It’s easy to see why concepts like augmented and virtual reality are becoming increasingly popular in today’s world. After all, consumers are constantly looking for new experiences to discover, and new places to explore.
Virtual and augmented reality represent the next “big thing” in our technology-obsessed era – making them an ideal solution not just for entertainment, but experiential marketing too.
As virtual and augmented reality solutions continue to grow more popular, companies are considering them as a new way to deliver marketing and advertising messages to their consumers. In fact, IDC (a research company), predicts that around 30% of the consumer-facing companies in Forbes Global 2000 will be experimenting with VR and AR in 2017.
What Does AR and VR Mean?
In augmented reality, digital information is layered over actual reality to change what people see around them. On the other hand, virtual reality allows for people to be fully and completely immersed within a digital environment.
These new mediums for sharing experiences mean that as the years pass by, and new content emerges, the best mobile and web experiences we can have today will seem isolated and boring in comparison to what’s available in the entertainment sphere.
VR and AR: Will They Stay or Will They Go?
The excitement surrounding VR and AR in everything from mobile apps like Pokémon Go, to gaming solutions like the Sony VR headset has signified a change in experiential marketing opportunities across the world.
As more people look for ways to integrate the real world with the virtual world, experts predict that our consumption of VR and AR content will only increase.
In fact, IDC furthered their predictions of the VR, AR revolution by stating that over a bi8llion people worldwide will be accessing this content regularly by 2020.
We’ve already begun to see the new ways that brands across the globe are making use of this new technology. Companies all the way from Ikea and Lego, to Kellogg’s, Budweiser, and McDonalds are taking steps to help them capitalise on the newest form of media around.
Who Uses VR and AR?
While AR and VR are obviously well-suited to the gaming and entertainment industries, marketing companies are finding a use for them in more businesses than you might expect.
From applications that allow you to try on clothes before you buy them, to solutions for taking cars for a test-drive, without ever taking the model away from the showroom.
Some experts even suggest that virtual reality could be used to make social media more immersive. This process has already begun, with things like 360-degree photo and video content. In the future, we can only imagine what’s yet to come.
Hotcow is a non-traditional creative agency that specialises in experiential marketing that goes viral. Our campaigns generate buzz through crowd participation, PR and content sharing. Contact us on 0207 5030442, or email us on info@hotcow.co.uk.
