Is the Future of Marketing Virtual?
If you’re using Medium to read this blog, I would be surprised if an explanation of virtual reality was needed. Still, using myself as an example of someone who took a while to educate myself on virtual reality, there are some people who are relatively unfamiliar with the technology. So, before getting to the meat of this article, let’s quickly go through the various types of reality.
- Reality — What we see with our own eyes (duh);
- Virtual reality — Technology that enables us to experience a virtually generated reality through the use of goggles or other visual aids;
- Augmented reality — A computer-generated image which is superimposed on a screen or goggles;
- Mixed reality — The seamless combination of the real world and a virtual world.
I’m focusing on virtual reality for this blog because augmented and mixed reality are different beasts altogether. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll touch on them. With that out of the way, let’s get to the point — namely, how, if at all, can virtual reality influence marketing?
All things considered, virtual reality is still a relatively new, untested technology. The Sensorama, the world’s first virtual reality experience, was invented by Morton Heilig in 1957 and patented in 1962, the former date being 61 years ago at the time of this writing. 61 years is comparable to millennia in terms of technological progress. And yet, virtual reality is still manifested in rather clunky, cumbersome and expensive devices which don’t lend themselves well to a continuous, day-to-day virtual reality experience. Furthermore, virtual reality content itself is rather limited and generally geared toward gamers with relatively deep pockets. On top of this, the device with which the virtual reality device is paired needs to be powerful enough to keep up with the processing and graphics requirements of the technology. Finally, and in my opinion, the experience just isn’t all that incredible. Yeah, it’s fun and rather thrilling to find yourself in a roller-coaster while still in your comfortable sofa, but do these thrills really warrant the hefty price-tags that come with modern virtual (hereinafter referred to as ‘VR’) kits?
Personally, I am yet to be convinced. I have had a few experiences with virtual reality. The technology behind it is phenomenal and I have incredible respect for the people and companies pioneering the research and development needed to make the technology more accessible. But I can’t get over the physical limitations of the technology. Call me a maverick but I just can’t subscribe to the idea that wearing large goggles is the most practical and fulfilling way to experience a virtual reality. I would like to add that I realize my laggard mindset is not shared by the masses. According to John Stevens at Thenextweb.com, VR as an industry went from $129 million in 2015 to a projected $2.57 billion in 2018, which is a colossal increase. Stevens’ observations are quite interesting, so I’ve embedded his article below.
Generally, I’m quite quick to adopt new tech but VR remains one of the few branches of technology that I’m reluctant to invest in. I’ve got an open mind, though — I’m always open to being convinced that my opinion or viewpoint is wrong or misinformed.
The above might seem like somewhat harsh criticism of VR. That’s not really the case — I’m merely addressing the technology’s manifestations pragmatically. However, once VR overcomes these hurdles, there is one industry which will experience unprecedented developments — marketing.
Think about it. Marketing is all about making people aware of the existence of your service or product. How amazing would it be if, next to being made aware of this, people could experience a virtual world where your product or service is the focal point? I can’t believe I’m going to use this word, but my excitement is hard to otherwise quantify — marketing combined with VR would be DOPE.
I want to provide an example of such a combination to illustrate why I’m so excited about the prospect. Imagine you’re planning a holiday and want to experience some form of immersion into your destination before buying tickets and making reservations. Slap on the VR goggles and experience the airport, hotel, pool, local restaurant scene and historical landmarks briefly and clearly, all from the comfort of your own living room. Obviously, a balance has to be found between getting a glimpse of the holiday and virtually experiencing so much that actually travelling is pointless, but being given the chance to experience your hotel-to-be preemptively might make the difference between a holiday you remember and one you want to forget.
The technology can also be applied to products. Imagine you want to buy a new car but can’t imagine what the view from the cockpit is like without actually booking a test-drive. Donning a VR headset and watching test-drive footage will give you the possibility to conduct such a test without stepping out of your front door. If you know that you can happily imagine yourself sitting behind the wheel of a given car, booking a test-drive has less potential to waste your time.
But don’t just take this from me. Take it from Niel Patel, one of Forbes’ Top 10 Marketers. I’ve embedded a video of his below, in which he talks about the impact of virtual reality on digital marketing.
Whether you’re an avid user of VR technology or still skeptical of VR altogether, its marketing applications are undeniable. That’s my view, at least. Let me know if you agree in the comment section below.
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