Virtual Reality-A Tool For Marketing

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Virtual Reality: a tool for marketing?

Consider this case: ahead of the International Cricket Council Champions


Trophy that ended on 18 June, the sport’s governing body had announced intel
as innovation partner for tournament in England. Intel said it would “use range
of technology and revolutionize how athletes train, coaches teach, scouts
evaluate talent and fans enjoy sports. There is an increasing push towards
enhancing broadcast experience and training
methods using AR and VR.
Three industries that will use full potential of
virtual reality are entertainment, travel, auto.
They will use VR to sell products, interact
with users more efficiently and gain increase
sales in hard-to-target audience. McDonald’s
and Marriott have had most successful virtual reality campaign. McDonald’s
recently introduced a Happy Meal box in Sweden that can be repurposed into
a Google cardboard virtual reality headset. Through this marketing campaign,
McDonald’s has encouraged both adults and children to order the Happy Meal
box. When the meal is finished, the child (or possibly adult) can strap on the
cardboard virtual reality headset and become immersed in playing Slope Stars,
a skiing game.
In an effort to promote vacation getaways, Marriott created “teleportation
devices” that used 360 degree video streams, heaters, and wind jets, to
virtually transport users from a telephone booth in one city to a beach
destination across the globe in “90 seconds.” This marketing tactic allowed
clients to gain a taste of an exotic destination without reminding them about
the travel time or the airport queues. Marriott representatives for the far-off
destinations were conveniently situated to help clients book their vacation
getaway before the sensory virtual reality experience wore off.
VR and 360 videos have been taking off over the past few years, and we’ve
seen plenty of brands get on board.
 It's Accessible
Since being released in 2016, virtual reality has developed monumentally.
Initially, to be able to access other worlds you'd need a bulky headset valued at
some ridiculous amount. Nowadays, your smartphone is all you need to take
you to a whole new world, making VR more accessible for everybody.
Recently an additional feature called AR Coach Position in travel-booking
platform Ixigo was added in its ios app . Users can anytime login and get a live
update.
 Changing the way of storytelling
360 videos put your customers right where you want them, fully immersing
them. It ups the game for marketers and storytelling. Using 360 videos to your
advantage, your customers can lose themselves in your world and be wholly
absorbed in your story.
We can now put your customers in your store, let them explore your gym, or
relax in your hotel, you name it, VR can put you there. With immersive VR
you can push past static images and deliver a truly unique experience. Letting
them be part of your story.
In the automotive sector, VR is being used to provide consumers virtual test
drives and a first-hand experience of the interiors of new and upcoming
models. Lexus uses Facebook’s Oculus Rift while Volvo uses Google’s
Cardboard to offer these experiences to customers through their respective
website and app.
 Flaunt your product and experience
With VR, there are no sneaky marketing techniques. It gives customers a
virtual experience that lets them know what they’re missing out on. VR
marketing makes them want to experience what you’ve got on offer, a bit like
a try before you buy technique.
Emirates Airlines began allowing people to saunter in their luxurious A380
airbus and book seats of their choice. Dubai-based Emirates Airlines, thus,
became one of the many companies that have begun using Virtual Reality (VR)
and Augmented Reality (AR) to provide a first-hand experience of their
products to customers. Well, now you can experience their world through
portal. Rather than using regular video, the virtual reality portal puts you right
in the airbus. Showcasing the experience, you get in their world.

 Increase engagement and conversions


As people, we remember and recall far more of what we experience compared
to what we see. Your brand’s message or story is more likely to be retained
when it’s in an immersive environment like VR.
Standard videos leave room for distractions, but people don’t want to blink in
case they miss it. There’s no denying that virtual reality is a cool piece of
technology, and because of that people have fun using it.
Take for example, Bengaluru-based firm Livspace is using VR to let interior
designers create a design blueprint according to a customer’s requirement in
3D or VR. Once the design is shared with customers, they get a real time
experienceand can provide their feedback and suggest further changes.
Livspace then creates a shopping cart and provides an estimate of the total
cost of redesigning.
To Wrap It Up
Virtual reality marketing is evolving and it’s more important than ever to keep
your finger on the trends pulse. When VR takes off, brands and advertisers will
be able to reach fully immersed customers on a platform unlike any other.
Thus, early adopters will have the upper hand in experience and stand out
from other competitors.
References
https://www.livemint.com/Technology/q1Z3DGkpEhatfPSpCKLx1K/How-
Virtual-Reality-is-augmenting-offline-business.html
https://www.digitaldoughnut.com/articles/2018/august/virtual-reality-marketing-
is-it-already-here
https://www.livemint.com/Technology/XVsmQQQXrRfxs7M6lY1PMP/How-
virtual-reality-augmented-reality-are-making-sports-liv.html

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