Second Life for virtual reality
Virtual reality will take the mass market by storm in the coming years. What does that mean for marketing?
Facebook has bought the manufacturer of VR (virtual reality) glasses for gamers, Oculus Rift, and thus has the ticket to a dominant position in the VR market. The VR impact is likely to reach our everyday lives via gamers in the coming years. What attention should marketers pay to Oculus Rift and what opportunities does the hardware open up for marketing?
After the "Second Life" hype eleven years ago, VR has gone quiet. However, Oculus Rift technology (110° viewing angle, fast reaction time to movement) and Facebook's investment in the company have given virtual reality a new boost. Oculus Rift products are not yet available to buy; they are offered to developers as a beta version. If you look at the films on YouTube, users are enthusiastic about the VR games that have been specially created for the glasses. In order to accelerate the penetration of Oculus Rift, Facebook is pursuing a strategy of forging partnerships with the major players in the gaming market. At the moment, VR glasses are bulky, heavy and fascinate nerds. If Oculus Rift succeeds in establishing VR together with the gaming industry, it is only a matter of time before tools suitable for everyday use are available and virtual reality becomes interesting for the mass market. Facebook sees virtual reality as a new platform on which to share experiences and adventures with friends. Internet users spend 40 percent of their time on social platforms and 40 percent gaming. Now Facebook wants to merge these two worlds. Companies that already rely heavily on Facebook for their marketing activities need to consider what role their brand should play in the Oculus ecosystem. You can already find approaches on YouTube: a virtual tour of a Tesco supermarket and participation in training for the British O2 rugby team. The rugby team opens up a new world of experience via VR and enables fans to participate in the life of the brand.
VR can challenge marketing in the coming years: Creative VR concepts with high entertainment value or information content that not only fascinate, but also create experiences that were previously not possible, are in demand. Mapping the real world, as Tesco does, will probably not be enough.
By the way: Oculus Rift supports the relaunch of Second Life. The new version should be available in 2016.
Imre Sinka
