CHE Proximity opens augmented reality practice

Paige Murphy
By Paige Murphy | 22 October 2019
 

CHE Proximity has launched of a new practice, CHEP Mixed Reality, which will be spearheaded by Charlotte Bruton.

The new offering will leverage CHE Proximity’s existing advanced engineering team currently organised across commerce cloud, marketing cloud, ad cloud and data cloud teams.

Bruton is a Frost Collective alumnus and most recently worked as McCann's national digital and innovation director.

In her role as head of Mixed Reality she will focus on integrating premium augmented reality (AR) experiences into CHE Proximity’s work as the technology hits mainstream penetration thanks to the latest Samsung and Apple devices.

“At CHE Proximity we’ve built up a team of over 120 technical practitioners across our Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane locations and we’re constantly looking to bring in new skills that help our clients grow and transform their customer experiences," CHE Proximity chief technology officer Mark Gretton says.

"It’s incredibly exciting to welcome Charlotte who can focus solely on value creation in this space.”

It is predicted there will be over one billion AR and virtual reality (VR) users by 2020.

VR already plays a key role in education and is cited to be a $400 million industry by the end of 2020.

Researchers at Sydney University have found that VR headsets are the most stimulating method of learning due to the construct of the human brain which remembers 10% of what it reads, 20% of what it hears, and 90% of what it does or simulates. 

Bruton says Mixed Reality will introduce AR and VR experiences beyond "short-lived" brand engagement.

“In leading the Mixed Reality practice we’ll be valuing experience and content innovation over the gimmicks of the technology, ensuring our work is long-lasting and meaningful in driving customer behaviour," Bruton says.

"I’m excited to be joining CHEP and launching a practice that’ll further enhance their Connected Creativity design approach”.

Bruton will also be responsible for deepening relationships and upskilling clients in Mixed Reality with partners such as Amazon and Google through a series of workshops and co-working sessions.

Mixed Reality will target multiple verticals including health and pharma, finance and education as part of its first-year growth plan.

The experience offers individuals the opportunity to explore and interact with digital models and information in completely new ways, transforming the way we can communicate ideas and interact with products.

On the announcement of the new division, CHE Proximity CEO Chris Howatson, says the new venture reflects the approaching tipping point of mixed reality becoming useful in mainstream applications.

“We know immersive technologies are already transforming how companies interact with their customers. Augmented reality in particular will fast feature in our everyday, and we’re prepared to ready our clients for that change.”

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