AOL Launches RYOT LAB, Immersive Storytelling For Brands And Advertisers

At RYOT, we believe storytelling comes first. RYOT was founded by humanitarians, filmmakers, and journalists who set out to use storytelling to change the world. Now, they are using that visionary experience to build the immersive brand of the future. From editorial print partnerships to interactive content creation for brands, RYOT breaks new ground every day to help businesses reach their audiences in compelling ways through virtual reality, augmented reality, and 360 video.

Today, RYOT is announcing the creation of RYOT Lab, a dedicated team of artists, technologists, developers, and engineers that empowers brands and advertisers to tap into the storytelling power of immersive formats and interactive experiences using emerging technology.

RYOT Lab enables brands, publishers, and advertisers to tell their stories through a combination of formats including virtual reality, 360 video, augmented reality, volumetric capture (holograms) as well as physical activations and events. The creation of RYOT Lab comes at a time when 70% of advertisers believe VR will have an important part in the digital video marketplace. Already, more than half of consumers view 360 videos once a week or more, and advertisers and publishers expect 360 video to be a top revenue driver in 2017.

Recent projects have leveraged augmented reality formats to blend the digital and print mediums together in an engaging and new way. Consumers simply hover their mobile phones over a brand image either on screen or in print for the advertising or story to come to life. RYOT Lab has successfully launched AR campaigns with Elle, Cosmopolitan, and now with Time Inc, beginning with this week's issue of Sports Illustrated.

Time Inc.'s ability to harness the power of augmented reality as a means of expanding their editorial content is an achievement in storytelling that can only be accessed through innovative technology integration. We are thrilled to provide the technology which allows the enhancement and amplification of stories in unique and meaningful ways. AR is the future of storytelling and we couldn't be more excited to help build it with Time Inc.

AOL is the first media company with the scale, scope and creative resources to bring these immersive formats to its entire network of advertising clients. Already offering a suite of innovative ad formats to its client and brand partners with BrandBuilder, with RYOT Lab, AOL is able to help advertisers extend beyond the screen for immersive advertising experiences.

RYOT Lab takes advantage of the latest in technology and is powered in part by and in partnership with Verizon Labs and their envrmnt platform. Envrmnt is a proprietary lightweight 3D rendering engine built by Verizon Labs to provide the market with cutting edge experiences through its cellular network and delivered through mobile devices. Other partners and technology providers will include Google Tango, Vuforia, Microsoft, Samsung and others who are pushing the boundaries of storytelling and technology. RYOT Lab will provide creative, production, engineering, animation, and development support to brands in order to create immersive format branded content and experiences.

RYOT Lab sits within RYOT, along with RYOT Films, RYOT Originals, and RYOT Studios. RYOT Lab will provide white label VR and AR production for RYOT, while helping to lead technology development and experimentation across other AOL properties.