Virtual reality brings brand worlds closer to the customer

Virtual reality brings brand worlds to life.The New York Times has been researching and developing primarily in the field of "visual storytelling" for five years. Up to now, it has relied heavily on infographics and videos. Ten months ago, the Big Apple also began working with virtual reality. The first story portrayed three children who were driven from their homeland by war and persecution - 11-year-old Oleg from Ukraine, a 12-year-old Syrian girl named Hana and Chuola 9-year-old Sudanese boy.Feeling of connectedness"This new film technology enables an uncanny sense of connection with people whose lives are far removed from our own," wrote Jake Silverstein, editor-in-chief of the New York Times Magazine, on the launch of its own VR app. His colleague, Times Executive VP and CRO Meredith Kopit Levien, recently commented on the topic at the dmexco digital trade fair: "Until now, a narrative or a story was the easiest way for us to communicate something. But through VR and other technologies, they could (...) bring a native experience to people and give them the chance to form an opinion and draw their own conclusions."Set of principlesThe Times has developed a number of principles to shape its approach to virtual reality. One of these is that VR does not lend itself to linear stories and plots or sequential narratives. Instead, the user is also the narrator and decides what comes next. The Times has now had 29 VR films produced, which have been viewed a total of ten million times. The engagement rate is really high, with viewers spending an average of six minutes with the content.Enormous opportunities for brandsBut virtual reality is not just a new way of telling stories for publishers. For Lisa Donohue, Global Brand Manager at Publicis Media subsidiary Starcom, VR technology offers enormous opportunities for brands to develop new forms of communication. However, it is important not to think in terms of channels, but to see VR as a storytelling tool. She is certain that almost every brand can expand its storytelling with virtual reality. And she even goes one step further, saying that in her opinion, every brand will need a VR strategy in the future. However, this is not just about brand building, but VR could also have practical benefits for consumers, such as in the automotive sector to simulate test drives.Experience the C-Class with virtual realityThis is exactly what Mercedes Benz in Norway did when they successfully experimented with virtual reality for the launch of their new C-Class. The challenge with the product launch was to get the premium target group, who do not normally go to the dealership for a test drive, to test drive the new C-Class. The clientele for this car is usually very busy and travels a lot. That is why the Norwegians conducted their product campaign exactly where the target group is often to be found and also has a lot of time on their hands: In the VIP lounge at Oslo Airport, the creatives created a place where people could drive the most beautiful routes in Europe in the new Mercedes using VR glasses. The campaign was a complete success. All major media outlets reported on it, and more than 1,000 people tested the virtual C-Class during the four-week period; four times as many people as would otherwise have carried out physical test drives for all Mercedes Benz models together in the same period.Audi also relies on VRHowever, other car brands are also already flirting with virtual reality. Audi, for example, wants to bring its self-developed application for VR glasses to the first dealerships by the end of the year. The so-called "VR Experience" gives tech-savvy customers the opportunity to look inside a headlight or steering wheel and see technologies that would otherwise be difficult to explain in theory.Many areas of applicationUltimately, virtual reality is an opportunity not only for publishers and car manufacturers, but also in the gaming, travel and retail sectors to bring stories, products, technologies and brand messages even closer to consumers. Consumers are likely to embrace the new technology much faster than marketing strategists and will soon take virtual reality for granted. It is now up to companies to use virtual reality to tell stories that awaken new desires, simplify complex issues or strengthen trust in a brand.Author: Nora Feist is managing director of Mashup Communications together with Miriam Rupp (www.mashup-communications.de)the Berlin agency for PR and storytelling. With the philosophy "We love to tell new stories", the agency focuses primarily on clients from the online and mobile sector.