4 Examples of Virtual Reality Marketing: Lessons for Marketers

Brands are increasingly adopting Virtual Reality in their marketing plans, while others still have their doubts. In this article, we discuss four examples of virtual reality marketing to help you learn from the hails and fails of the brands who dared.

According to a survey by Elastic PathOpens a new window , 56% of customers feel Virtual Reality (VR) is overrated. VR started as the cool new kid on the block and gained popularity when Facebook acquired Oculus VR, an immersive virtual reality headset maker, back in 2014.

VR technology requires significant investment to begin with, but subsequently, its benefits are plentyOpens a new window . It can help create compelling, gripping, and immersive experiences that can engage customers. B2B industries can tap into the potential of VR to create demos for large or expensive equipment.

Many brands have dabbled with VR for their marketing campaignsOpens a new window and churned out immersive content. But, many haven’t been able to use VR to its full potential. Let’s look at four examples of virtual reality marketing and identify how VR can create enticing experiences.

Learn More: 3 Unmissable Virtual Reality Marketing Trends to Win in 2019Opens a new window

4 Examples of Virtual Reality Marketing and Key Takeaways

VR has primarily been used for product demonstration, increasing buyer awareness, and crafting personalized experiences where customers can get a look and feel of a product and its function. Here are some examples of virtual reality marketing to help improve your VR campaigns and generate a buzz among your customers.

1.Audi’s Experience Ride
 

AudiOpens a new window is stepping up its game with HolorideOpens a new window , in its e-tron SUV. In an attempt to make vehicle experiences unique and immersive for back-seat passengers, who feel commuting is a waste of time.

Audi in it’s new in-car VR setup is reversing the VR approachOpens a new window , where the real-life vehicle movements determine the onscreen movements of the VR setup. Passengers can put on VR Googles to experience Marvel’s Avengers: Rocket’s Rescue Run, where they are aboard a spaceship being steered through an asteroid field. The VR experience is shaped with each bend, acceleration, steer, or break along the way.

Key Takeaway: Although, it is yet to be seen how customers think of this ride, Audi’s is pushing the envelope with the fusion of vehicle data and game content to make car rides more experiential and content more elastic.

With the right budget and collaboration with technology partners, marketers can innovate to make their customers’ day to day experiences more eventful.

Learn More: How VR and AR Can Help Make a Lasting Impression in Sport EntertainmentOpens a new window

2.Facebook Spaces VR App

With Facebook’s VR app, Facebook SpacesOpens a new window , a user can interact with up to three of their friends using a VR device. Users can go live through VR, connect with friends, customize appearances, capture moments, share memories, and much more with Facebook Spaces.

Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg along with Head of Social VR, Rachel Franklin, took a Spaces ‘magical tour’ to Puerto RicoOpens a new window to fathom the damage after Hurricane Maria. The VR broadcast was heavily criticized with many people slamming the CEO for exploiting the disaster. Zuckerberg apologizedOpens a new window saying that he intended to raise awareness about the events happening in Puerto Rico.

Key Takeaway: Handle sensitive subjects with care and use technology to help those in a crisis rather than focusing on your brand’s promotion. When you help people and empathize with them, only then you can build trust and respect among your audience.

3.TOMS Virtual Giving Trip
 

TOMSOpens a new window , a shoe brand, got empathy right. It showcased how buying their shoes is helping someone around the world by matching customers’ shoe purchases with a giveaway to those in need.

TOMS created a VR videoOpens a new window that virtually took viewers to across Peru, where their Giving Partners spend time with the children who received the gift. The campaign immediately drew an emotional connect with the viewers and customers could virtually meet the children who benefited from their purchases.

Key Takeaway: Customers could see philanthropy in action and VR experiences showed them where their contribution was being used. TOMS added an emotional touch to their marketing campaign which motivated customers to keep coming back.

4.McDonald’s Happy Goggles

VR technology requires significant investment and hence is sometimes out of reach for many companies. But McDonald’s innovated to find a way for VR to be used affordably.

McDonald’s created a Happy Meal Box that could transform into a VR headsetOpens a new window called Happy Goggles, using Google CardBoardOpens a new window . Customers could use their Happy Meal Boxes turned Happy Goggles to play an animated skiing-racing game “Se upp i backen” on their smartphones. Happy Goggles were a natural fit as children expect a toy in their Happy Meal Box.

Key Takeaway: McDonald’s thought out of their Happy-Meal Box to repurpose it into a fun tool for their target audience (children). The brand generated quite an interest among its young fans and parents and also proved how a counter-intuitive idea can help deliver immersive VR experience simply and inexpensively.

Learn More: Virtual Reality and Its Impact on Marketing: with Gavin Finn, President and CEO at Kaon InteractiveOpens a new window

Key Takeaways for Marketers

Virtual Reality might be slow to get in the groove of the marketing mix but don’t write it off your strategy just yet. There are numerous examples of virtual reality that hit the right chord with audiences and a few that have crashed and burned. But, as with other marketing campaigns, VR campaigns should be meticulously planned to cater to audience requirements while maintaining sensitivity for an emotional connect.

Here’s summarizing the four lessons we loved from the above examples of virtual reality in marketing.

• Keep Innovating as Audi does to make day-to-day customer experiences unique and enjoyable.
• Think before you associate your brand with a sensitive situation. And if you make a mistake, be prompt to apologize, instead of radio silence.
• Generosity and empathy go a long way in building customer relationships and establishing their trust in your brand. Show your customers how you are honoring your customers as TOMS has
• .Even a low budget idea can bring happiness to your customers. Observe and be creative like McDonald’s to keep your customers coming back to you.
   

Did these VR examples inspire you to do more? Tell us on TwitterOpens a new window or LinkedInOpens a new window or FacebookOpens a new window ; we’re always listening