Technological
innovation has become the norm in the marketing world. No matter where you
look, it seems the future really is now. And perhaps nothing quite encapsulates
that reality as clearly as virtual reality.
With
its immersive 3D video experiences, VR marketing has recently seen a notable
uptick in popularity. Over the next decade, you can safely expect it
to go from ‘hot trend’ to ‘established practice.’
The rise of VR should come as no surprise in this digital age
...
especially as it pertains to marketing. When viewed side by side with
traditional methods, VR brings several unprecedented assets to the table:
●
Directness — it offers a very personal,
one-on-one way to engage with individual users
●
Uniqueness — it allows for a wide creative
range with which to distinguish from other brands in a memorable way
●
Excitement — perhaps this will fade with time
and exposure, but at the present moment, it is an inherently compelling medium
●
Relevance — it’s a great way to effectively
target your messaging towards an appropriate audience (this is something that Facebook is currently exploring with their
Oculus headsets)
●
Depth — it demonstrates your product/service
in action from all angles, more genuinely than possible through conventional
channels
●
Tech-savviness — simply put, embracing VR
shows you’re with the times, at the cutting edge of your industry
And
that’s just the tip of the iceberg. VR is, very literally, bringing a whole new
dimension to customer interactions — a dimension that, at the moment, is
relatively untapped.
That being said, virtual reality marketing carries its own concerns
Most
prominently, there is a concern over invasiveness.
For a user who’s fully engaged in as immersive an experience as virtual reality,
ads may present an unwelcome disturbance. We’ve all experienced this headache
while trying to scroll an article or watch a video; with VR, the frustration is
only amplified. Meaning that as brands explore this avenue, they’ll have to
carefully wade the waters to reach their desired effects. Otherwise, they risk
coming across as overbearing and intrusive instead of appropriate
complementary.
Then,
as with all marketing channels nowadays, there are data privacy concerns to address. As VR marketing continues to
become more commonplace, questions about data access are quickly emerging. For
instance, will a brand that’s looking to advertise via VR have access to
behavioral data collected by those headsets? (Unsurprisingly, this is a topic
that Facebook goes at length to address with Oculus). Given that VR is entering
a fairly untapped digital environment, the accepted interplay with user data is
still up in the air.
And
finally, we have to mention price.
As with every sleek new toy, it’s more expensive now at the relative onset of
its popularity. But that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker if you can find more
affordable channels that still deliver high ROI. And that’s exactly what we
have for you.
Virtual Reality Mail: Effective, Reliable, and Affordable
For
years now, we here at Red Paper Plane have been working to capture the pros of
VR marketing (without inciting those cons). And through direct mail, we’ve
found a particularly user-friendly, intuitive, eye-catching way to do so.
We
know — direct mail plus virtual reality sounds so counterintuitive. But, on the
contrary, we’ve found it to be a phenomenal balance, simultaneously
sophisticated and endearing.
So check out our Custom VR
Viewers. They’re built with a sturdy cardboard design that mails
flat and lightweight, then pops into shape and plays nice with your smartphone
screen.
There’s
no overly extravagant gadgetry; it’s a straightforward, homey little tool. And
yet, it still is virtual reality in
all its multipurpose glory. We’ve had partners use it for everything from
setting up campus tours to showcasing hotel interiors to examining product
models.
And
the branding capabilities extend beyond the virtual graphics. Don’t forget
about the physical mailer itself, which we can custom design with the artwork
and shape that best suit your needs.
Finally,
though, to bring it all together: Our VR mailers are a completely non-intrusive
form of marketing. Your audience can watch it at their leisurely convenience,
without any pushing or prodding from your end. So your brand won’t be intruding
on their experience; instead, your brand will be the experience. And what more could you really want?