VR or Virtual Reality …

… it’s one of those buzzwords that marketers have been raving about for the last few years and for good reason! More companies are investing in VR as a core marketing strategy and the VR & AR industry is expected to reach £25 billion worldwide by 2020, according to Hubspot.

Firstly, what is VR? Virtual Reality (often just referred to as VR) allows users to experience something through the use of computer technology. This simulated experience (often by using a VR head set) can be similar or completely different from the real world. VR has actually been around for a long time and artist David Em created educational training programmes for NASA back in the late 70s and has become more mainstream since the early 2000s – as the gaming industry clocked onto this and started developing VR game experiences. Fast forward to 2019 and more companies see the value of this and are offering their customers unique VR experiences.

Should VR be part of your marketing remit?

Offer your customers unique experiences:
VR allows you to offer your customers an unique experience that they may not have had before, creating a strong affinity with your brand. It’s ideal for use at exhibitions to demonstrate a products which otherwise would not be possible.

VR experiences can have different purposes:
Educational – this could be particularly useful to highlight dangers in a particular job for example; if you would like new employees to experience what it is like to be on  a construction site, for example at a construction site without actually putting them at risk. Or flight simulators for example, when experiencing the real thing would be too cost prohibitive.
Ikea successfully implemented VR as part of their strategy enabling customers to browse and shop without having to leave their home. VR can bring the real world directly to your customers with the minimum of effort.

Offering your customers a fun experience:
The possibility are endless with VR and is a great way of doing something fun such as climbing Kilimanjaro or diving the Great Barrier Reef.  Outdoor clothing brand North Face offered such an experience, customers could try on clothes whilst going on a hike through Yosemite National Park.

Unlike more traditional channels such as Social Media, Print and Email Marketing, VR is not yet explored by most companies and this could bring advantages to early adopters. 62% of consumers stated that they would feel more engaged with a brand that offers a VR experience and 71% perceives the brand as forward thinking.

Here at OWB, we can help you implement a VR strategy into your marketing plan. Read our KPMG VR case study here to get a grasp on how it works.