-world settings, AR filters could be very beneficial for allowing customers to interact with these mascots in a new and interactive way through the use of AR. We created a filter like this for Chips Ahoy. Chips Ahoy wanted to show off their Mascot chip and wanted a novel way for their audience to interact with him so we helped them create this Dance Challenge Filter.
Target Tracker Instagram AR Filter
A target tracker AR filter would encompass any type of Instagram stories filter which can be activated only when you find a specific image that has been pre-determined in the development stage, such as a logo, print ad, or anything really that has enough contrast to be distinguishable. For instance, Cyberpunk 2077, the video game, has created an AR filter with a target tracker only for those who will purchase the game. The AR effects are only activated through an image included in with the game. This makes the AR experience unique to the owners even though it’s still publicly located on the Instagram AR filter gallery
.
Immersive filters
Immersive AR filters are Instagram story filters that put the users’ faces or a part of their body into a virtual 3D environment, in essence making the Instagram users part of the 3D virtual world. Did someone say metaverse? Not yet. But soon. One example is that of the Instagram story filter developed in the name of Paris Saint-German Football club in order to unveil their brand new jerseys. Instagram users can become a player for the club in their new jersey. This is what the football fans really want!
German musician Clueso also came up with an AR Instagram story filter to accompany his latest track, which featured an immersive 3D-like scene that replicated the music video. It was cool and most importantly allowed the users to really feel like they were part of the experience. This ultimately allows his followers to become a part of his music and provide an experience that is unique and immersive for his fans.
As there is no stopping the growth of AR Instagram story filters, and there will no doubt be more and more ways to utilize the technology to create new and original types of filters, these eight types of Instagram story filters are meant to be a guideline to help brands start thinking about what is possible and to give a solid starting point.
If you’re not sure which type of filter will work most effectively for your brand Don’t worry! Get in touch and we can assist you with some ideation.
8 Types Of Instagram AR Filters Brands Can Use In 2022
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