While the exact origins of virtual reality (VR) are up for debate, there is no denying that VR has left the world of science-fiction and taken a stronghold over the real world. Remember a little game by the name of Pokémon Go?
But it’s not just mobile gaming that has been impacted by the VR phenomenon. Several of the world’s largest technology companies have invested millions—some even billions—of dollars in VR research and development to make VR accessible to the general public.
And now, VR has infiltrated the business world. More and more companies are beginning to integrate virtual and augmented reality in their video and content marketing strategies.
So why all the hype? Let’s take a look at the impact of VR video production on video marketing.
Boosts Emotional Engagement
Humans are emotional creatures—that’s just one of the facts of life. We have a tendency to have strong reactions to things that pull at our heart strings or ignite some type of emotional response.
According to research by YuMe, Inc. and Nielsen, VR video content resulted in 27% higher emotional engagement than 2D content. On top of which, viewers remained emotionally engaged 34% longer than when viewing the same content in 2D.
Now the question is: how does this affect your business? The ability to connect with your audience on an emotional level helps build brand trust and establish brand loyalty.
VR video production allows viewers to step into the experience—almost literally. They become part of your story rather than just observers on the other side of the fourth wall.
This level of engagement is very powerful as it creates unique and personal experiences. And it allows you to connect with your audience in ways that aren’t possible with traditional video content.
Increases Conversions
Imagine you’re in the tourism industry and your goal is to increase visits to your resort. While traditional video does an amazing job of showcasing what your resort has to offer, it doesn’t really provide a personal or necessarily engaging experience.
And while people may click on your video due to your amazing thumbnail graphic, they may not stick around long enough for your call to action. Enter VR video production.
According to the study by YuMe, Inc. and Nielsen, viewers of virtual reality content were in a highly engaged state for 50% of the experience. If your video is two minutes long that means you have their attention for an entire minute.
That might not seem like very much time but remember, six second Vine videos became too long for some people.
While all of that sounds good, the question is: can it really drive results? Back to the tourism example.
In 2016, Tourism Australia launched its “There’s Nothing Like Australia” campaign. They developed 18 different VR film sequences and brought Australia’s aquatic and coastal environment to life on an international scale.
The campaign helped increase visits to Australia by nine percent and helped boost engagement on Australia.com by 64 percent. Most impressively, Australia tourism industry leads grew by 104 percent as a result of the campaign.
The bottom line is that VR video production has the potential to be a highly engaging and conversion driving channel for several industries. Let’s explore how your company can leverage this growing marketing tool—contact us today. Don’t forget to follow us on social media to join the conversation: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.