Disruptive technologies sometimes start off as novelties because the world hasn’t caught up with the possibilities.
The first text message was sent in 1992. Three years later the average American (and we could debate that definition for days!) didn’t send one text a month. By 2000 it was one text per day but by 2015 the daily count reached 32.
Experiential events and the use of VR / AR in digital advertising are following their own assimilation curve and becoming more mainstream. What are the benefits of creating these immersive experiences?
– Brand association. Call it engagement, fun, excitement or a dopamine hit. Feelgood experiences connect participants emotionally to a brand. Some brands have extended the concept to create an outer world immersive experience, such as Ferrari World.
– Publicity. VR / AR still have a whiff of the future about them, even though the actual term Virtual Reality has been around since 1987. Delivering a VR / AR experience creates a story within the brand story. Footage of people enjoying the experience can also be woven into the campaign.
– Consistency and flexibility. Experiential events can be set up anywhere suitable and yet the VR environment can remain consistent. Those pixels are also very accommodating if the campaign changes or there’s a need to tailor an event.
– Individuality. VR / AR are much more than ‘try before you buy’. They can simulate a degree of product customisation that not only acts as a sales funnel but also simplifies the sales journey because customers have already assessed the variables.
– Reframing the whole shopping experience. There are few physical stores left where you can view and examine, for example, a wide range of electrical or electronic goods. Immersive shopping has the potential to transform retail for relevant brands, so that shopping once again becomes a talking point – even if it could mark the end of the ‘man creche’!
It also facilitates product pre-selection without the need to display a wide range of physical inventory, so there is scope for changing how physical shop space is used.
Samsung took the experiential concept to the far horizon earlier this year with the creation of Samsung 837 – a showroom and digital playground with no actual sales inventory. Conversely, the Internet sales giant Amazon is reported to be considering opening a chain of bookshops.
Apps and other downloads aside, the retail experience usually ends with the customer receiving a physical product. Right now, experiential is the road less travelled, but that may not always be the case.
* A nod to Jimi Hendrix, the closest thing to an immersive guitar experience in 1967.