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Virtual Reality is no longer a gimmick; it’s becoming a real digital marketing tool. The global VR market size reached around USD 15.8 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow substantially in the coming years.Additionally, estimates suggest that the VR/AR user base could reach 3.7 billion by 2029.
For brands and marketers, VR is a marketing opportunity that cannot be missed. Here’s why:
In a virtual environment, our brain is tricked into believing we are actually living the real experience. Our senses of sight, hearing, movement, balance, and body awareness are all stimulated. This is called ‘presence’. This makes us feel like we have actually experienced something, which in turn will make it a powerful memory. The immersive capabilities of VR can create experiences like nothing else. For brands, this is an opportunity to create experiences for customers and let these experiences shape how consumers see the brand.
Example: Boursin: The Sensorium.The cheese brand Boursin created a VR experience to take users on a multi-sensory journey through a fridge to increase brand awareness and showcase its products’ flavour profiles, food pairings, and recipe ideas.
VR can transport users to places and experiences they have previously been unable to access, travel around the world or through time; the choice is yours. VR is an opportunity to make dreams come true and, while brands may not accomplish that exactly, 70% of consumers believe that trying products with AR/VR boosts their confidence in purchasing, and 60% say they would spend more with brands that offer immersive experiences. Brands can offer users the chance to try products or services before they buy or attend events they can’t get to.
Example: TopShop: Catwalk VR Experience . TopShop, partnered with Inition to give customers a virtual seat at their fashion show as it was happening – this put users next to the runway and next to the celebrities. They also launched a VR waterslide through central London to mark the start of the summer season and promote their summer lines.
Story-telling is powerful, but instead of just watching a film, imagine if you could actually be there in it. The emotional connection makes users more focused and more engaged; it makes the experiences unforgettable.
Example: Adidas partnered with Somewhere Else to follow the mountain-climbing journey of two extreme athletes sponsored by TERREX (a division of Adidas). Using a VR headset and holding two sensory remote controls in each hand, users could climb the mountain right alongside the climbers. This served to “find an unforgettable way to market TERREX, [Adidas’s] line of outdoor apparel & accessories.” But it also introduced viewers to an activity they might have never tried before – this sparked interest and made the products even more appealing.
Good marketing makes us think and evokes emotions. If an ad makes us happy or sad, we will remember it and link it to the brand, making it very effective indeed.
Example: Toms, the shoe company, gives away a pair of shoes for every one that is purchased. Users can watch the Virtual Giving Experience through a cardboard viewer or on headsets at flagship stores. It creates an emotional experience of a giving trip in Peru, where the user can gift someone a shoe.
Wearing a headset means the user is fully immersed, no distractions, no disturbances. This level of engagement is excellent for educational settings: recent research shows that 59% of U.S. teens prefer VR-based learning environments over traditional lecture formats, and students trained via VR are up to 76% more effective learners compared to conventional methods.
Example: Harvard University: French Culture and Language. Students meet native speakers in their homes or out and about in Parisian cafés, all without leaving their desks.
Using VR in a marketing campaign will get you noticed – if you want media coverage, use VR.
Example: Volvo: Test drive a car. Experience a virtual ride using Google Cardboard. The campaign led to over 240 million PR impressions, 24 news stories, 19 million social impressions, over 6 million views on YouTube, and over 500.000 unique website visitors. They’re now offering a ‘weekend escape’ version of the app, transforming Volvo into a brand that users connect with ‘adventure’.
VR is flexible; it offers something for everyone. There are endless formats and budgets to suit us all. For example, we can watch 360 videos on YouTube and Facebook, we can use cardboard headsets, or we can go fully interactive with connected headsets. Some argue that low user numbers are a barrier to VR. However, the release of more standalone headsets (no PCs or mobiles needed) means that VR is becoming more and more accessible and affordable.
Example: McDonald’s VR for the kids. A Happy Meal Box that easily folds into a VR headset. Based on Google Cardboard, it offers users an opportunity to build their own headset, making it a simple-to-use technology that is even accessible for kids.
At Bombora, we help brands harness the power of cutting-edge video, from interactive virtual events and remote webinars to highly engaging promotional content, perfect for VR integration and audience engagement. Pair that with live streaming or create post-event highlight reels to keep the momentum going. Let’s bring your story to life, virtually and memorably. Reach out to explore how VR can elevate your marketing strategy.