VR is no longer “coming soon”. It’s here, and it could be a game changer for advertisers. We finally have a public that’s excited to pay attention to every detail that appears before their eyes. The ability to present ads to viewers without distraction is groundbreaking. No muting those pesky commercials. No switching tabs on your browser. And definitely no looking away – at least not with that bulky headset strapped onto you.
Coke, Lexus, McDonald’s and other major brands are already using virtual reality to push out excellent campaigns over YouTube and various social media – and they’re pretty close to breathtaking. As incredible as these ads already are, they’re only so amazing because they’re new. We must continue to raise the bar as we go, because the VR audience inevitably will become numb to the same old strategy.
Maybe it Should be Called Social Reality
We can expect a huge push for VR on social media. The 360 degree video that we’re seeing on Facebook and from the Oculus headsets are a just a preview of what VR might be able to offer in the near future. Snapchat is trying to follow suit with their Snapchat Spectacles. A simple idea of circular video that sets the groundwork for a massive VR expansion. Then, and only then, could we experience virtual reality in the truest sense of the word.
vTime All the Time
It sounds dirty, but it’s not. vTime is a newer social network in which you’re fully immersed in a virtual world. You and everyone else become an avatar that is fully controllable and customizable. Speak using verbal conversations, go where you want to go and see what you want to see. Sit at a cafe in Paris. Chill out at the bottom of the ocean. Yell from mountaintops. vTime really shows VR’s potential, going past the classic 360 video strategy and going further to immerse you in a social world that feels pretty darn real. Only time will tell how brands will get involved and advertise in this new, virtual world. Perhaps it will start with product placement. Perhaps it will be something more disruptive.
Gen Z loves Virtual R
The lines between the real world and the digital world were always blurry Gen Z. They are truly Digital Natives. They expect a melding of realities. Going for a run outside will present a choice of seeing things naturally or perhaps through VR, pulling up data or additional scenery right before their eyes. Meeting up in vTime will be as exciting as meeting up in real life – because it IS real life to them. Everything will be connected and marketers will discover opportunities that seemed impossible 20 years ago. The biggest challenge will be pushing VR even further – into a fully immersive experience. Experts are working on 3D hearing, touch, smell, everything you could think of to make Virtual Reality live up to its name. It’s a little scary, but we’re also decades away from completion. We can, however, expect steady growth starting right now.