Virtual reality is set to change the avenues of marketing and technology. Oculus Rift users will be able to download and consume content, advertisements, and marketing images/videos, in the comfort of their own homes. Simply relying on online banners and display advertisements isn’t enough, and the goal is leaning heavily towards engagement. In this case, Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset, will change the way all content is absorbed. Marketers will be able to show their best content and the chase for user engagement will be on in the coming years.
This seems to be a strategy that other marketers are actively employing, or planning to, at least in the near future. Red Bull and GoPro have already distinguished themselves by providing high quality, lifestyle video content. Other companies are slowly catching on to their strategies. People who watch these videos are engaged by the first person viewpoints -hey feel as if they are in the video.
Regardless, betting on virtual reality technology is still a risky move. The latest Oculus Rift headset(Development Kit 2) costs ＄350. No official release date has been set for the consumer version, although it’s rumored to be sometime in 2015. This means that the number of people, who actually own an Oculus Rift headset, is quite limited. Keep in mind that current videos that are set to display on Oculus Rift require an immense amount of hard-drive space. For example, Mountain Dew tested a virtual reality concept video that allowed users to skate alongside others in a simulation experience. The bad news: it required so much hard-drive space that it required a special, high-powered computer.
Despite the risks, Mountain Dew and others, hope that they are getting ahead of others by creating something new. In other words, they’re gambling on virtual reality. From a marketing standpoint, it makes sense because user engagement follows technological trends. Obviously, smartphones, tablets, and other instant mediums have changed the game of advertising. It’s still too early to tell, but let’s not forget that Facebook purchased Oculus Rift for ＄2 billion last year. That’s something worth remembering.
