Virtual Reality has been in the news in recent times. As a consumer technology, it still does not measure up to the smartphone technology because of the lack of numbers in comparison to the smartphones. However, as an immersive marketing technology, VR has a vital role to play.
VR is all about transporting the user to another world and get an immersive, engaging experience. But, it does not do so entirely until it can incorporate the senses of smell, taste, and touch to go along with sight and sound. martech
At present VR technology offers you visual and auditory elements, but it is like a static experience. It does not provide much interaction with the audience. It does not stoke their interests. It can be an expensive affair to create such an experience, but the organizations are discovering that the value created out of this experience can balance the production costs.
One such attempt is the IBM interactive film ‘OUTAGE’ that lets the users play any character in a seven-minute film about a city-wide blackout. It engages the users to seek guidance from onlookers as they navigate the experience and try to restore power to the city. You have other examples like Disney’s Star Wars experience and so on.
Ikea has also created its VR experience to attract to new customers. It involves shoppers playing games and examining furniture and other Ikea products at the same time. The Holoroom experience by Lowe is also a similar one where it uses VR to engage its customers.
Boursin’s Sensorium is the new technology in town. It makes brilliant use of VR by leveraging all the five senses by taking users through a journey inside the refrigerator. The user can feel the cold air, smell the food and even provides the sense of taste. This technology is a perfect example of what immersive marketing technology can do.