Could virtual reality revolutionize marketing and advertising? It may already be.
Sure, VR has been proclaimed the wave of the future before, only to fade into the background. But that’s not likely to happen this time. With major players like Facebook, Sony, Samsung and others investing huge money in VR, the medium appears here to stay. More than just “stay” – it’s here to shake things up, providing an immersive sensory-filled experience through which marketers can tell a brand’s story and much more.
Already, VR is making inroads in the promotional products industry. Suppliers are offering products like brandable virtual reality glasses and headsets. Distributors have scored success selling them. For example, Lacey, WA-based Budd Bay Promotions & Apparel (asi/149520) recently sold 2,500 virtual reality viewers to a fire department, which used them in a community outreach program.
Beyond the promo industry, an array of brands in diverse industries have leveraged VR in creative ways to do everything from build their brands to directly drive sales. Here are a few examples of VR in action that caught our attention:
Merrell TrailScape
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Last year, McDonald’s celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Happy Meal being in Sweden by spiffing up, via virtual reality, what might be the world’s most iconic box. In effect, customers could easily transform Happy Meal boxes into VR goggles – called Happy Goggles – by tearing along perforated lines, folding, and inserting provided VR lenses and a smartphone (not provided). Once enabled, kids and curious parents could play Slope Stars – a ski-themed VR game delivering a 360-degree ski experience that, in addition to being fun, provided education on how to stay safe when whisking down the mountain. The Swedish National Ski Team even endorsed the game. In all, about 3,500 VR Happy Meal boxes were available at 14 McDonald’s in Sweden. “The Happy Meal is one of our most loved menus and therefore an appropriate platform for reaching out to our family customers through experiences that focus on play and learning,” Jeff Jackett, marketing director at McDonald’s Sweden, said when Happy Goggles were released last year. “We believe that many people will enjoy the fun skiing game with the new Happy Goggles.”
The Holoroom & HoloGram Experience:
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Source: Asicentral