The VR Marketing Hype and Why You Should Join In

With the rising consumer demand for more engaging, interactive, and personalized content, it is only natural that organizations would look towards AI to fulfill their marketing and promotional requirements. In fact, 75% of top brands on Forbes’ World’s Most valuable Brands list are either already employing virtual or augmented reality experiences, or are in the process of innovating original VR technologies, according to the 2015 Virtual Reality Brand Power Index.

But what exactly is VR, or Virtual Reality? To put it simply, VR is a digitally emulated reality experience that makes the user feel as if they are actually present in the time or place shown, all while staying in the same place. This place or time can either be an entirely fictionalized ‘virtual’ world, or a mix of the real and digital elements.

Now, you might ask that what is it about VR that has marketers and whole organizations clamoring the build or attain the next best VR technology? For starters, VR tools contribute towards increased user experiences by amplifying the emotional intensity and personalized nature of the delivered message. And for skeptics who still deem VR as too expensive to ever be employed in mass marketing, recent technological improvements and alternate VR channels have drastically lowered the production costs, as can be seen from McDonalds as yet experimental campaign that converts Happy Meal boxes into the ‘Happy Goggle’ VR headset-their own highly cost-effective version of Google Cardboard with the added benefit of repurposing.

Other benefits of employing VR into mass marketing strategies is the unique, immersive experiences that the technology offers, which have been utilized by various companies to promote their brand ideals, leave a lasting impression on users by appealing to a certain aspect of their personalities, and consequentially generate a larger customer base. Take, for instance, The North Face’s campaign that virtualized the brand’s ‘explorer’ credo by offering customers the chance to hike within Yosemite National Park, America, or the conveyance of more philanthropic ideals of Tom’s shoes where customers were taken on a journey through Peru to gift shoes to someone in need. VR advertising also provides a way around ad-blockers, the use of which has increased by well over 30% since 2016, by repackaging and repositioning what is essentially an advertisement into an immersive and more receptive user experience.

Contrary to popular beliefs, VR marketing is happening now and will only advance into something bigger and better than its present counterpart-perhaps even to the point where it overtakes all traditional advertising media to become the sole marketing tool.