10 Tips for ‘Virtual Reality’ Marketing

Overview

Virtual Reality is the next platform, and as a marketer you should be aware this is a bit like the leap we took with mobile but far more advanced than you may imagine.
And Augmented Reality is going to take off once ‘Meta’, ‘Magic Leap’ and ‘Hololens’ deliver but until then we simply don’t know what will happen. So let’s focus on VR for now…

As you can see from Google Trends, it is really taking off (again!) but this time is it ‘for real’.

If you think you’ve tried VR by putting on Google Cardboard for 5 mins, you have not seen what is on the horizon. I love the concept of Cardboard, and other similar units, but it is the Oculus experience that shows you the ‘leap’.

And that too is getting a lot of attention in Google Searches:

So, why is it so different?
Well, when you enter Oculus, it feels like a newer, fresher interface than anything we’ve seen before:

You move your head to the left and you can select and view a huge amount of content in the store. You move your head to the right and you can ‘tap’ to enter your library.

It is a waste of time me trying to describe it. You are just going to have to dive in yourself using a Gear VR or an Oculus Developers Kit (until your new best friend down the road gets the full release version from April).

Orientation:

When it comes to getting your ready as a marketer, this is what you need to know about VR, and Oculus in particular:

Brand

1. Apps – it is all about Apps in the Oculus App Store right now.
   If you are in this space you’ll know it already, and if you are not you either need to contact Dialectinc.com about getting involved, or look for other opportunities.
2. Target Demographics – the big trends will be ‘gaming’ , ‘adult content’, ‘social’, and the age group to first get the units is likely to be 13-18 years old. There will also be a fair amount of geeks to market too that are 30+
3. The range of devices – tethered devices give a far more immersive experience, but units like the Gear VR are a solid play.
   The new Oculus unit will be on everyone’s Christmas list for the next 2 years, but there are solid competing devices on there was too.

Community

Take a look at any new platform that has a social element. There are people who will lead the way. And when you have integration within apps of Twitch, Vimeo, and YouTube, you can see social becoming something new, as such here are some consideration:

1. Shared marketing experiences – people watch videos together, which can be done in Apps like AltSpaceVR and Oculus Social Alpha. And I understand Vtime has some amazing develops on the horizon.
   This is an opportunity for all marketers, irrespective of ‘selling something’ in the Oculus Store.
2. Influencers will rise in VR – before long those with the most trusted information, those best connected to the new cool companies will surface in the eco-system and become the next stars.
   
3. Transfer of information is quicker – what is happening with ‘the latest’ new gadget the conversation that comes up time and time again.
   If you have something cool to promote, there will be hives of people waiting to spread the world.
4. Home? – you will need to look where you house your community in VR, and how you can easily communicate with them outside of any one single app. 

Conversions

1. ‘Attention’ is complete in VR – you will find people will pay much more attention, for longer.
   When someone is in an app, it is more effort (psychologically) to exit that app and go and try out a new one. At least to start with, people are not ‘flipping tabs’ on their browser in the same way.
2. ‘Immersion’ – this means they are ‘there’ but what about them moving that attention to action. This is going to be a large consideration. What are you seeking for people to do? You won’t be able to say ‘enter this URL’ as they have their headset on.
   You can’t ask them to call a number without taking off the headset.
   There is an opportunity here to solve the problem of connecting with people who are paying attention, after the attention holding mechanism e.g. a video, or a presentation in VR, has ended. Finally…
3. 360 live streaming – I believe that more and more people (within 3 years) will have an ‘always on’ attitude.
   As soon as 360 cameras can stream content from people’s homes (and further afield), platforms will rise. Free, and paid subscriptions.
   People will stream their lives, helping viewers to connect in a more raw way.
   It will be like BB’s diary room for some; and full time real life streaming for others.
   This is the one area that will meet any markers budget, and I would say the first platforms to discover the content are not far away.

Next steps?

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