Industry forecasts for 2016 strongly pointed to the rise of Virtual Reality (VR). Predicted trends, however, don’t always come true — sometimes annual hopes turn into the biggest industry disappointments within months. VR holds massive potential already being tapped by foreign marketers, and is now gradually entering the Polish market.
History of virtual reality
Myron W. Krueger is considered the pioneer of VR, creating his first project based on virtual reality in 1969. Over the following years, he developed his ideas, laying the groundwork for modern Virtual Reality. A major turning point in the technology’s history came in 2012 with a Kickstarter campaign, when the inventor of the Oculus Rift — Palmer Luckey — alongside game developer John Carmack, raised funds to produce glasses enabling users to enter virtual reality.
VR in global brand campaigns
The race to find the most interesting and groundbreaking applications of this new invention started with the beta release of the Oculus Rift. Although the glasses were created by computer game enthusiasts and originally targeted at the gaming industry, marketers quickly took interest. It's hard to estimate budgets allocated for VR campaigns, but the growing number of creative advertising initiatives from brands across industries shows that virtual reality and 360° videos could reshape the advertising market. Volvo created a driving simulation for its XC90 model, Top Shop let customers step onto a runway during Fashion Week, and footwear brand Merrell took consumers on an exciting mountain expedition.
And Poland?
VR is also making its appearance in Poland. Some time ago, the National Council of Nurses and Midwives ran a social campaign using virtual reality to draw attention to the decreasing number of nurses working in the country.
An interesting campaign was launched by agency Adcookie in cooperation with VR Global, who introduced Poland’s first comprehensive system for promoting and selling apartments based on VR, combined with a dedicated mobile application and 360° video for client Domar Development. The entire effort was built around innovative digital marketing and the use of virtual reality and 360° video. Additionally, during the "Night with Design" event, a special booth was created where visitors could use VR glasses to step inside a visualized home. This form of promotion proved highly effective, especially because it allowed clients to view buildings that were planned but not yet built. Architectural plans, even in 3D, did not impact clients as strongly as the ability to be immersed in their dream home. The campaign was also recognized by the industry, earning Adcookie the top prize in this year’s Golden Arrow competition in the category Digital marketing (internet innovation).
As we can see, virtual reality is not just a technological curiosity, but an innovative solution that can distinguish marketing efforts, increase customer interest, and ultimately close the sales cycle and boost revenue. The technology offers enormous possibilities, but its successful application depends on skillful execution. A holistic approach (strategy, VR content creation, promotion, and user communication) yields excellent results and ensures marketing campaigns lead to sales success.
Summary
VR technology, though primarily associated with gaming, is increasingly entering the advertising space. Global brands like Volvo, Top Shop, and Merrell have leveraged virtual reality and 360° videos for engaging marketing campaigns. In Poland, agency Adcookie, in partnership with VR Global, implemented a VR-based promotion and sales system for Domar Development. The campaign won the top award at the Golden Arrow competition.
This example shows that VR can genuinely support sales, especially when architectural visualizations are difficult to imagine. The key, however, is a holistic approach — from strategy and VR content creation, through promotion to effective communication with users.
