Revolutionizing Digital Marketing: Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
By Jim Bask
The future is here. Virtual reality and augmented reality have been blowing minds in the world of gaming for some time now, but there’s a lot more to these cutting-edge technologies than just letting you outrun zombies in a post-apocalyptic world. VR and AR have many other applications – particularly in business and digital marketing.
In fact, these two technologies are already changing the face of both inbound and outbound marketing approaches. Although still quite young, the VR industry got real in 2016 – to the tune of $1 billion. By 2020, the industry is expected to reach $30 billion, while AR is projected to reach $90 billion by the same year, according to Digi-capital.
Large brands such as Coca-Cola and McDonald’s are already using VR to create successful campaigns, while Facebook, Samsung, and Google are also betting on VR.
VR and AR 101
While we all know what virtual reality is – – an immersive experience where an artificial environment is presented in such a way that it feels and appears like a real environment – many people aren’t as familiar with augmented reality. So here’s a quick primer.
Augmented reality is the view of the current world as we see it, with three-dimensional information layered on top of it. A good example is the smartphone app, Pokémon GO.
Why are VR and AR marketing campaigns successful?
Marketers face a lot of problems when it comes to consumer engagement and awareness. VR/AR helps solve these issues for several reasons.
First, VR and AR are still novel technologies. At this particular moment, consumers are more likely to remember VR/AR marketing campaigns because a relatively small number of companies are creating them.
Second, companies that use these technologies have an opportunity to completely immerse their customer in the experience they want to create. You might remember seeing this in action during the heyday of Pokémon Go, when people were running into each other and onto private property, and creating unprecedentedly massive crowds at landmarks – all because they were trying to catch a rare Pokémon.
And third, VR and AR can be used to give consumers a much more vivid feel for products and services than was ever before possible.
So how are businesses using these technologies to create effective, memorable marketing campaigns? Here are a few examples.
McDonald’s Happy Meal boxes
McDonald’s has released Happy Meal boxes that customers can fold into a cardboard VR headset. Customers can then download a McDonald’s virtual reality app on their phone, slide the phone into the goggles and have a virtual reality experience.
Coca Cola’s Santa’s Virtual Reality Sleigh Ride
In 2015, Poland saw a novel change in the Coca-Cola Christmas commercial. Coca-Cola created a VR sleigh ride using Oculus Rift. Thousands of people immersed themselves in a virtual world where they got to be Santa Claus for a day.
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