Virtual reality (VR) technology is no longer just the stuff of science fiction films, it’s the here and now, and businesses are embracing it as part of their brand experience and marketing strategy to engage the public with something new.
It’s believed that in the next five years, sales of virtual reality headsets such as the Oculus Drift will explode, increasing by 99 per cent from 2015 according to Business Insider. However, until they become commonplace technology, they’re the perfect fodder for experiential marketing.
Not only does it offer a unique, novelty experience for the consumer to link back to your brand, it also equates you with the cutting edge and the future of technology.
For technology brands such as Samsung, which is already tying its products in with virtual reality, it’s a must on their non-traditional marketing list. This past week, during the Winter Youth Olympics held in Norway, Samsung offered attendees the chance to ski jump through their Gear VR headset, according to Marketing Magazine. Rather than just a simple product testing, this was tied in with a motion chair and wind machine which tied in with the virtual reality content for a multi-sensory experience.
After all, isn’t that what we’re looking for from experiential marketing – for the consumer to experience the brand through different senses in unexpected places, whether that be sight, sound, taste, smell or touch, moving away from traditional forms of marketing and advertising.
With the technology more widely available, it’ll soon come into the realms of more and more businesses to include in their marketing strategy, but the question is: will there be a critical window to stake your claim in this particular experience?