The Substantive Power of VR and 360 Videos
Brands are constantly searching for the best way to attract attention. VR and 360 videos make sure you can expose strong content in a strong medium.
It is hard for people to dodge the giant amount of advertisements and impulses coming their way. In this communication overload the big challenge for the brand is to attract the consumer’s attention, especially because generations Y and Z are rather critical and easily disinterested. This means a brand needs to build a strong and well-structured story. The quality of this story will determine whether your brand stands out. Or not. Good content is highly appreciated and it’s important for your brand to ride that wave.
Technology connects
In order to make impact with your brand you’re going to need the right technology. The innovative approach of VR and 360 videos makes sure you can expose strong content in a strong medium. A VR and 360 experience is placing the viewer in a completely different environment where he or she can freely move and look around, making it truly powerful. This transportative aspect makes it the perfect way to immerse people in a new world and generate enthusiasm exponentially. Because this new path feels less commercial one can deliver a message in a better targeted and more empathic way.
The story comes first
Virtual reality and 360 video tools can be used to tell a good story without prominently displaying your brand. The true value comes from the technology and the essential content focus making your brand or company stand out from the pack. If you’re bringing the message with heart and soul, based on a high quality and credibility standard, you’re on a roll. A lovely case study is a socially responsible project. The problem is being outlined in a 360 video: the lack of access to potable water. A fact being taken for granted in the Western world, but a major issue in poor countries, e.g. Honduras. The story represented by the case aims to create awareness on this matter by directly addressing the people who are not confronted with this problem. The credibility of the story is being supported by the alternative documentary style and the innovative medium. We only notice later it’s actually a big brand (Stella Artois Canada) joining forces with a non-profit organisation to raise money. Although the brand appears in the right bottom corner, the video is a great example of sharing content and keeping the company logo’s mention to a minimum. The problem awareness and the charity are key.
360 video and VR in mobile advertising
When it comes to advertising exposure, both in the traditional way and for moving images, the same request for high value content is dominating. Virtual reality and 360 solutions have what it takes to meet these advertising needs. The big open question is how the generated content that passes the quality test can be distributed afterwards. For now there are quite some loose ends on both distribution and scalability. If they want to keep up with the evolution of immersive technology, traditional advertising platforms and networks need to make the switch to be able to support the new medium. At OmniVirt for instance, they already clearly understand the possibilities of virtual reality and 360 video. They strongly believe in the improved impact this medium has to offer when displaying content, guaranteeing better efficiency and target group engagement. On top of that the 360 video format is being put forward as the new and improved format for mobile advertising. Since most people these days walk around with a device that supports 360 VR, the scalability of the medium is going to be a crucial asset. We might state that VR and 360 video have really taken off and will prove to be the ideal technological leverage for brands to embrace an innovative, targeted and essential way of storytelling.
