Don’t just sit back and enjoy the show, folks…sit up and interact with it!
Virtual reality (VR) is a computer generated simulation that enables viewers to interact with a three-dimensional image or environment as if it were real life.As a society, we have been fascinated with this concept for decades. Just imagine being able to explore any place on the planet, in outer space, or miles below the ocean deep. It’s no wonder we’re captivated!
Also referred to as spherical or 360-degree virtual reality videos, this new-age video technology allows audiences to interact with footage by clicking and dragging their view in all directions, or tilting their mobile device to navigate the environment or image. Some 360 videos even present parallel narratives that encourage audiences to move from one storyline to another like a choose your own adventure book.In other words, video is moving away from its traditional boundaries and becoming more like virtual reality. But is it paying off?
In early March, Liberty Mutual collaborated with Facebook to create the first ever 360-degree multi-narrative advertisement video quiz, and the results it got were staggering. 5 million views poured in over the course of about one month as audiences were completely enchanted by the responsive experience. Check it out here.
In this particular application, viewers are presented with a scenario (your car breaks down in the woods) and 3 different 2-minute stories that provide the courses of action that can be taken to resolve the situation. Viewers can click and drag around the spherical realm and watch as each option plays out.
How Else Is 360-Degree Video Being Used?
Since the debut of this video, others have been quick to adopt the technology. Watch a documentary that takes you inside a volcano. Ride a rollercoaster from the comfort of your couch. Tour the inside of the human body. It’s all possible today with advancing 360-degree video technology. From a marketing and advertising perspective, this means an infinite number of doors just opened.
Mercedes used 360-degree videos to showcase their concept cars and other models. Tomorrowland (one of the largest electronic music festivals in the world) shared what their event looks like from the crowd’s vantage. Perhaps one of the best applications thus far is the use of 360-degree videos in the tourism and hospitality industries. The possibilities are literally endless.
What do Marketers Need to Know About 360-Degree Video?
Here’s the scoop. 360-degree videos are advancing at a blindingly fast pace. In March of 2015, YouTube first released pre-recorded 360-degree videos, but they were unfathomably expensive for marketers to make in-house. You had to have 360-degree capable cameras worth tens of thousands of dollars, a 360-degree imaging system and specialized software.
Just one year later and (thanks to the pioneers at YouTube) we already have platforms emerging that will be more compatible with consumer-grade cameras as cheap as $350 (See Kodak, the Alliecam, 360fly, et al). YouTube also unveiled Live 360-degree streaming and plans to launch an API so all hardware makers can integrate Live 360 into their product.
Cost aside, these videos are hugely popular with audiences, which makes them worth every penny. To begin with, they are unlike anything your audiences have seen before. The novelty alone is enough to garner attention. More notably, 360-degree videos are extremely engaging. Instead of sitting back and watching, this technology encourages your audience to click (or tilt), explore and most importantly — stick around for awhile. It puts your audience in control of how they receive their information, and this is exactly what they want.
360-degree technology also allows marketers to take their viewers on a journey or adventure wherein, the message, product or service being featured is lifelike. In doing so, the experience is more memorable and (because interaction is involved) audiences retain and recall the information better than ever before.
Don’t sit back and enjoy this show, folks…sit up and interact with it! We predict some seriously amazing campaigns will crop up over the next couple years as 360-degree video technology continues to advance.
How can you use this technology to enthrall your audiences? Give us a call and let's have a brainstorming session!
Back in the 90’s, big brands like SEGA and Nintendo attempted to make virtual reality a household technology, but the cost and quality didn’t stand up to consumer standards — until now. Virtual reality has finally made its way back to the top of the hot topic list and this time it’s definitely here to stay.
Leave a Reply