Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Take Us to a New Era of Marketing

A marketing campaign should involve potential customers in a more dynamic way. This could mean using things that provoke audience involvement, such as videos or offering gifts when we advertise on Facebook, or run polls on Twitter.

However, there are other ways to do marketing that are quite effective by utilizing the latest technology. For example, the technology of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) that can provide a unique and 'thrilling' experience to customers.

It should be noted that technology giants such as Google, Apple, and others are very concerned about this innovation. Apple has encouraged the development of AR with ARKit. Google is designing methods including non-intrusive elements in the Virtual Reality experience.

If you are a marketer, of course you want to be involved in this change early so you can stand out among competitors. The following are some of the main ways you can do it.

The Role of VR in Marketing

Virtual Reality can make a person sink into a new situation without requiring them to leave comfort in their home. This is a valuable opportunity for a marketer.

That's because Virtual Reality provides an opportunity for marketers to offer more value to customers. For example Lowe’s, a company engaged in building material sales and home remodeling services in America that designs VR experiences where users can learn how to complete various DIY projects in virtual settings. This is a smart way to highlight the use of the types of products sold by Lowe's.

Of course, currently marketing using Virtual Reality is still very limited. That is, most people who enter the VR experience do not aim to make a purchase. Similarly, in the early days of the internet where online shopping was not something that was commonly done, nowadays e-commerce has become something very common.

Marketers need to focus on designing a VR experience that is more attractive to customer needs or interests. Another example of marketing Virtual Reality that is worth studying is the North Face campaign that invites users to climb through Yosmite National Park in California, United States.

Rather than trying to sell products directly, the campaign turned out to provide a unique and interesting experience that received a response directly from the customers of The North Face. It is also useful to remind customers about the North Face brand as a whole.

Using AR to Improve Marketing

Augmented Reality (AR) is another technology that must be learned by a marketer. Unlike VR which invites users to the virtual world completely, AR allows users to integrate virtual elements with the real world. Pokemon Go! and Snapchat is a popular example.

AR marketing campaigns must also be useful to provide genuine value to users. In fact, AR does not need to resemble a marketing campaign at all, it is quite a useful tool for its users.

The Ikea Augmented Reality feature is one good example to learn. When selling to online consumers, Ikea faces challenges that are not shared by all retailers; IKEA tries to sell large items (such as furniture) through the internet.

Most consumers don't have a clear picture of the main products that will look appropriate for their home just by exploring furniture images on the website. However, with AR, Ikea allows users to add virtual images of these objects to the environment around the user. This of course will increase the likelihood of consumers making purchases.

AR can also be used to highlight the location of a store where a brand is sold. For example, a customer might download an AR application that can show where certain brand items are in the department store.

Of course there will be even more use of this latest technology (AR and VR) in the future because they continue to increase. No need to wait for the latest developments before trying to explore what these two technologies have to offer, you can try them now.

Every marketer should ensure their brand stands out in the crowd by exploiting the potential of new technology. Therefore, try to use AR and VR now to give your customers a unique and 'thrilling' impression.