The social discovery network Brightkite has announced today the launch of the first augmented reality advertising solution on the US market. The augmented reality service has been available for its users ever since August, via a partnership with Layar, and now it has been brought to a brand new level, offering them the option to view special offerings available at nearby stores. Up until now, the service only provided users with the possibility to view friends’ posts and photos at places around.

According to the company, the new service enables those who are looking at the world around through the camera on their mobile phone to access real-time digital information on top of the locations in real world. When the camera is moved around, users see data of their friends. However, the new partnership the company has inked with various retailers, bars, restaurants and other businesses now also offer users the possibility to see nearby stores and local offers as they move the phone's camera around them. Moreover, Brightkite also notes that this is the first time when the AR is being used for advertising in the US.

“Augmented reality is one of the hottest new tools out there and it’s no surprise that the first campaign to use it is one of the nation’s largest consumer electronics retailers,” said Brady Becker, founder of Brightkite. “This initiative pioneers the latest in advertising – combining mobile phones, location awareness and augmented reality. This is truly a groundbreaking media campaign about which we, as well as our users, are very excited.”

The company stresses on the fact that the new feature does not only deliver offers that are relevant to users, but also offers that are near their location. Retailers can benefit a lot from the new service too, as they can this way reach shopper directly on their handsets at times when they navigate around. The new advertising campaign, the company also notes, will be running on its service until the end of the ongoing year, and is available both on the iPhone and on Android-based handsets.