Can VR be the Next Breakthrough in Advertising?
VR is no more a science fiction for over a decade already. But we are yet to explore its full potential. The possibilities that virtual reality can offer are “virtually” endless!
If you simply google the term Virtual reality (VR), a Wikipedia definition will pop:
…a computer-generated scenario that simulates a realistic experience.
For the complete noobs, let me explain this in a little more detail. With VR, you can experience the imaginary world and participate in a narrative created by someone else. You can move around the virtual environment and interact with virtual items. For this, VR headsets are used in combination with sound effects that stimulate a user’s physical presence in an artificial environment.
Why is VR exciting for people? Well, because anyone with the headset on knows that they are in a virtual environment, but the thrill is that their senses tell the opposite. This is kind of a mind game for people and it’s always exciting how technology can play with your brain and maybe even trick it. You might have heard about teleportation, so VR may be the closest thing to it, since it allows super-deep engagement and interaction. It’s like being in LA, California and virtually traveling to the most gorgeous Palawan Island in the Philippines, or flying over the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.
What does VR mean for advertising?
A lot of the top brands have started experimenting with VR to take their marketing efforts to the next level. It actually seems that virtual reality is going to be the next big thing in advertising, just like social media channels are now.
For example, a few big brands have got quite an impressive portfolio of VR-backed advertising. Let’s take Tom’s VR storytelling experience back in 2015. They placed a “virtual reality chair” next to the shoe section in one of their California stores. And the visitors were invited to try it. Once they put the headset on, they were virtually transported to a remote village in Peru where they could experience the so-called giving trip. As you might know, the whole story behind Tom’s is that of giving back to people who cannot afford to buy shoes for themselves. And every time the company sells a pair of shoes, it gives another pair to those in need. So, who wouldn’t like to be a part of a charitable journey like this? Through VR, Tom’s allowed some of its visitors to virtually be there.
Overall, VR storytelling helps create emotional and memorable moments. It’s not like watching a TV commercial or a video on social media. VR is much more than that, since it allows to experience the virtual reality and to interact with it, to be the hero, the protagonist of the storyline. The modern-day advertising industry thus needs more VR environments to spice up its stories and to make them more appealing to the potential customers.
How to create a VR environment?
There are a handful of ways how you can create a VR environment especially if you are a trained VR developer. Yes, that’s actually a separate position and you know, these guys make more money as compared to C# .NET developers. Seems like a hard thing, right? It usually takes a small team of VR developers to create a VR environment for an advertising project.
So, what to do if you need a VR environment but you cannot afford a whole team of developers? Or what if you are a JavaScript developer and you simply want to experiment with VR for your freelance project? Well, I have got an answer for you:
It’s the fastest way to build interactive VR experiences. And you know what? A mid-level JavaScript developer or simply someone who knows JavaScript can do this as easy as one-two-three!
Rodin for developers is like Wordpress for bloggers.
Remember how you drag and drop page elements to create a website with Wordpress? The same principle applies here: with just a few lines of JavaScript code, you can create a complete VR environment for ANY kind of project including but not limited to advertising projects.
Sounds inspiring? Give it a try now!
Don’t forget to share your impressions with me. Hit me up in the comments below.
