In short: goal first, audience second, platform last. The same goal can lead to different formats depending on where the audience is when they meet it.
The platform is the last thing we decide
A brief that opens with "we want a Snapchat Lens" has already made the most changeable decision. Platforms close, change their rules and launch new products. Meta shut down Spark AR in January 2025, which ended Instagram filters for brands, and 8th Wall's hosted platform wound down in 2026. Goals do not change like that. So on a first call we start with what the campaign has to achieve and choose the format from there. You bring the goal, the audience and the constraints. We choose the format, the platform and the build. The thinking behind this is in Technology is my medium, the story picks it.
Background on the two closures is in Instagram AR filters for brands and Camera Kit vs 8th Wall.
Five questions we ask on the first call
- What should people do or feel? Share it, understand a product, visit somewhere, remember a story.
- Where are they when they meet it? A social feed, a venue, a shop, a pack, a link in an email.
- How many people, and for how long? A crowd for thirty seconds, or one person for ten minutes.
- What has to carry on afterwards? A shareable clip, a lead, a sale, a memory.
- What already exists? Characters, 3D models, key art, a fixed date. See how to brief an immersive experience.
Which goal points to which format
| Goal | Start with | Why | From our work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reach and shares | Snapchat Lens or TikTok effect | Built to be shared, where the audience already is | easyJet uniform try-on: 400K+ impressions, 50K+ shares |
| Access for a crowd, no install | WebAR | One link or QR code, any phone camera | 007 First Light WebAR |
| Understanding a product | WebAR product view or a try-on lens | People see it in their own space or on themselves | AR for product launches |
| Launching a title or a series | A landmark or story lens | Puts the story in a real place | House of the Dragon lens, anchored at Sankagiri Hill Fort |
| A feeling in a physical place | Installation or AR mirror | The venue is the medium | See our installations offer |
| A story that needs space around the person | Wearable AR | Hands and the room are part of the idea | Noodle on Snap Spectacles |
Two campaigns can share a goal and need different formats, because the audience is in a different place when it meets the work.
The same goal can need a different format
Take the goal "show people our new product". At an in-person launch with a crowd, a QR code that opens WebAR means nothing to install and nobody waits behind a download. For people at home scrolling a feed, a lens meets them where they already are. The goal stays fixed. The format follows the place. AR QR code campaigns for brands covers the scan route in detail.
When one goal needs two formats
Many campaigns use a lens for reach and WebAR for the product, or WebAR at the venue and a lens for the people who could not attend. When that happens the assets, the 3D models and the story are shared, and only the build differs. Choosing an immersive platform compares the seven formats side by side, and AR filter ideas for brands covers the mechanics that carry a story across them.
When smart glasses are the right answer, and when they are not
Glasses make sense when the idea needs the person's hands and the room around them, like a spatial workbench. For reach, the phone is where the audience already is. The comparison is in smart glasses vs phone AR for brand campaigns, and our wearable work is on the wearables page.
What you bring and what we decide
You bring the goal, the audience, the date and whatever assets exist. We decide the format, the platform and the build. If you are not sure of the goal yet, one sentence about what people should feel or do is enough to start, and the format finder gives a quick first read. Budget-wise, a custom Snapchat Lens typically starts from $5k and WebAR from $8k, set out in how much an AR filter costs.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose between a Snapchat Lens and WebAR?
Choose a Snapchat Lens when the goal is reach and shares among people already on Snapchat. Choose WebAR when anyone with a phone needs access without installing anything, such as at an event, on packaging, or from a link. Many campaigns use both.
How do I know if my campaign needs smart glasses?
Only when the idea needs the person's hands and the room around them. For reach, a phone is where the audience already is. Glasses suit spatial tools and story experiences where the space is part of the idea.
Can one campaign use more than one AR format?
Yes. A common pairing is a social lens for reach and WebAR for the product or the event. The 3D assets and the story are shared, and each format is built in its own tool.
What if I don't know my campaign goal yet?
Write one sentence about what people should feel or do, then bring it to the first call. The format finder tool gives a quick first read, and a studio can turn that sentence into a format, a platform and a price.
Why not start by choosing the platform?
Platforms change. Meta shut down Spark AR on January 14, 2025, ending Instagram filters for brands, and 8th Wall's hosted platform wound down in 2026. A goal-first brief survives that, because the story and the assets move to the next format.
Which AR format is cheapest?
A custom Snapchat Lens typically starts from about $5,000 and WebAR from about $8,000. The cheaper option is not better if it does not fit the goal, so choose the format first and scope the budget second.
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