Virtual Reality Will Transform Marketing

Virtual Reality is here. And it’s going to dramatically tranform marketing as much as it will change entertainment.

The Oculus Rift headset was released this week, and the content reel on the company’s website makes it look like a blast. The content itself isn’t anything new, though. Mostly, it consists of video games, and video games have been around in one form or another since the 1970s.

We should expect the first generation of virtual reality applications and content to mimic the old forms, the way the first films resembled stage plays on screen, and the way early websites resembled print flyers.

What’s new here is the immersive experience. And with an immersive experience, we have an entirely new set of possibilities that we haven’t even begun to explore yet. Imagine, for instance, using a more advanced version of Google Earth with a virtual reality headset. Imagine, while you’re at it, using a more advanced version of Google Moon with a virtual reality headset.

Now imagine immersive marketing using a virtual reality headset. No, not immersive junk mail. Not immersive spam. And not 3-D banner ads. Imagine transporting your would-be customers to another place and time altogether.

SocialTimes recently interviewed Joshua Keller, CEO of Union Square Media, about the possibilities. “The most exciting aspect of VR,” he said, “is that the possibilities of it are limitless. Unlike traditional marketing forms like print, radio, and TV where you’re confined to a certain box of how you can spin campaigns, with VR marketers are much less restrained in the creativity of their campaigns. An auto-maker can offer virtual test drives or can walk users virtually through the manufacturing process. It is much more personal than a commercial spot where they’re seeing a model drive a car along the coast.”

You’d miss a couple of things on a virtual test drive. You wouldn’t really know how it feels. You wouldn’t know how well the seat fits your body, how much you can and can’t feel the road, or if the ride is quiet or loud on the freeway. But still. How much fun would that be?

And imagine if you’re looking for a new home. You could virtually tour a house before requesting a real-life showing by the real estate agent. You could “walk” up the steps, onto the porch, into the living room, down the hallway, through the kitchen, and out the back into the yard. You could place mockups of your own furniture into the house and see what it would look like.

Maybe you’re trying to decide where to stay on vacation. You could virtually tour resorts, hotels and vacation rentals. You could “stroll” the beaches on Maui or the back country trails in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The possibilities really are endless.

Some forms of marketing—junk mail, spam, online ads that bog down websites—are annoying. But virtual reality marketing won’t be the least bit annoying when it’s done right. Customers will love it. At its best, it could be indistinguishable from entertainment.

Who wouldn’t want to virtually attend a live concert by their favorite new band while they’re on the road promoting their new album? Who wouldn’t want to virtually tour the Florida Keys if they’re in the market for a vacation to the Florida Keys? Who wouldn’t want to virtually test-drive the new Audi on a winding coast road even if they can’t feel the seat?