The world of virtual reality has taken the digital landscape by storm in recent months. And this week we have seen tech giant Apple be the latest to join the trend launching their first VR headset.
A first for Apple in the VR/AR/XR community, could this open new doors to advertisers? And what virtual wonders can this new way of reaching consumers bring?
We’re ready to find out, but first, let’s immerse ourselves in the current era of AR advertising.
Purchase intent
With brands like RayBans offering virtual try-ons of their sunnies, could it be long before VR allows us to re-furnish our houses without stepping out the door? Oh wait – you can.
IKEA’s AI feature is an experience definitely beneficial in boosting online sales. We’ve already seen an uptake of brands utilising this feature in recent years, with 72% of shoppers purchasing products they hadn’t intended on buying after using AR. 40% of customers say they would buy more expensive products if they had the option to try through AI first, reducing the risk of returns from the customer – and making it worth the investment for businesses looking to shift pricey items.
But let’s take it further – how about utilising filters on our much loved social channels. According to snapchat, more than 75% of users send photos and videos with Snapchat filters every day. Now combine this with their shoppable AR feature, your personalised engaging ad is at the hands of thousands. Snap even claims a campaign incorporating a Snapchat filter that promotes a product is 2 times more likely to generate an increase in purchase intention compared to traditional content.
Our talented Arkenauts can help craft and implement sponsored lenses/filters to amplify your campaigns across channels like Snapchat and Instagram. Accessing your audience through the new virtual realm.
Immersive Advertising
What if we told you that you could really turn heads with your advertising…
We know it’s important to engage consumers from their first experience of your brand and 360 video ads bring an immersive way of centering the buyer in your advertising. With platforms like Facebook and Google Ads both offering the feature, it’s time to capture your audience within the ad.
360 videos are formats that allow the user to view a picture, video or animation in a full circle. By rotating their camera, VR headset or scrolling with their mouse viewers live a personalised 360-degree journey, building trust with your brand and making you far more memorable than your standard marketing campaign.
So is it worth it? Absolutely! Google’s experiment between a standard and 360 ad found that the 360 ad drove 41% more earned actions than the standard ad. An interactive ad engages the user, captivating them with content to discover from all angles, encouraging retention of the buyer longer than your average ad, boosting click-through rates and dwell time on your website.
But why not just use traditional video? Well, alongside endless creative options to showcase your brand, 360 ads encourage engagement, and due to this has over 3 times the conversion rate of traditional video content and a 30% higher repeated view rate.
The team here at Arke can help you to create 360 ads out of this world, immersing buyers in your brand and emphasising your product as you stand out from the crowd.
So what about the future?
Well VR advertising holds a significant advantage over traditional advertising. It centres the buyer in a distraction free immersive world where your product can be centre stage, and it’s continuously evolving.
Apple’s release last night saw the Apple Vision Pro, a controller-free headset, allow a user to browse rows of app icons just by looking at them. We can only imagine the retail space that could soon be available to advertisers.
Meta isn’t long behind with some artists even exploring performing in the metaverse in recent years, could there be potential for live events, conferences and product launches in the world of VR?
“Right now our job here at Arke is all about getting people excited about products and services – and now we can do it without relying solely on flat visuals anymore! These advances in VR becoming more widely available to consumers will mean we can create experiences and immersive participation to let consumers interact and delve into brands deeper – the possibilities are endless!”
-Matt Stokes, Head of Creative, Arke Agency
With the latest announcements from Apple and probably more on the way, we’re interested to see how VR advertising develops as it becomes more mainstream, and we will be ready to jump in the second its live.
