Let’s clear some things up about VR and AR. There has always been a harsh criticism around VR as a marketing channel. Whether it’s the high cost of starting a virtual reality environment for a brand; NYT says that the average cost starts at £396k. Brands can make their own apps but again costing is the barrier for most. Secondly, there’s the social anxiety attached to the bulky headgear, I mean for one, who wants an over-sized piece of plastic ruining their hair, right? But there is a silver lining. AR eliminates the social anxieties caused by VR’s equipment. Take Snapchat’s ‘Spectacles’ for instance, they allow for a somewhat fashionable wear, while still being able to give consumers a well-rounded customer experience. Could you imagine walking into a shopping centre, popping on your glasses to then be greeted by a virtual personal shopper who can guide you around, show you the best offers available, the best places to eat, all personalised to the user through AI. The limits of this technology really is our own imagination.
While I could sit all day and discuss where AR will go in the future, there are a few drawbacks that are halting mass consumerism. What are these drawbacks you ask? Well until there’s a major breakthrough in battery technology, a lightweight pair of AR smart glasses doing heavy-duty AR is hard to power all day without a battery pack or hot-swappable batteries (which are fine for enterprise customers, but a harder sell for consumers). Cue the good ole’ mobile phone. There is already speculation that Apple and Samsung could bring out AR-enabled phones. Next year the iPhone 8 and Galaxy S9 could become the dawn of mass mobile AR. The beauty of this approach is that it doesn’t require consumers to do anything they don’t already do — just replace their iPhones and Samsung phones as usual. If they get everything right, AR phones could become the new hotness to drive mobile growth again. Who wants an old smartphone when you can have a magic window on the world?
The best way to describe the state of virtual and augmented reality is as ‘emerging’ because brands are yet to realise the potential (Let’s disregard the gaming industry). Augmented reality has been used by brands for quite some time, like Snapchat, and more recently Apple acquiring Metaio in 2015 (which signalled to everyone that they were pushing hard into the AR realm). Only 8% of brands are currently using virtual reality, while a slightly higher 21% of brands are interested in implementing virtual reality*.
Companies have virtual reality and augmented reality to visualise what they’re building in a way that’s never been possible before. This level of prototyping gives brand’s insight into a product at the beginning of the process. Decision makers and end-users will be able to provide better and more valuable feedback early in the game. Businesses will end up wasting less time and money. But what about marketing? Many big money brands have already jumped on the bandwagon, like Mercedes, Toms, New Look, and Tesco to name a few. You can watch some of their 360° immersive videos and AR experiences by clicking the links below:
Although I’m splitting hairs here, the 360-degree videos that are being shown on YouTube and Facebook aren’t actually VR. They capture the entire scene around the camera, giving you the feeling of being at a concert or taking a drive in a new car. But while you can look around in a way a traditional video doesn’t allow, 360-video doesn’t offer the same level of interactivity as VR. But it does offer brands an unmissable opportunity to immerse their audiences in ways that a billboard, or TV advert cannot.
As it stands this tech is just too expensive for brands to be using it as a marketing platform. There is also an abundance of research studies showing the general public’s unwillingness to give it a go. But if you look past the naysayers and pessimist’s, the potential is undeniable, it’s not a matter of IF, it’s a matter of WHEN this technology will be a viable option for brands that don’t have multi-million-pound marketing budgets.
Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are on this tech being used as a marketing platform? A passing novelty? Or AR becoming the primary driver for marketing?
*Facts and figures from Gartland, and Edelman*
Tags: Marketing VR AR Digital marketing tech virtual reality augmented reality breakthrough 2017 branding brandssocial media oculus rift marketing budget Gartland Edelman retail