40 Days of Immersive Brands: Days 16-20

In case you haven’t noticed, the metaverse and immersive media are all the talk as of late. As Facebook leader Mark Zuckerberg recently revealed the road ahead for the next decade, it was “metaverse, metaverse, metaverse”. And whether you buy into Zuck’s vision of the future or not, immersive media that make up parts of the metaverse (360 degree content, VR, AR, 3D models, Holograms, XR etc) are coming. Some would argue their arrival is already here. And as per usual, you can see innovative marketers, advertisers, brands and agencies all taking the plunge and getting that competitive edge that comes with being a first mover.

So as Zuck touts the benefits of the metaverse, we continue to salute 40 innovative brands who have boldly moved forward with testing all kinds of immersive technology all in the name of better connecting with consumers in the new attention economy.

DAY 16: HUGO BOS

For Day 16 we highlight iconic fashion brand Hugo Boss which used immersive 360 degree deep display ads as part of a promotional campaign supporting a men’s line launch. Not having 3D or 360 degree creative assets, the team at Advrtas was challenged with creating an immersive digital ad unit within 24 hours of the fashions being revealed at the Paris show. They were provided with jpegs of models donning the latest designs and made a pseudo-fashion show experience. 

Using their proprietary and patented technology, Advrtas was able to measure consumer attention with ad. What they gleaned was quite astounding. The ad saw an engagement rate of 23% and the average time people spent experiencing the ad was an impressive 25 seconds. Even better, 80% of people who engaged did so for longer than 31 seconds!!! And because they measure all behavior within the ad unit, they could also tell which fashions garnered more attention, engagement and clicks. It’s all data that can be used for things like ad optimization and market research. As you can see, even though the execution was simple and pretty straightforward, its responsive, interactive and immersive nature pulled people in and kept them engaged and could provide a treasure trove of data without trampling over consumer privacy issues. A win-win for consumer and brand. 

DAY 17: BURGER KING BURN THAT AD

The world of quick serve restaurants, aka fast food restaurants, has long been competitive with burger joints and Mexican fare taking jabs at eachother. But the honorable Burger King takes the crown when it comes to burning the competition! 

In Day 16 of our 40 Days of Immersive Brands, we salute the agency David and the whole creative team in Brazil responsible for this sizzling hot campaign that encourages fans to “burn” the ads of its rivals. Smartphone users in Brazil could download an AR (augmented reality) app that enabled users to point their phone at a competitor’s billboard ad and then watch it burn to a crisp. 

Aside from having a memorable, fun immersive brand experience, users were rewarded with a coupon for a free Whopper. 

DAY 18: HARRY POTTER VR (NY STORE)

Have you ever wanted to learn how to cast a spell or fly on a broom Harry Potter style? Well if you’re a Howwarts fan and happen to be in NYC during the dog days of summer you’re in for a treat! Live out your wizard and witchery fantasies in one of two truly unique virtual reality experiences located in the new Harry Potter flagship store that opened in New York City.

No matter the experience you choose, whether it be Chaos at Hogwarts or Wizards Take Flight, you’ll be in for a thrill as you fly above the skies of London or through the halls of Hogwarts. Potter pals Dobby and Hagrid are your guides as the Harry Potter experience is brought to life using the magic of virtual reality (VR). A $35 dollar ticket will get you passage aboard one of the experiences where for 30 minutes you’ll find yourself totally immersed in the world conjured up in the mind of author JK Rowling. 

After the VR experience, consumers can treat themselves to some “Butterbeer” or roam the beauty that is the Harry Potter store and indulge in a plethora of Potter merchandise. Make no mistake, if you’re one of the millions of Potter fans, then a visit to this store is a must. And it’s another example of how retailers and brands are embracing immersive media to help drive awareness, brand affinity and sales. Can’t wait till our next trip to NYC! 

DAY 19: L’OREAL HAIR DYE TOOL W/ WALMART

L’Oreal is no stranger to embracing the power of immersive media for marketing and advertising. Their mega-investment in AR leader Modiface has certainly given them a distinct advantage over their competitors and is proving to grow the bottom line. With a bevy of beauty products to market and sell, the conglomerate was wise to see the value immersive tech would play in enabling consumers to virtually try-on products. One of their recent forays was an AR Hair Dye tool that they did in conjunction with leading retailer Walmart. The results were overwhelmingly positive, purchase rates went up a whopping 300%!!! 

L’Oreal Chief Digital Officer Lubomira Rochet indicates they see “ three times the rate of customers purchasing a product when the ability to virtually “try on” beauty products is available to them.” With results like that, we can certainly expect to see more immersive experiences from the stable of brands under the L’Oreal umbrella. The evidence is quite clear, if you’re managing the marketing for a product that consumers like to try on and/or sample, then immersive media is definitely a tool to have on your marketing plan!! 

DAY 20: SHERWIN WILLIAMS (TRY ON PAINT COLORS AR)

Day 20 has us saluting another brand that recognized early on that virtual try on could be a game changer. A few years back Sherwin Williams was trying to solve a problem, they wanted to strike down a barrier that prevented consumers from purchasing paint, namely they identified they needed to make it easier for consumers to choose a paint color. 

Their innovative creative and marketing teams launched a tool called the ColorSnap Visualizer that helped consumers with the color-picking process. When the tool first launched in 2015 it was a step in the right direction but when they revamped the app a few years later to include an AR feature, it was quite revolutionary. Now consumers could use the cameras on their smartphones and the Sherwin Williams app to see what a color would actually look like on the walls of their space! You can walk around the room and see walls from all kinds of angles and perspectives. As e-business marketing director Meghan Vickers said, “…the AR technology transforms a space before picking up a brush.” If you’re one of the many who’s redecorating these days, a visit to the app will help get you moving with color selection!

That’s it for this week’s edition of “40 Days of Immersive Brands”. See past Days of Immersive Brands below. Feeling motivated and inspired to dip your toes into the world of immersive media? We make it easy to get immersive media into your digital ad plans, as you saw with the Hugo Boss example, you don’t need 3D or 360 creative to have an incredibly effective ad! (But if you got it, we can use immersive assets too!). Drop us a line, email Rob Bruza at rbruza@advrtas.com.  

View Days 1-5, “40 Days of Immersive Brands”

View Days 6-10, “40 Days of Immersive Brands”

View Days 11-15, “40 Days of Immersive Brands”