YouTube’s AR ads let you try on virtual makeup alongside beauty vloggers

Starting this summer, Google will let users experiment with augmented reality makeup in YouTube. The idea is to use the experience like an interactive ad; you watch a beauty vlogger talking about a specific brand of cosmetic, and a new “Virtual try on” feature will show you how you could look while wearing the product. MAC Cosmetics is the first brand to launch an AR Beauty Try-On campaign. Google is positioning the new feature as a way of getting more of people’s attention compared to a non-interactive video ad. The company says that during its testing it found 30 percent of people activated the AR experience, and spent an average of 80 seconds trying on virtual lipstick. However, it’s unclear how much of this attention is due to the... Continue reading…