Virtual Reality- Not Just for Gamers

October 24, 2016 By Heather Serdoz,

What is VR doing for Marketing

Marketing use to be a much simpler concept, but the premise has always remained the same- get your product/brand out in front of people and get em talking about it, using it and even better- buying it. Gone are the days of simple cold calling and going door to door. We’re in a full out ratrace to see who can reach the masses faster. We’re in constant competition with the rest of our industry, always trying to be the first person to discover and claim we were first to this or that. I’m not going to sit here and tell you we were first to report a new discovery in marketing. I’m going to talk to you about something that already exists. What’s so cool about that you ask? I don’t believe it’s gotten the recognition it deserves. And trust me, it’s cool. I’m talking about Virtual Reality. Strictly from a branding perspective VR allows you to make real, meaningful connections with your audience. Many big brands are already tapping into the technology. Think companies like Nike, Ikea, Volvo and Red Bull. They’re out there creating impactful campaigns and solving some of the pitfalls of traditional marketing tactics.

Problems

VR is solving a few key problems brands face in general.

Outreach fails to engage with their customers
Customers cannot remember their marketing campaigns
Little or no competitive advantage over their competitors

Solutions

Engaging Consumers

VR is on a path that could change the marketing world is some serious ways. Two words- Visual Transmission. Visual marketing has seen a huge uptick in the last few years and VR will only aid in those efforts. Live-streamed video is the hot ticket item of the moment and will only continue to grow as social apps start to leverage its power to reach the masses. Facebook Live is a great example of visual transmission and as such users will come to expect a visual experience is all of the media they consume. The best part of Facebook taking the plunge first is how it’s lowered the risk for the rest of us. We’ve now got a proven method of engagement….

Memorable Marketing

This is where VR comes to play, adding that interactive element can further an experience a consumer has with a brand and thus creating a stronger connection to a brand. Which brings me to our next path- Immersion. The immersion factor of VR is a huge selling point. The whole concept behind VR is this immersive, 360 degree experience that the consumer controls. Current forms of content like demonstrations, interviews and tutorials will have to evolve accordingly. Rather than staging, shooting then presenting a piece of content, we’ll stage, present and frame the consumer into the content. The idea is this will pull higher engagement from users and over all, more memorable marketing campaigns.

Keeping It Real and Staying Ahead of the Competition

Social integration is another path VR can and, most likely, will take in the near future. Since Facebook owns Oculus Rift they’re already taking strong measures to create more forms of content for VR users. Apps are already jumping on the bandwagon, capitalizing on the rising trend. Much in the same way smartphones altered the way in which we interact with each other, VR is expected to do the same. As virtual reality becomes more sophisticated in the coming years, gathering user feedback and data will get easier for marketers. This could alter the way marketers campaign in the sense that we will be able to alter campaigns in real time. Direct response at it’s finest. Digital Operative is pretty excited about what the future holds for both marketing and VR. It’s an interesting little combination that’s come together and will inevitably make a huge impact on the way we look at marketing campaigns. While we may not be dabbling in VR quite yet, we’ve got our hands in some pretty unique cookie jars so to speak. Check out all of our services and if there’s anything we can do to help make your business better don’t hesitate to reach out, or just say “Hi!” We like people. Cheers!