It’s the 2020s, what some experts have dubbed the “Decade of XR”. And while we saw an increase in the quantity and variety of brands using immersive “XR” tech like 360 content and 360 video, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) in the last few years, it’s nothing compared with what we’ll see in the next decade.
Between the advances in all things immersive tech, improvements in smartphone technology, connected devices and the imminent launch of 5G, it’s an exciting time to be in marketing and advertising. We have more tools at our disposal than ever before to reach consumers in creative and engaging ways. And some brands are getting pretty inventive with how they use all this new tech. From apps to ads, here’s just a glimpse at some of the cool marketing and advertising applications we’ve seen of immersive media recently!
Coke Brings Its Polar Bears To Life
The Coca-Cola Polar Bear has become a Christmas icon. For the 2019 holiday season the brand took the interactivity with the adorable bears to a whole new level. An AR experience was created where users could use the Coke app and point their phones at Coca-Cola branded packaging to launch an AR experience where the bears came to life and shared a little holiday magic. While requiring consumers to open up an app to experience something can be quite the ask and a bit clunky, fans of the bear and of the brand who did engage were bound to be delighted and strengthened their affinity for the brand. From Polar Bears sledding down a winding tube to engaging consumers with a snowball fight, it was a jolly-fun experience for any Coke fan.
Jameson Whiskey Puts You There
What better way to get pumped for a trip to the Emerald Isle than to take a virtual tour of the world-renowned Jameson distillery. Home to some innovative tours like mixology classes, whiskey blending and more, the brand has turned to immersive 360vr ads to showcase its multi-million dollar tourist attraction like nothing else can. Jameson took 360 tours and 360-degree destination capture to the next level by featuring immersive 360 degree content within programmatic ad units. It’s one thing to have the content featured on a website but the brand was able to reach a broader audience by featuring the 360 content as programmatic ad units that they could run through Google’s DV360 ad platform. An assortment of units have been used, including one where you can visit all tours from within one display ad unit and others that feature single 360 images of specific tours. (Experience one below for yourself!)
Frozen 2
While it may not have been as highly publicized as the much-anticipated feature film, Disney sent a signal to the world that their animation arm is willing to dabble with VR using one of its most valuable franchises. The Frozen 2 inspired VR short film titled Myth: A Frozen Tale, headed to Sundance this year, and was featured as a special attraction with limited release when it premiered alongside the theatrical film in November. Those who were lucky enough to experience the virtual reality film expressed their delight and wished the studio would release it globally. When we’ll see a full-length VR feature film by Disney is anyone’s guess, but you can be certain they’ll continue to use immersive media in fun and unique ways to grow their franchises. What little girl or boy wouldn’t want find themselves in the middle of their favorite Disney film!
JC Penny Features Virtual Try-Ons
We’ve already seen retailers like Walmart and Target dip their feet into immersive waters, so it was refreshing to see retailer JC Penny jumping into the game. Although virtual try-on’s for engagement rings isn’t anything new (Tiffany’s app has been able to do that for a while, but you have to have the app), what made this notable was that the content was delivered as an ad unit. JC Penny worked with Verizon media to create and distribute the unit across Verizon owned properties. The retailer released the campaign for the holiday 2019 campaign capitalizing on the fact that 1/5th of proposals happen over December.
Vital Farms Eggs
Yes, you read that right. In a world where egg-shopping consumers can easily get confused with terms like “cage-free”, “pasture-raised” and “free-range”, brand Vital Farms is there to the rescue. As part of what they call their “Traceability” program, the egg brand rolled out a campaign where you can get more than a bird’s-eye view of where your eggs come from! Next time you buy a carton, you’ll be able to see from what farm your eggs came and get a 360-degree view of the hens actually grazing! The video I saw had hens pecking away as they wandered freely in a grassy pasture dotted with small trees and bushes. I was able to see first-hand that the eggs I was purchasing came from hens that seemed stress-free, chemical free and dare I say happy. In an eco-conscious age where consumers ask themselves where exactly their food is coming from, Vital Farms is leveraging immersive technology like 360 degree content to resonate with egg buyers.
Panera Tempts You to Play With Food
Casual eatery Panera encouraged consumers to play with their food and then share it with friends in an innovative AR ad campaign that ran exclusively on Bleacher Report. Users could place menu items in front of them, animate the menu and learn nutritional information. The campaign also came with a social share functionality which added another element of engagement for the brand. It was likely a smart move for the brand that was just coming off some social media negativity when a Panera worker posted a video that put the brand’s food freshness into question. (Perhaps they can take a lesson from Vital Farms and show 360 degree video of their kitchens and food prep areas…just a suggestion!)
#MUSTSEASCOTLAND
Perhaps highlights of immersive technology at work for brands wouldn’t be complete without a travel brand example! The tourism industry is no stranger to immersive media like 360 degree images and videos but it’s always refreshing to see a travel brand embrace the tech. As part of its #MustSeaScotland campaign, Sail Scotland recently launched a series of 360 degree videos to drum up tourism to explore the country’s unique coastline, heritage and wildlife. They kicked off release of the videos at a boat show. If you want to check out the 360 video (aka virtual reality video) series, you can check it out here. While this is definitely a step in the right direction, Sail Scotland could take a lesson from Jameson and take their 360 degree content and use it to run programmatic immersive ads to drum up tourism to the beautiful country.
Conclusion
It’s clear that brands of all verticals are embracing the immersive media trend that will only continue to grow at an expanding rate over the next decade. In a time when consumers are bombarded with thousands of brand messages daily, it’s the innovated-minded professionals of all levels in marketing and advertising that will make the difference. For they’re the ones who will lead their brands to the coveted prize of being not only noticed in a crowded field but also leading to active consumer engagement. It’s that engagement that is so vital, it equates to brand awareness, brand recall, brand purchase and brand affinity. Immersive media of all varieties, by their very nature, inherently empower brands to create those kinds of interactive experiences that can deliver on these critical metrics. Whether you’re an egg farmer, distillery or one of the largest brands on earth, it’s clear that immersive tech is a powerful tool and we can expect to see more brands and companies of all shapes and sizes jumping on board as they battle to grab consumer attention.
What are your thoughts? Have you seen any notable immersive brand experiences? We’d love to hear about them! Email me at: lbarton@advrtas.com