How AR is Transforming Business: Going Beyond Snapchat Filters to Develop Enterprise Solutions
- March 11, 2025
- AR, Enterprise
Millions of people were first introduced to augmented reality (AR) through Snapchat’s fun, accessible AR filters. Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, continues to blaze trails in extended reality today, moving from mass-market video filters to custom business solutions.
Snap’s Arcadia Studio develops branded AR experiences for enterprise partners. It’s created innovative solutions for megabrands like Nike, L’Oreal, and Coca-Cola.
The Arcadia team focuses first on how technology can best serve an enterprise partner’s goals. Then it works cross functionally to make the AR experience accessible across devices.
Only then does it turn its attention to the content the tech will deliver.
“We take a personalized approach with every partner, ensuring the value we deliver is aligned with business needs – not just creating something fun for PR.”
Andrew Seleznov
Head of AR Production | Snap
How Snap Solves Enterprise Challenges with AR
Live Nation: Using AR to Enhance Event Experiences
Challenge
Live Nation is the force behind some of the world’s biggest live music festivals. It found people attending these massive events often have a hard time finding their friends in a crowd. Navigating multi-stage venues to find their favorite performers is another common challenge.
Solution
Snap’s Arcadia developed an app for three Live Nation festivals: EDC, Austin City Limits, and Lollapalooza. A GPS function helped groups of friends keep track of one another at the events.
Real-time AR maps helped users find stage locations, performer lineups, and amenities around the grounds. The app was made available a week before each festival, so attendees could use it to plan their experience.
Outcome
Festival attendees had plenty of praise for the app. The critiques they offered provided Live Nation and Arcadia with valuable feedback for future versions.
The biggest lesson was that simplicity is key. Users didn’t want to spend their time interacting with a lot of fun features; they wanted a fast, easy-to-understand map to get them where they wanted to go.
Coca-Cola: Bringing People Together With an AR Vending Machine
Challenge
The Olympics and Paralympics are attended by thousands of people from different cultures, speaking different languages, and with different kinds of physical ability.
Building on its image as a brand that brings people together, Coca-Cola wanted to reimagine the vending machine for the 2024 Paris games. It turned to Arcadia to develop a machine that would transcend visitors’ differences and create new connections.
Solution
Snap installed AR vending machines in the Athletes’ Village and at the Coca-Cola International Food Fest at the Games.
The hands-free machines could be operated with head movements, empowering customers without use of their hands or arms. Navigation was optimized for users of every height and varying limb differences. A universal icon design eliminated language barriers.
Olympians, Paralympians, and spectators could choose from three experiences at the machine: an AR photo booth, a multiplayer game, and merchandise. The buzz around the machine drew crowds, and the multiplayer game inspired people to make new friends.
Outcome
Besides the positive response and high levels of user engagement, the AR vending machines earned Coca-Cola more than 40 million global media impressions.
SoFi Stadium: Scaling AR for Stadium Experiences
Challenge
Arcadia first partnered with the LA Rams in 2020 to increase fan engagement at games and other events at SoFi Stadium.
Solution
The first AR experience allowed fans to virtually try on the Rams’ new uniforms.
In the years since, Arcadia has developed games, special effects, and other AR experiences for the SoFi Stadium Infinity Screen, a 70,000-square-foot, two-sided jumbotron.
Outcome
Arcadia is seeing growing interest from SoFi and other large entertainment venues in ways they can integrate AR as a long-term investment.
“It’s exciting to see how useful AR can be in bringing fun and joy to events,” Andrew said.
The Changing AR Landscape
The explosion of generative AI tools has shifted much of the industry buzz away from augmented reality.
On the down side, Andrew says the waning excitement has many businesses sidelining AR as an experimental budget item rather than integrating it into their core strategy.
However, AR evolution keeps plowing ahead, even if it’s a little under the radar. Around the world, hundreds of teams like Arcadia are finding new use cases and developing new technologies with AR.
Snapchat filters and Pokemon Go may have introduced AR into the public consciousness. But the technology has broken free of its entertainment roots. Businesses are successfully deploying AR content in sectors including education, retail, and technical support.
Those businesses finding the most value in AR are taking a strategic approach to its adoption.
Creating seamless experiences that encourage user engagement goes beyond creative content. These businesses are also investing in secure, reliable ways to manage and deploy that content to their fleets of devices.
The Future of AR in Business
For AR to achieve its tremendous business potential, the public needs to see it as something more substantial than a bunny-ear filter.
When it comes to developing complex experiences in public spaces, Andrew said Arcadia has found people don’t seem ready for utility-driven AR.
Wearables might be the tool that bridges the gap. For example, Snap’s new Spectacles are a next-gen AR device with no external cords, batteries, or computing units.
In addition to being sleeker than a VR headset, Spectacles’ see-through lenses allow wearers to stay constantly connected with their real-world environment.
“We’ve definitely just scratched the surface,” Andrew said. “There’s so much to explore, and while some use cases are already impactful, we’re still figuring out how to unlock the true potential of AR.”
Businesses that want to be at the forefront of unlocking that potential need to take a holistic approach to incorporating AR into their strategies.
ArborXR offers scalable ways to manage devices, install and deploy content, and guide users through custom experiences. Try it today.
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