Marketing is a field that keeps on evolving as the world around us change. We still remember the TV commercials we saw when we were kids. The kind of impact they had on us was capturing. As the world has changed, so are the users. Those same commercials will not have the same impact on us now. The consumers are demanding for more. With the advent of social media, companies are trying to capture customers by engaging them through various social media platforms. Today Marketing involves user engagement regarding experiencing the product or evoking the right emotions towards that products.
As virtual reality is making its place in our lives gradually, it is revolutionalizing the way products use to be marketed before. Virtual reality can trick the mind to believe the virtuality as reality. It can take you to a different world altogether or make you see what has not yet been created.
Marketers are leveraging Virtual reality to make consumers experience their products. This way the customer gets to have a taste of the concept and all the doubts and uncertainties can be addressed with ease.
Here are some examples of leading corporations in different domains using Virtual reality successfully to engage the customers.
1.NewYork Times
Virtual reality is the best way to engage customers visually. Not very long ago, the NewYork Times sent Google Cardboard glasses to their Loyal subscribers enabling them to watch a VR film. The act of sending glasses was seen as a reward for brand loyalty.
The film called ‘Seeking Pluto’s Frigid Heart’ was intended to capture people interested in Space. Other documentary called ‘The Displaced’ applied to a mass audience, it showed the plight of the children whose lives were torn by war.
Now the question is that what did NewYork times gained by doing all this. The answer is it became a win-win situation for the NewYork times itself, the Google glasses and the VR films. It enhanced the customer loyalty of NewYork Times.
2.Marcell
Reputed shoe brand Marcell experimented with Virtual reality while launching their new line of shoes. Marcel used TrailScape, a 4-D multisensory hiking experience. Marcell became the first company to use the technology called Oculus Rift, which enables customers to experience walking on different surfaces and even encounter obstacles such as rockslides that participants would have to navigate around. This way customers could feel how superior the shoes were when hiking. The campaign became an instant hit.
Another leading brand the North Face did something similar by offering participants an opportunity to hike through Yosemite National Park as well as Nepal. This provided them with an immersive experience. People were able to experience what it was like to explore. It convinced them actually to have a reason to buy the shoes.
3.Lowe’s home improvement
Lowe’s home improvement store also experimented with a virtual reality initiative allowing customers into a Holoroom that enabled them to see what their house will look like after their home improvement work. Customers were able to select designs and products and then visualize what they might look like in their own homes. Lowe is planning to integrate of customer’s Pinterest boards with the VR experience.
VR has immense possibilities when it comes to transforming marketing. Future is filled with extreme possibilities, and things are only going to get more exciting.