Advertising is undoubtedly the best way that a company can communicate with its customers. With the use of advertising, companies are able to inform their customers of the products that they have, as well as the varieties that they offer. Through this method, different companies aim to convince the customers about the benefits of their products. With this, their goal is to be able to attract the customers of their competitors into switching to their brand.
Nowadays, there are so many schemes put on by different product and brand companies to try and get people to not only notice their products but actually to use it. There are also several different mediums that companies can now use when it comes to getting their products known to the public. Gone are the days when people only relied on traditional mediums like print, radio, TV, direct mail and even telephone. Now, a lot of companies make use of online channels which include email, social media, pay-per-click marketing, search engine marketing, and even mobile marketing. One of the methods that certain companies also make use of is one of the advancements in technology —Virtual Reality.
But, just how effective is VR when it comes to the advertising industry? Is it really something worth trying out by different brand and product companies out there? Well, here’s a look at some of the benefits the VR technology has brought to the world of advertising:
More Customer Engagement
With VR, companies are able to get better customer engagement in terms of having people actually try out and interact with their products. Another great thing about VR technology for advertising is that customers get to do all of these in the comfort of their own homes. By having this type of advertising strategy, there’s a bigger chance of the customers having a more emotional engagement with the different brands and products offered by different companies. And we all know that with better emotional engagement comes better retention. And because of this, brands and products offered by different companies will surely leave a long and lasting impression on customers.
Is Making Traditional Advertising Techniques Obsolete
Because of the benefit mentioned above that the VR technology is bringing to the advertising industry, it is overshadowing the traditional advertising techniques wherein companies simply tell their prospective customers of the benefits of using their products. With VR, customers now get to have a “feel” of the products even before actually buying it, just like what is mentioned about having an emotional engagement. It won’t come as a surprise if one day, all brand and product companies out there will be using VR technology for their advertising.
Unique Product Experience
Even though it is fast becoming one of the advertising techniques of companies, it is still a pretty new experience for a lot of customers who are testing the products. And we all know that if it’s new, a lot of people tend to try it out. An example is VR for advertising in trade shows. It’s definitely one good way of getting customers to try out their products, considering how unique and innovative the approach is. And because this leads to the different brand and product companies getting more prospective customers to try out the advertising experience, this means that they will have more customers to follow up with when it comes to actually purchasing their items.
Is Meant For Everyone
Smartphones are becoming more of a necessity nowadays. Along with that, the prices of different VR devices are becoming more and more affordable. So, if you put two and two together, it means that it is now a lot easier for just about anyone to be part of this advertising innovation brought about by different companies out there. Aside from that, research has also shown that there’s an increased mainstream interest by the public to have a taste of the VR experience. This certainly means a great opportunity for market and brand companies out there to reach out to even more customers on a global scale regardless of their location, language, preference, lifestyle, etc.
Gives a Personalized Experience
Just because it’s meant for everyone doesn’t mean that it has to be generic. Just like what’s mentioned above, because the customers of different brand and product companies now have the opportunity to get immersed in the world of VR technology during the advertising stage, they get to have an experience that’s more tailor-fit to their preference, pretty much because they get to control the whole experience. It gives customers a chance to experience different products through personalized content and new business models. And this has shown to help pique the interest of more and more customers. Which in turn helps companies to have more customers try out their products.
Provides More Media Coverage
Whenever there’s something new in the market, more often than not you can expect that there will be media coverage about it, and we all know that exposure is good for every business. Just like what’s mentioned above regarding the different mediums for advertisement, this also means more mediums for people to be informed. People don’t just find out about the new trends through TV or radio. The internet, specifically social media, has helped paved the way for more and more people to be well aware of what’s going on around them. And for product and brand companies that are offering VR technology for advertising, this is yet another benefit that they can get when it comes to reaching out to more people since they can expect that the media will be talking about their innovative advertising strategy.
Final Thoughts
Virtual reality is definitely a new trend that brand and product companies should consider for their advertising techniques if they haven’t already. More and more benefits are available out there when it comes to using this innovative move. But just like with all advertising goals, one of the best benefits that companies can get from using VR is being able to understand their customers’ behaviors and interests better, thus helping them to provide products that their customers will truly be more interested in.
References:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/objectives-importance-advertising-zahira-oubaiche
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/05/12/12-predictions-for-how-vr-will-change-the-future-of-advertising/#642d67a78479