Virtual Reality and the Effects on Advertising
Virtual reality, science fiction of the past, is now reality. A virtual reality (VR) headset allows viewers to be fully immersed in a scenario. This could create a multitude of different and exciting advertising opportunities for those prepared to enter this new channel of digital technology. With a predicted 54.1% increase in VR sales in 2019 this market is the one to be watching.
VR headsets are fully immersive and allow wearers to interact with the reality that they see. This is the feature that marketers should fully take advantage of, ensuring consumers interact with their products and their brand. This new format of advertising can help the brand create emotional connections with consumers, increasing positive brand image and memorability of the brand. Furthering this, VR will give people a better feel of what you offer than what is usually possible with normal digital advertising. Consider real estates’ creating virtual experiences of houses for sale, allowing people to view the property without having to travel to view it, without time constrains of when the house can be viewed. VR opens up a new world of possibilities to a new audience of consumers – something which should excite marketers.
VR marketing may be able to side step some of the current issues faced with digital marketing. One of the main problems faced by digital marketers is that they cannot guarantee that people will have seen their ads, sure there are conditions to be met for an ad to be deemed as viewed by a customers, but this still has its problems. VR technology could overcome this by using eye tracking technology to be sure that an ad is seen and for how long it was looked at. This not only will give definitive proof that an ad was seen, but also can help marketers see which adverts perform better (don’t get ignored). Another problem that all marketers struggle with is ad fatigue – people simply getting bored of seeing your ads. VR would switch up the advertising model, creating something novel and exciting for consumers, something they may want to engage with. Finally, VR could help marketers target that section of the population which is sometimes overlooked, millennials and Gen Zers. Often disregarded as a section of the population which won’t produce results for marketers, this new realm of advertising may be the chance to properly target these consumers.
From being a quirk of sci-fi culture to becoming a solid part of everyday life, virtual reality is the futuristic present that is making a big impact in the world. Think of how you would incorporate VR into your digital marketing strategy.