A brand new Kip interview with Ben Rono. He is an exceptional Kenyan headed up-high. His natural selling ability makes his marketing degree seem superfluous. His passion for people, his customers and services is palpable. He is easily the Kenyan in Perth version of what Seth Godin wrote in his book, the Purple Cow.
While driving through France a few years ago, my family and I were enchanted by the hundreds of storybook cows grazing in lovely pastures right next to the road. For dozens of kilometers, we all gazed out the window, marveling at the beauty. Then, within a few minutes, we started ignoring the cows. The new cows were just like the old cows, and what was once amazing was now common. Worse than common: It was boring.
Cows, after you’ve seen them for a while, are boring. They may be well-bred cows, Six Sigma cows, cows lit by a beautiful light, but they are still boring. A Purple Cow, though: Now, that would really stand out. The essence of the Purple Cow – the reason it would shine among a crowd of perfectly competent, even undeniably excellent cows – is that it would be remarkable. Something remarkable is worth talking about, worth paying attention to. Boring stuff quickly becomes invisible.
Ben Rono strives to be remarkable in everything he does. He tells Kip that his secret is business is out-caring the competition. He listens to his customers deep concerns, puts himself in their shoes and cares enough to provide the best solution that money can buy.
Kip: G’day mate, how are you doing?
Ben: Very well my brother. Good to see what you are doing for Kenyans in Perth.
Kip: Thank you. Let me take this moment to thank you for your work in planning this website (kenyansinperth.com). It all started at your kitchen table, it has taken us forever to get to this stage, but better late than never.
Ben: Thats right… as long as the job gets done. Keep it up. If you need a hand, just give me a shout, I am always ready to help with marketing strategies.
Kip: Thank you. Talking of marketing, what is your background in marketing? Were you born to sell?
Ben: Hahaha, I studied marketing at uni, but that is just a small part of the story. I love meeting people, listening and solving problems. If you care enough about people, it is easier to present solutions that solve their problems. I out-care my competition.
Kip: Nice one … out-care the competition! You are definitely doing that with your latest venture. But before we get to that, have you got a quick tip on networking for Kip readers?
Ben: Business will never find you, you have to find it! Networking gives you the opportunity to meet new people and to get to know each other, and to explore opportunities together. I encourage people to join business networking clubs. They give you the opportunity to attend functions and events; and to understand what other business owners or managers face. Make a point of continuously meeting like minded business owners that are passionate about what they do. Passion is contagious.
Kip: Your passion for augmented reality is palpable. Many people have probably not heard about this amazing technology, please break it down for us. What is augmented reality?
Ben: Augmented reality is a term for a camera enhanced view of a physical real-world environment, where virtual elements are merged with the real-life scene creating a ‘mixed reality’ of virtual elements and the real world.
Kip: That definition will force the least technical readers to scamper for safety!
Ben: Hahaha, it sounds like Greek to many people the first time they hear it, but it is not that complicated. Remember even mobile phones were a strange invention just over a decade ago.
Kip: True. I guess the power of Augmented Reality becomes apparent when someone interacts with it. How about you walk us through a few practical examples of how you have used Augmented Reality and educate us on how this will impact us?
Ben: AR as it’s called allows the user to interact with a product using a marker ( magazine, newspaper, flyer ,poster…) prior to purchasing or to gain more information about a product or service e.g. automobile advertisement, packaging, point of sale advertising, AR video on safety manuals..the list goes on.
We are currently working to put together a marketing campaign that incorporates augmented reality for an Australian musician called Phillip Walleystack. He is the number one Australian icon when it comes to music and Australian Aboriginal culture. We are putting together a marketing campaign for him as he is travelling to the US next year to do 22 shows.
Kip: How does augmented reality come to play in this case?
Ben: We are going to incorporate augmented reality into his performances. People in the audience will be able to hold up their mobile devices and see 3-D animations and different creative things happening around him during the events. It is a new way of providing additional value.
People can also scan his CD cover and watch his music videos and instantly buy tickets for his concerts.
Kip: So a humble CD cover now becomes part of an ongoing story?
Ben: Correct, and you can keep changing that story. For example, they released an album first, then they released the music videos. Now you can access new music videos by pointing your phone to that CD cover.
Kip: So you are providing a richer way for people to engage with their customers over a long time?
Ben: Yes. brand loyalty works like charm in that case.
Kip: Any other musician or celebrity using augmented reality?
Ben: Augmented reality is here to stay. I will give you an example, the Black Eyed Peas album is augmented. Two or three months ago, Michelle Obama was in a magazine that was augmented as well.
Kip: When you say that a magazine is augmented do you mean that you get additional behind the scenes stories ?
Ben: Correct, basically as you are flipping through the magazine, you access extra data using your tablet or mobile device. About 4 or 5 different US politicians are using augmented reality, it is getting there. It is getting some really strong legs. Most of the major brands have taken up Augmented reality in a very big way. Heineken, Becks and Stella Artois are some of the brands using Augmented Reality to connect with their customers.
Kip: Kenyans love their beer. I hope EABL is listening…
Ben: Hahaha. They better be. The future is here.
Kip: What other memorable jobs have you done with augmented reality?
Ben: We created an Augmented Reality game for Perth Heat Baseball team. The theme was ” I only Kiss Heat Fans “. 
To win a kiss, tickets to a baseball game or baseball cards the user had to spin the virtual wheel for a prize. The event was a great success with over 650 participants over 2 days.
Ben: We have also done an augmented reality tour for our printing business (Jandakot Print). There is a company we work with, that mapped our office then recorded a 360 degrees video of the premises. Using augmented reality, people are now able to do a virtual tour of our office right from their mobile phones.
Kip: That sounds like an interesting application of augmented reality. Could that be applied by Kenyan businesses targeting the diaspora and tourists?
Ben: Oh yes. Ben: Our country manager Jimmy has been working with KTB to try and put together a full brief of what we can do for KTB and MagicalKenya… at the moment our proposal is … sorry can’t talk about it. But what I can say is what we are able to do for tourism in Kenya. We could for example use augmented reality for hotel virtual tours and game parks.
Kip: Interesting…how would augmented reality, for example, be applied at the Masai Mara National Park?
Ben: We could enable people with a tablet device or a smartphone to visit the park using a 360 degrees tour, make a booking, and access rich content about the place.
Kip: You mentioned that US politicians are using augmented reality. Are Kenyan politicians using it?
Ben: We have been working for a few months with a major political party in Kenya (TNA). Remember the last election, how many billboards were in Nairobi? Heaps. Even now we have thousands of billboards and they all have the same stagnant images. Augmented reality can bring these billboards and posters to life. These billboards can serve as a source of more relevant and timely information.
Kip: Is Kenya really ready for augmented reality in politics? How is that going to benefit TNA?
Ben: With the ban of illegal mobile phones and the uptake of smartphones we believe Kenya is ready for AR. First it reduces the amount of printing done as the same poster can be updated with different, videos, information, voice over without a reprint. We also provide real time stats (analytics) to our clients so they get real data on how their users are engaging with the print materials and packaging. We help them to segment their client base better.
Kip: Finally, apart from Augmented Reality, what are you most passionate about?
Ben: My family and friends. Everything I do is for my family, I would like to give them the same opportunities I received from my father and more. I remember when I was young my father was away a lot on business as he struggled to give us the best education for our future. Hopefully with AiR Experience I can spend more time with my family and still provide for them in the same way.
Kip: You do travel a lot come to think of it. How has travel opened your eyes and business opportunities?
In today’s world we are no longer limited by borders, the web is an open market for trade but having trusted partners is of paramount importance. Get to know whomever you are dealing with. Make sure they are who and what they say they are. If in doubt get the hell out!!! And yes once bitten twice shy, this is from experience.
Kip: Thank you very much Ben for you time and insights. How can people reading this get in touch with you?
Ben: Our contact details for our Perth, Brisbane and Kenya offices can be found onhttp://www.airexperience.com.au/?page_id=891 . While at it, be sure to browse on our website to learn more about us and how our services can help you.
I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge the giants on whose shoulders I stand. Our team has been amazing. Thanks to Raph Garnier our head developer who’s idea it was to get into Augmented reality, we have and are working with global companies I never dreamed could be possible. Our partnership with Efltech (www.efltech.com) based in Brisbane has also provided some amazing opportunities for us on the East Coast and the global market. They have some amazing technologies that will definitely be hitting the Kenyan market in 2013!
Kip: Thank you very much Ben.
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