Google Data recently revealed a whopping 4X increase in global search interest in virtual reality.
By the end of 2016, it is estimated that there will be more than 12 million VR headset sales and, by 2020, 30 million shipped headsets from the VR industry itself.
Marketers are looking to boost advertisements for brands with the help of virtual reality. With its immersive nature, VR can dramatically bridge the gap between a brand and a user.
In this post, we’ll check out five businesses that are harnessing virtual reality in their ads and how you can create a 360-degree video for your very own VR experience.
It’s safe to say that virtual reality isn’t creeping into our lives anymore; it’s leaping.
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[Source: Google Trends]
We’ve seen virtual reality applied to medical procedures, military operations, sports, architecture, journalism and even confronting our deep-set phobias. Now, one more industry exploring the power of virtual reality is advertising.
If you have a VR headset, go grab it and get ready for some great lessons in impactful advertising.
1. Make Your Brand Exciting Like Volvo
Want to experience the thrill of driving a brand new car before even handing the cash over? Volvo removed the car dealer from the equation and used virtual reality to put the viewer in the driver’s seat to let them experience their redesigned XC90 SUV through a scenic route in the country.
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Enter Boursin Sensorium, winner of the Masters of Marketing award, where the typically uneventful trip to the fridge is given a magical twist. This was the first time a food brand in the UK used virtual reality combined with mobile chairs, wind jets, and actual product samples to give viewers the most vivid experience of the Boursin brand.
The results were solid. Overall awareness of the brand soared to 98% in just two months. Pre-event product usage showed that only 19% of consumers bought the brand regularly or on a monthly basis. Two months later, it doubled to 36%.
Takeaway: Boursin revamped their product’s domestic status by combining virtual reality with live sensory engagement for their audience. Through the attention-absorbing efficacy of virtual reality, it extended itself to a younger generation and ended up winning the hearts of thousands of new customers.
3. Revamp Brand Image Like Coke’s Santa Sleigh Ride
Coca-Cola’s Santa Claus got a makeover in Poland last year. Developers Lemon & Orange took the brand’s annual Christmas truck convoy and gave it a VR twist where you got to be Santa gliding through the wintery skies with your reindeer.
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Patrón created a 360-degree journey, with live action and graphics, to show the product’s lifecycle starting from the warm highlands of Mexico to Patrón’s Hacienda Headquarter. The promo video “The Art of Patrón” was shaped by Firstborn, Legend, and Antfood agencies and took six months to complete.
The video was shot with a 360 camera rig installed on a customized flying drone to give viewers a seamless view of the product’s various stages. You can take a sneak peek at the behind-the-scenes video here.
Takeaway: More and more people want to know how the products they consume are made. Instead of ignoring this increasingly common demand, Patrón used the power of storytelling and tapped into consumer curiosity by taking viewers on a detailed and delicious virtual tour of their artisanal tequila.
5. Transport Your Audience Like Marriott’s Teleporter
One industry cozying up to the marketing power of virtual reality is travel. Marriott Hotels decided to use a 4-D tourism experience that teleports viewers to a Marriott Hotel, a beach in Hawaii and a tower in London—without hauling luggage around.
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Source: Adespresso