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Digital content and VR as catalysts for yacht business exposure

Marcus May
Mustaa
Published in
3 min readFeb 6, 2024

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In a world where luxury markets increasingly embrace digital platforms, yacht businesses stand at the cusp of a revolutionary change in marketing and customer engagement. The key drivers of this change are digital content creation and virtual reality (VR). These technologies are redefining customer experience and interaction norms in the luxury sector.

At Mustaa, we’re working to help with this revolution.

Digital content in luxury marketing:

As the luxury market continues to thrive, with a notable shift towards digital platforms, the role of personalised and immersive content becomes crucial. Brands are now focusing on creating a seamless omnichannel experience, merging the convenience and accessibility of technology with personalised customer interactions.

Trailer for Nike x Fortnite collaboration.

Now, it would be remiss to suggest that the luxury of yachting is similar to that of sneakers — even if people spend $thousands on shoes. However, it does beg the question of how people interact with brands.

The most popular gaming console, the PS2 (Playstation 2), is 24 years old. Popular streamers like Ninja (32 years old) have millions of subscribers watching hours(!) of their content. You could say these subscribers are just kids in their mum’s basement, and for argument’s sake, I will agree. Nevertheless, these kids may go on to become some of the best shoe designers and content creators, all because they were inspired by Nike collaborating with Fortnite — an interactive media they played for hours on end.

Building that omnichannel approach will be exciting for yacht businesses; it will suddenly allow them to showcase their work in a more engaging and relatable manner, which is especially important in an industry where the experience is as valuable as the product itself.

Role of VR in yachting:

Virtual Reality (VR) is quick to be denounced as a gimmick when I have previously spoken about it to other startup founders and some VCs. Maybe the word “reality” subconsciously makes us compare our day-to-day with something digital; this is always an unfair comparison. It sets the bar too high, similar to describing a comedian as funny before they tell a joke — there will be resistance to this statement, and therefore, the joke falls flat. (It’s likely why Apple dropped “reality” from its branding.)

However, using VR in yachting is more than innovation for its own sake. Its value doesn’t lie in “IRL sailing vs VR sailing”. It’s about revolutionising the customer journey.

  • Imagine offering potential buyers a tour of a yacht, allowing them to experience the luxury and craftsmanship from anywhere in the world.
  • Imagine being able to gift a new owner their specific yacht to get excited about and show their friends and family, all while their real yacht is in the shed being built for months or years.
  • Imagine content creators making podcasts on your virtual yacht for thousands of people to see.
At 7:20, Casey Neistat expresses his experience of the Apple Vision Pro

VR enables this immersive experience, providing a unique way to view and customise yachts, thus enhancing customer involvement and satisfaction. The rapid adoption of VR and AR, with an estimated 85 million users in 2021, underscores the potential of these technologies in transforming how yacht businesses interact with their customers.

Yachting is a spatial experience.

Implementing digital strategies in yachting:

The path for yacht businesses looking to adopt these technologies involves understanding the nuances of digital content creation tailored to the luxury market. Incorporating VR into marketing strategies requires a focus on creating engaging virtual experiences that mirror the aspirational aspects of yachting.

With modelling tools coming from the likes of Unreal Engine and Unity this is only going to become easier and more “realistic”.

Just look at this CGI!

At Mustaa, we are looking to ramp up this distribution and therefore provide exposure to any yacht business who choses to work with us. We continue to think hard about the risks that would be involved and already have found solutions to main problems like protecting design IP.

Conclusion:

The yachting industry stands at a pivotal point where embracing digital content creation and VR can lead to unparalleled market exposure and customer engagement. Technology never ceases; it only improves and changes. As these technologies continue to evolve, we are genuinely excited to help yacht businesses provide experiences that resonate with the craftsmanship and luxury of the yachting lifestyle.

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