Digital Marketing: Can Virtual Reality Be Useful?

by Bill McCown - Mar 11, 2016

Often times, marketers get caught up in the latest tech, but have no idea how to use them for marketing purposes. Virtual reality has become a very popular concept over the past year or two, but how can you use it? A great example comes from Marriott Hotels. They used VR to take couples, who were just married at New York City Hall, on a virtual honeymoon. This allowed the couples to visualize how great it'd be to travel to a romantic destination and stay at a Marriott Hotel:

They created a series of similar videos and launched a social campaign (#GetTeleported) with a dedicated virtual reality experience landing page.

“Creating a memorable memorable experience is what digital marketers strive for,” said Jay Joyce with The Idea People. “Virtual reality is becoming more and more accessible to people in their homes. Because of this, these types of campaigns will have a wider reach.

How Can Digital Marketers Use Virtual Reality?

Product Experiences

Let customers experience what it’s like to use the product. When a customer is able to use a product before buying, they are much more likely to commit to the sale. That is why car dealerships offer test drives - it puts them in the driver’s seat and gives them a sense of ownership. Volvo used VR to do just that…

Event Experiences

Promoting events like festivals and concerts can become even more effective when you put the viewer right in the middle of the action. Viewers can get a feel for what it's like to be at a specific venue. When you watch this VR video of a Paul McCartney concert, you may just feel like buying a ticket!

Educational Experiences

When consumers know more about your history or how your product is made, they develop a connection with your brand. Patron is using the Oculus Rift to create a virtual reality experience to educate their customers. They offer a tour of the distillery and show the process their tequila goes through during production:

VR is More Accessible Than You Might Think

"Not every VR setup has to be complex,” said Joyce. “An effective virtual reality experience can be created with a simple, fairly inexpensive 360 camera and Google Cardboard.”

Feel like your business doesn’t have anything to show? That’s not true! Even just a recording of a job being performed or a walkthrough of your facility could add some personality to your brand’s digital marketing efforts.

To learn more about digital marketing and enhancing UX, contact The Idea People by calling (704) 398-4437 or e-mailing us:

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