Virtual Reality Marketing: Why It’s a Game-Changer

As virtual reality becomes more and more developed, so does virtual reality marketing. This is a huge market possibility that hasn’t yet been explored very thoroughly. As a result, there is a world of new ideas that could be implemented into marketing. With different companies rolling out new virtual reality headsets regularly, it would be smart to look into the possibilities VR offers. Digital marketing could see a major shift from virtual reality marketing, so get ahead of the game and start looking into ideas now! No longer science fiction, VR is slowly but surely going to change the way we interact with the world. That includes your customers, so don’t neglect to think about how this could potentially change the digital game forever.

Why Virtual Reality Marketing is so Influential

Customer engagement is a huge issue for marketers. Virtual reality essentially forces engagement. This makes for more memorable campaigns. Customers are completely immersed, therefore less likely to be distracted. Virtual reality marketing has a much larger impact than traditional marketing efforts. This is because viewers feel as though they are part of the experience. This makes for a more memorable campaign, as customers are switched from passive observer to active participant.

Different Types of VR Marketing

An idea for incorporating VR into your marketing strategy is to create a 360 video. These videos capture everything around the camera. This makes viewers feel as though they are really there. Rather than just getting a video facing one direction, viewers can navigate in all directions. This allows them to get the full experience. On a smartphone, this type of video can be viewed by moving the phone around. A VR headset lets the user move their head around for the same effect. Video marketing has been successful for a while, but this new type of video is still novel enough that it generally garners much more views than the average video. As part of their #BeFearless campaign, Samsung produced a 360 video that puts viewers atop the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand’s tallest man-made structure.

Another option is to create a VR game with your own branding. This is a way to benefit from a type of virtual reality that’s more well-established.

Go Full on Virtual

Some businesses have opted to go for totally immersive virtual reality campaigns. Popular retailer JCPenney set up a virtual Christmas experience in several of their stores last year. Customers put on Oculus headsets where they could visit the North Pole and see Santa’s workshop in action. They were given the opportunity to interact with elves and reindeer. An immense amount of thought was put into this campaign. This type of experience will surely stick in the minds of customers, making them more likely to return. It’s also likely that they will be share their story of their time with Santa with their friends. This gives JCPenney the added benefit of word-of-mouth marketing.

VR is Becoming More Mainstream

Just a year ago, there was resistance to the idea of virtual reality. But now customers are more accepting of the idea. As companies like Google make VR more and more commonplace, people are becoming less wary. This is great news for marketers who want to use virtual reality. The most innovative marketing in the world doesn’t mean anything if people refuse to participate in it. However, consumers have come a long way in terms of this new technology.

Virtual Reality Can Have a Massive ROI

VR offers the chance to massively increase your business’ reach potential without having to physically expand. Virtual reality could allow thousands more people attend something like a company conference or fashion show. This is an excellent opportunity for redirection to your website or other desired action. VR allows companies to reach out like never before to previously untapped markets. VR content creation is becoming easier and easier. Once an initial investment has been made in the technology and equipment, the possibilities are pretty much endless.

Why VR Marketing is the New Frontier

Virtual reality marketing has the potential to be hugely successful. It’s still novel, so many customer’s will be impressed by this type of marketing. It’s more likely to stick with the consumer after their experience is over, as it eliminates outside distractions and gives a more lasting impact. In addition, there is a lot of creative potential, so we could be seeing brands do things never before seen in marketing. Overall, as VR becomes more accessible and commonplace, using it in marketing only makes sense. This new technology could very well change the face of marketing as we know it, so don’t push it to the wayside!