Adding Virtual Reality To The Youth Marketing Mix
In TrendsThe impact of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in marketing to the youth has already been felt globally. South African brands are slowly starting to think about ways to integrate VR or AR into their marketing strategies, while others have already scratched the surface. Greenlight VR found that 71% of them believed using virtual reality makes brands seem “forward-thinking and modern” and 53% said they’d be more likely to purchase from a brand that uses VR, than from one that doesn’t. We’ve pitched VR and AR up against one another to see what the difference is and where these youth marketing tools could lead your brand.
Knowing Your VR From Your AR
We all remember the start of Pokemon Go where people chased around virtual creatures in their own surroundings. The app took what we see in front of us and added something unexpected that wasn’t really there. This is AR, where your perception of reality is simply altered by virtual additions. Because AR exists in the real world you can imprint it on just about anything. Billboards can become engaging, magazines can come alive and brands can hide secrets all around, just waiting to be discovered.
VR is different in that it closes you off from the real world and takes you to a new dimension entirely through a special headset that plays content that is aimed at altering your senses and physical experience. The special VR goggles used to see video content for this platform, have been reproduced in many forms, the first of which could be seen in South Africa when Samsung launched its S7 mobile with an Oculus Rift VR headset. After this, the cardboard version emerged as a more cost-effective option for those curious non-techies. The difference with VR is that it’s meant to fully immerse the youth into a new environment where they can get the closest they’ve ever been to experience a brand or its services, without leaving their comfort zone or even paying a dime.
Now let’s look at some examples where marketers connected what was happening in the real world with the power of VR and AR.
Recruiting For Vodacom NXT LVL With VR
When Student Village was tasked with finding an innovative way to launch the “Vodacom NXT LVL” graduate recruitment campaign and to position Vodacom as the employer of choice amongst top graduates, VR came into play in a big way. Having just acquired the technology to produce VR experiences to our clients, Student Village’s graduate division put VR to the test.
Having worked with the many different ways in which digital technology is being used to recruit top Afrillennial (African Millennial) talent, Student Village conceptualised a virtual tour that would give the students an opportunity to discover a day in the life of Vodacom. The video experience took students through the Vodacom headquarters in Midrand and featured video clips of the current grads and exco members, embedded into the virtual reality experience.
Students could not only apply to be a NXT LVL candidate, but experience the company before they even had the probability of working there. The VR feature was a great draw card in driving traffic to the stand, generating curiosity and fascination. It also separated Vodacom’s career fair stand from other company stands on campus.
How About VR Goggles In Your Happy Meal?
In Sweden, McDonalds turned their happy meals boxes into VR headsets called happy goggles. The meal with the happy goggles costs about R70 and the campaign was launched during a period where many families go on skiing holiday. Children could then play a Ski themed VR game called “Slope Stars”. We bet that happy meals had great growth with Millennials during this promotion – even though they are no longer children!
What made this campaign stick out is that it combined timing, relevance and innovation. It was timeously launched when people’s minds were on their ski trips and for that period the content in VR was relevant. As for innovation… They turned a happy meal into a virtual reality experience which easily tops any other clincher before it.
McDonalds have done well at remembering that their interpretation of the unlimited space that VR offers, should still correspond with their brand promise. In their case it was being associated with happiness and joy, like families have when going on skiing holiday.
Vespa Magazine Augmented Reality
Vespa proved that even print media can be turned into engaging media with the help of augmented reality. Vespa placed an advert in a publication which interacted with a reader’s phone. They scanned the code and just like that a 3D model of the Vespa would appear on the magazine, which people could then fully customise. As if that wasn’t futuristic enough, they could drive the Vespa around the table when they were finished, on a digital mini course. What was great about this is that it was unexpected and added a whole new dimension to print media. Check out the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmFh3AkTCTg
The Magic Of A VR & AR Combo
Magic can happen when you are able to combine VR and AR. Imagine taking youth to your brand’s world from the seat of their pants, followed by virtual blips in their reality when they have left. Brands would be able to keep reminding the youth of their brand world and keep the engagement rolling even on their social scene.
This opens up a whole new world for campus marketing where students live for instant gratification and rewards. Brands can create engagements that last a lot longer and a story that can be experienced whenever and wherever. When using the two together, VR and AR need to complement each other where one directs an experience to the other. The challenge brands face is to not get carried away with the unlimited possibilities of AR and VR and rather showcase content that’s both relevant to the youth and their brand. AR and VR are set to be the platforms that will bring products back to the real world, as if peeling them off the advertisements on the screens of Afrillennials and placing them in the hands of the youth!
SAVE THE DATE: Student Village is hosting South Africa’s first virtual youth reality showcase, on 29 September 2016. Those in attendance can expect to gain insights on:
- What SA BRANDS are doing with VR
- How GRADUATE RECRUITERS are using VR to promote their companies
- The next level in YOUTH ACTIVATIONS with VR
For more information on the VR showcase or to rsvp, contact Student Village on or call 011 885 3918.