By 2020, a third of global consumers are expected to be using virtual reality (VR). Virtual reality is an artificial environment that is created with software and presented to the user in such a way that the user suspends belief and thinks it as a real environment. On a computer, virtual reality is primarily experienced through two of the five senses: sight and sound.

The benefits of Virtual Reality to life, communication and education cannot be over-emphasized. It has allowed real-time, hands-on collaboration on projects in business and has given students virtual field trips, language immersion, and game-based learning experiences.

This growing industry offers a massive opportunity for brands due to the unique, memorable and highly engaging experiences it creates. VR is much more than just technology; it has become a strategic tool for global brands to engage their customers and fans alike.

If you have never experienced the world of virtual reality (VR), don’t worry; there is no doubt you will have the chance soon. According to Virtual Reality Brand Power Index, 75 percent of the Forbes World’s Most Valuable Brands have created some form of virtual reality experience into their marketing communications already. This leaves a lot to be desired and opens up emerging brands to tap into the growing power of Virtual Reality (VR) use. It is a very powerful marketing tool. Virtual Reality offers a rare chance to allow customers up, close and personal with brands. It can also improve a buyer’s awareness, speed up the purchasing process and offer a variety of personalized choices to buyers.

The tech and automotive industry have been in the most comfortable lead adapting virtual reality experiences into their marketing. Top Brands like BMW, Audi, Porsche, KIA, Volkswagen, Lexus, Chevrolet, and Honda have all incorporated virtual reality and augmented reality experiences into their marketing strategy. Volvo has also given customers the ability to test drive a car without visiting a physical dealership especially when one is not close. They are now offering a “weekend escape” version of the app which includes 360-degree landscapes, allowing adventurers a chance to cement the pairing of “adventure” and “Volvo” in their heads, something which, given the practical element of Volvo’s branding, may never have occurred before. Virtual Reality has made automobile brands better connect with their customers by allowing them to get into their new models of cars and experiencing it without actually making the purchase. Customers can now experience a car in the very comfort of their homes without visiting a show room.

Another industry that has used VR extensively is the home improvement industry where consumers have been immersed into their ideal living rooms using VR. IKEA also has a VR-based app that allows customers to “place” furniture into their homes to decide on the look, feel, and fit. This is probably one of the simplest, most accessible and most practical VR applications that we’ve seen to date.

Here are three ways to integrate Virtual Reality into your marketing programs:

1. Marketing Strategists must leverage ways to offer immersive experiences that allow their customers to connect with their products or services in new ways, making newer associations and experiences they have possibly never had before. For example, how can a whole new ‘’virtual’’ world make your product better or improved? How would the ideal environment under which your product or service functions look like? In the case of IKEA, they use VR to help people imagine and test out how a new furniture would look around them.
2. Marketing Strategists must create VR experiences for their customers to live in their stories (fantasy world). A practical application of this is to use VR to place your customers in the brand story you have crafted and always shared with them over the years. Presence allows you to live a story rather than being a passive observer. There’s no fourth wall.
3. Lastly, Marketing Strategists can use VR to transport people to places they have possibly never been before. In terms of an experience that can transport someone in a completely unique new way, there is nothing like it. Virtual reality makes otherwise prohibitive experiences accessible. With VR, I can travel to far-flung places, go back in time, or into the future. On a more practical level, Travel and Tour companies can make prospective customers have a sneak peek into key venues before they actually visit there.

Cherubim Mawuli Amenyedor

Account Manager, Digital Innovations

Global Media Alliance

LinkedIn: Cherubim Mawuli Amenyedor