Oculus and Cardboard Lead the VR Marketing Revolution
Image via Bloomberg.
In the forward-thinking world of tech, Oculus Rift, the virtual reality platform acquired by Facebook in 2014, has been praised for taking what was once the provenance of tech aficionados and making it so accessible and so undeniably good that even VR non-believers were converted. And now, according to Bloomberg Business, those new-found fans include major travel industry companies like Marriott and Qantas Airways, who are creating original VR marketing content to entice consumers to buy into vacations.
“Relegated to geeky fantasy for years, VR hardware is suddenly cheap, portable, and there for the travel-brand taking,” writes Bloomberg’s Jennifer Parker, citing Google Cardboard – an exhibitor at Fashion Tech Forum this year – as perhaps the most cost-effective. A Cardboard headset costs roughly $24.
The travel industry is a natural partner for VR, since both are in the business of selling experiences. Currently, Marriott makes use of what they call “Teleporter Stations,” allowing consumers to strap on an Oculus headset for a 360 degree virtual trip to Marriott properties around the world, augmented with scent release and a rumbling platform to make the demo seem even more real. Travel company Thomas Cook also has a VR marketing program in place, enabling potential customers to try out highlights from the company’s tours before they purchase them. Bloomberg reports that revenue from Thomas Cook’s New York tour increased by 190% after it was bolstered by an in-store VR demo in the UK, Belgium and Germany.
With the travel industry posting those types of numbers, it isn’t a stretch to assume more businesses in unrelated fields will turn to VR for their marketing purposes, as well. The fashion industry is particularly well-placed to dive in head first next.
We’ve already seen how companies like Sixense and SapientNitro have been experimenting with VR shopping; and just this week SapientNitro is scheduled to unveil another VR shopping experience at the Cannes Lion marketing conference in France. And a VR fashion show seems like a logical extension of what many brands already do with streaming video and Instagram feeds.
While VR isn’t poised to replace travel – or shopping – IRL just yet, from a marketing standpoint the possibilities are endless.
“People are still going to want to physically buy something in a store, but virtual reality is the experience where they can envisage (the item), and use it more as a planning tool than a purchasing tool,” Sanjay Mistry, director of architecture at software company Unity told Reuters.
As more experiences like those from Marriott and Thomas Cook get everyday people excited about VR – and when the long-awaited Oculus headset finally becomes available for consumer purchase – the future is looking a lot more virtual.
