VR Marketing
While we may not have reached the point of digital teleportation and flying cars just yet, it’s hard to ignore how different our world has become compared to what it was decades ago. Innovation has allowed companies from various industries to explore new channels and platforms to launch their own marketing campaigns with the help of different digital marketing strategies. Given how consumer expectations are at an all-time high these days, marketers must employ better communication campaigns to impress their customers. Thus, many marketers have incorporated virtual reality (VR) into the mix.
What is VR Marketing?
Today, standing out from the competition is a challenging task to conquer. Most consumers look for brands that can offer them an authentic experience that is both interactive and personal in nature. But in order to engage your customers, you need to create unique strategies that provide consumers with a one-of-a-kind experience.
Truth is, banner ads don’t generate the same amount of clicks as they did in the past. A ‘sponsored post’ may easily be ignored with a simple scroll. And a newsletter from email marketing? Do people still open these types of messages?
Although these marketing strategies can still bring in incredible numbers for a business, there’s no denying how these campaigns are slowly losing their touch. Because of this, marketers have found a fresh channel to conduct promotional strategies in the form of VR marketing.
1. But What Exactly is Virtual Reality Marketing?
For one thing, VR marketing enables marketers to provide consumers with a realistic experience of a given product, service or place without physically being there. This is more than what conventional media can accomplish because of how it ignites strong feelings of emotion and memories that may be linked to real human behavior. Various VR technologies such as special goggles, headsets, and sensor-fitted gloves offer users a computer-generated simulation of a 3D image or environment that allows indirect interaction between the user and what is virtually present. This serves as an effective way to boost brand awareness, enhance consumer engagement, and improve customer experience. You may also see marketing examples of famous brands
2. Why it’s Worth the Risk
Although VR marketing does require a reasonable marketing budget, to begin with, using VR in marketing is still beneficial in a lot of ways. For example, VR campaigns are more valuable in terms of personalized content. This will help pique the interest of consumers by giving them something relatively different to be curious about. Customers are bound to take notice of a brand that is forward-thinking as well. In fact, studies have predicted that the VR industry could hit around $33.90 billion by 2022. The estimated number of VR users may even skyrocket by then. Altogether, it’s pretty clear that VR marketing is the next big thing in branding and marketing, making it an obvious choice for your next advertising venture.
VR Marketing Examples to Inspire Your Next Marketing Tactics
How does virtual marketing work? How do companies gain recognition from it?
Despite the hype surrounding virtual reality in social media marketing and the like, many marketers are unaware or lack knowledge on how these strategies must be carried out. Besides the use of cool headsets and other VR devices, the beauty of VR marketing lies on how well marketers are able to communicate with prospects using various content strategies.
To guide you in your quest towards virtual reality marketing, listed below are ten clever examples of successful VR marketing campaigns that have wowed customers in recent years:
1. Travel Before You Travel by Thomas Cook
Imagine getting a 360-degree experience at the top of New York’s Rockefeller Center, or visiting the most historical sites of Egypt, all while standing in the middle of a store in your hometown.
As one of the leading global travel companies in the U.K, installing VR headsets (specifically the Samsung Gear VR) in 10 of its stores in the United Kingdom was a successful marketing move that other companies can only dream of. In the first three months of the campaign, Thomas Cook’s VR marketing strategy had raised the revenue for New York tours by 190%, along with hotel and flight bookings by an average of £12,000. You may also like examples of successful fashion marketing campaigns.
2. The North Face: Climb by The North Face
If anything, VR has always been a popular marketing medium for companies that cater to an audience of adventure-lovers. So in 2015, The North Face thought it would be a smart idea to launch several VR experiences at store locations in New York, San Francisco, and London. From enjoying the view at the peak of Yosemite National Park to experiencing the winter cold in Nepal, the brand garnered so much publicity as a VR genius for the retail market.
3. Virgin Travel by Virgin Holiday
And, yet another VR marketing campaign from the travel industry, Virgin Holidays knew exactly what to do to entertain waiting customers at their stores.
Instead of using travel magazines and advertisements to amuse clients, the company offered customers a virtual tour of their key destinations using VR technology. The campaign, which aims to give customers a ‘try before you travel’ experience, features various Virgin Holiday destinations in a life-like form. This has effectively kept customers in the store for a longer period, not to mention foster a significant rise in sales of travel holidays to places like Riviera Maya in Mexico. You may also check out types of marketing styles
4. Volvo Reality by Volvo
When it comes to marketing, it’s important for a company to understand the needs of their respective consumers. One good example for this is Volvo’s approach to VR marketing, where the brand took into consideration how customers needed to touch, feel, and experience a car before they purchase it. Volvo also noticed how nearly everyone nowadays own a smartphone. So by putting two and two together, Volvo Reality came to be. You may also see marketing plan examples & samples
Volvo Reality is the world’s first VR test drive which was made available to anyone who owned a smartphone and a Google Cardboard. This VR marketing example gained so much attention online that the first edition of Volvo XC90s immediately sold out in less than two days upon its launch. With the numbers it managed to rake in, it’s clear that internet marketing and video marketing have also helped the campaign break records.
5. Mirror to the Soul by Mercedes-Benz
Ever been to a famous fashion show before? If you haven’t, then the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Russia can offer you an experience unlike any other.
In 2015, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia began the Mirror to the Soul campaign which allowed an audience to witness highlights of the event through a five-minute VR experience. Viewers from around the world had access to everything from backstage to front row seats at the show, bridging the gap between brands and their target consumers. Considering how fashion week tends to be an exclusive event for the elite, this VR experience definitely broke boundaries between entities on both sides of the spectrum. You may also check out advertising and marketing examples to inspire you
Apart from installing a mysterious garage door somewhere around New York, the company also took matters into the hands of their tech team by creating an animated virtual world filled with milk rivers and chocolate canyons. Similar to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, Oreo’s Wonder Vault is every sweet tooth’s dream come true. Since its release, the video has gained over three million views and counting. This fun campaign experience brought so much attention to the new product, giving it the publicity it needed to fly off the shelves. You may also see marketing presentation examples
6. Absolut Reality by Absolut Vodka
During the summer of 2015, Absolut Vodka decided to collaborate with the music industry by starting the Absolut Reality campaign which centered on offering video streams to customers who couldn’t get their hands on tickets for a couple of sold-out concerts of the season. With the help of drones and other enhanced video equipment, the company successfully put together a series of videos that were so realistic, people could actually feel they were a part of the whole experience while it was happening. This helped the brand expand their audience by exploring a market that was different from their own. You may also like marketing goals examples
7. Clouds Over Sidra by UNICEF
Starting a marketing campaign that is both timely and relevant to today’s society is one important ingredient to a successful strategy. Putting this into perspective, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) took VR marketing to a whole other level by creating an 8-minute, 360-degree short film entitled Clouds over Sidra in an attempt to raise awareness about the ongoing refugee crisis of Syrian nationals. You may also check out effective marketing examples
The film follows the life of a 12-year-old girl living in a refugee camp along the Jordanian desert. The aim of the film was to give viewers a ground-level picture of the severe living conditions that these refugees are currently suffering from. This helped the organization send a powerful message to people from across the globe regarding the real-life difficulties that humanity is facing. You may also see marketing strategy examples in doc
8. 360° NASCAR Virtual Reality Experience by XFINITY
Ever wondered what it’s like to be a NASCAR driver?
If you aren’t much of a thrill-seeker nor do you plan on putting yourself in a death-defying experience of NASCAR racing, then a simulated version of such may just be your best option.
XFINITY simulated the intensity of being a part of the world of NASCAR racing by putting users right at the center of it all. Whether it’s as a spectator or as a race car passenger, the use of VR to bring viewers on a wild ride across the tracks makes this experience a front-runner as one of the most intense uses of VR marketing by a brand. You may also like marketing research questionnaire examples & samples
Like any other marketing approach, incorporating virtual reality into your advertising campaigns will only work out with the right marketing objectives in place. These campaigns should be crafted according to your purpose in order to generate the best results. So the next time you utilize technology for your marketing needs, make sure you focus on nothing but quality content to reach optimum customer satisfaction.
Share :
