Google Lens

 

The Future is: Real-World Search
Have you ever been out for a hike and wondered is that a tansy aster or a fleabane? Been out to dinner and wondered what was in a certain dish?

Google has an answer for you: Lens.
You might be thinking, Lens? Yawn. That’s so 2017. Lens did debut last year, but Google just recently announced some feature updates (for Android users at least, sorry iPhone peeps) at I/O 2018 that show how seriously the tech giant is about taking search to the real world.

What is Google Lens?
Lens is Google’s smart camera technology that makes it possible for your camera to recognize what’s in its view, then show you information about what you’re looking at. That could be a landmark, business card or even a dog.

Another way to look at Lens is a new way Google is trying to answer searchers questions faster. Aparna Chennapragada, Head of Product for Google’s Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Vision-based products told TechCrunch, “The camera is not just answering questions, but putting the answers right where the questions are.”

 
GoogleLens_Corgi.gif
ezgif-3-2eb5a476fe.gif
 

 

What are the new Lens features?
So what’s new with Lens? A few things that should make marketer’s pretty excited.

  • Map-camera integration. Now Android users can feel like they are at street level as they navigate. Using a combination of their map and camera, users can see information about the buildings and places around them.

  • Real-time results. In previous versions of Lens, a user had to snap a picture before Lens told them about it. Now information is overlaid on objects on the screen before the user even presses the shutter button.

  • Style match. With this feature, Lens gives users a sort of IRL “customers also shopped for.” Users can point their camera at a piece of clothing, and then Lens will display similar items they can buy.

  • Smart text selection. This feature lets a user pluck text from the real world and copy it to their phone. Hello easy answer to getting a coffee shop’s 42-digit WiFi password. Google is also touting it as a way to copy recipes, event dates from flyers and gift cards to a phone.

 

What does it mean for marketers? The rise of phygital strategies
Google Lens, and Google’s investment in it, likely means real life is going to continue to be a lot more readable. We typically think of strategies around content as either online or offline. Yes, the best of us know those strategies are complementary, but Lens means marketers need to take it one step further. Enter the phygital experience.

A phygital experience is one that allows the audience to seamlessly go from the physical to the digital world, and back again. That means marketers might want to look for ways to tie physical signs and flyers to an online event landing page or collaborate with product design teams to create distinctive items that Lens can easily recognize.

 

How to make content for Google Lens
Who should be paying attention to Lens? Right now, mostly marketers in the retail and consumer goods areas. For others,  it’s hard to say if and when other types of companies will need a Lens strategy but getting in early can give you time to pilot different strategies.

When it comes to developing content for Google Lens, the real meat of getting information to show up in Lens is pretty technical. But a few places where content creators can have an impact are:

  • Google business listings.The maps-camera integration means having a business’ location show up in maps just got more important.

  • Reviews. Lens is being marketed as a way to easily look at restaurant reviews and could be a way for searchers to see reviews of all kinds. That means if a business has bad reviews it could impact a potential consumer’s choice in the very moment it matters most – when they are about to buy.

 

Get smarter about this Google Lens: Additional reading

 

 

Kara Schlabaugh