VR marketing: Is it something your brand should explore?

Practical tips to help you understand whether VR can really strengthen your marketing strategy.
9 October 2018

Who can really run a VR marketing program? Source: Shutterstock

When you look around, you’ll realize that virtual reality (VR) is picking up pace no matter the industry or geography.

Everyone is interested in the technology given how exciting it is — it is immersive and literally concepts and ideas to life. That’s exactly the kind of technology that marketers need right now, in a crowded world where everyone is vying for attention.

It’s why most big brands, especially those that deal with consumers directly, such as Audi, Uber, and even the New York Times have engaged with VR in one way or another.

The fact is, you can’t ignore VR. By 2020, the economic impact of virtual and augmented reality is predicted to reach US$29.5 billion and the number of VR headsets sold is predicted to reach 82 million — a 1,507 percent increase from 2017 predicted totals.

So, how do you know if your brand should use VR for marketing? Here are some tips:

# 1 | Do you have a product or service users can experience?

When you’ve got a product or a service, it’s relatively easy to create a VR marketing experience since it can immediately become the subject of the marketing project.

Boursin, for example, created an experiential marketing program using the technology in order to take users on a multi-sensory journey through a refrigerator.

The objective was to raise awareness among UK consumers of Boursin’s distinct taste and product selection — and the technology made it easy to shed light on its products’ flavor profiles, food pairings, and recipe ideas.

# 2 | Does your product or service break a mold of some sort?

A lot of people feel that they have limitations. Your products or services, if they can help them surpass those limitations and break the mold in some way, can be something you can capture on VR.

It’s the perfect VR marketing strategy — one that Adidas leveraged on to build an enthralling experience for its loyal customers.

TERREX (a division of Adidas) captured the rock climbing journey of Ben Rueck and Delaney Miller so people could actually climb with them using a VR headset and holding two sensory remote controls in each hand.

# 3 | Would an immersive experience be engaging for your users?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, there’s a lot more that a VR experience can do for marketers — especially when showing off something that is larger than life.

Take the global transport company DP World for example. It recently opened the Caucedo facility in the Dominican Republic and used VR to show how its large and often mysterious ships suddenly appear, load up, and depart. It’s a once in a lifetime experience — one that VR really brings to life.