Virtual Reality Marketing Playbook

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Introduction 4 Chapter 1: Technology Overview 11 Chapter 2: Virtual Reality Today 15 Chapter 3: Brand Benefits of Virtual Real-

20 Chapter 4: How Brands Use Virtual Reality

Chapter 5: How to Start a Virtual Reality 23 Campaign 27 Chapter 6: YouVisit Advantage INTRODUCTION

Virtual reality has moved from emerging technology to a viable gamechanger for brands. By 2020, virtual reality is anticipated to grow into a $30 billion market. Businesses and brands are already venturing into the space, creating VR experiences to fulfill marketing, training, and product goals.

In this ebook, we’ll cover everything you need to know about virtual reality to judge its effectiveness and determine if it’s a sound option. By the end, you’ll know what virtual reality is, understand how businesses are currently using the technology, and have a checklist for implementing your first Virtual Reality campaign.

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 3 CHAPTER 1

Technology Overview

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 4 WHAT IS VIRTUAL REALITY?

Virtual reality is a technology that empowers viewers to experience an event, location, or activity as if they’re there and involved. This is called presence. While viewing a virtual reality experience, people can look around in first-person, seeing, hearing, and in some cases, interacting with the environment around them. The virtual worlds people might experience are created using panoramic images, 360° video, computer-generated content, or any combination of these.

“It’s a technology that can bring people places they might not otherwise reach. A high school senior can tour a college without trekking across the country. A wheelchair-bound music fan can get in the front row at a rock concert. And a relocating home buyer can view a new house from the comfort of their old one.”

John Patrick Pullen, TIME

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 5 Where Did Virtual Reality Come From?

In 2012, the virtual reality industry emerged after Palmer Luckey, a teenager frustrated with existing VR technology, built his own headset out of duct tape and salvaged parts. The attempt proved so impressive that it earned funding from another like- minded creator, followed by an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign to build a better VR headset. Not long after the Kickstarter campaign, Facebook purchased the new endeavor, sending interest in VR by consumers and businesses through the roof. Since then, the VR industry has made major technological advances, and has begun to fulfill the promise VR evangelists had made in the ‘90s.

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 6 HOW TO EXPERIENCE VIRTUAL REALITY

To truly experience immersive virtual reality, you’ll need a head-mounted display (HMD), more typically called a headset. You wear a VR headset on your face, covering your eyes to shut out your surroundings and create a fully immersive visual environment. Add headphones and you increase the sense of presence.

There are two types of VR headsets: mobile VR headsets and PC- and video game-based headsets.

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 7 MOBILE VR HEADSETS

Mobile VR headsets work with a smartphone. Most smartphones, especially newer devices, connect directly to the headset, like the Samsung Gear VR. Other headsets, like the Google Daydream View, only require you to load up a VR app and slide the phone in. The biggest benefit of mobile VR is that two-thirds of Americans already own devices capable of running VR. The headsets that use smartphones are also much more affordable.

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 8 PC-BASED VR HEADSETS

PC- and video game-based headsets are more powerful than mobile VR, and require a high-end computer, or in the case of PlayStation VR, a gaming console, to function at their full potential. The leading PC-based VR headsets are the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. As of this writing, the only mainstream video-game based VR headset is PlayStation VR.

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 9 OTHER WAYS TO VIEW VR EXPERIENCES

Virtual reality requires 360° visual content, but you don’t necessarily need a VR headset to view it.

On desktops, you can “look around” a 360° video or photo using a mouse or trackpad. On mobile phones, platforms will lean on the device’s gyroscope to recreate the 360° effect of “looking around” when you move the phone.

There are few web browser platforms that support 360° content: Facebook, YouTube, WordPress, and YouVisit.

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 10 CHAPTER 2

Virtual Reality Today

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 11 THE HARDWARE BOOM 171 Million people will be active in VR by 2018

November 2016 Google Daydream

October 2016 PlayStation VR

April 2016 HTC Vive

March 2016 Oculus Rift

November 2015 Samsung Gear

June 2014 Google Cardboard

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 12 THE EXCITEMENT IS REAL

53% % %

91 of consumers say they are more 71 likely to purchase from a brand that sponsors a VR experience

of users have an overwhelmingly of consumers agree that a brand that positive feelings toward VR once sponsors VR is forward-thinking and they try it. modern

* Insights courtesy of Greenlight VR's June 2016 study of 1,300 consumers with U.S. respondednt sample reflective of the general population and balanced to get a distribution along various demographic parameters

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 13 BRANDS USING VR

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 14 CHAPTER 3

Brand Benefits of VR

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 15 VIRTUAL REALITY: A POWERFUL NEW MARKETING TOOL

VR is quickly becoming one of the most versatile and powerful business tools to come to market. Just like social media and mobile tech, VR is revolutionizing the way brands interact with their audiences.

“When we are confronted with a decision, emotions from previous, related experiences affix values to the options we are considering. These emotions create preferences which lead to our decision.”

Peter Noel Murray, author of Descartes’ Error

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 16 VIRTUAL REALITY: A POWERFUL NEW MARKETING TOOL (CONT.)

1.IMMERSIVE 2.IMPACTFUL

VR experiences create a sense of presence that enables users to feel VR experiences have the power to transport viewers, generating as if they are actually at a location or event, or participating in an strong emotions in the process—more so than any other type of activity. Because viewers wear a headset to experience VR, there media. Which means VR is the ideal channel to employ as advertising are fewer distractions and a much greater chance that a brand’s and marketing continue to move away from selling features to message will be seen, heard, and remembered. selling emotions.

3.MEMORABLE 4.SCALABLE

Our brains are hardwired to remember events that we experience As more people adopt virtual reality, brands will have a cost-effective directly, as opposed to those we hear about or see happen to others way to reach consumers with unique, immersive experiences. More, (i.e., a TV commercial). This is great news for brands interested in VR content is scalabale across your entire marketing mix. Use it as VR, because the experiences your audience has will feel exactly an event activation tool or use it for programatic display. The results like a real-world event they participated in, making it much more will astound you. memorable.

5.MEASURABLE AND ACTIONABLE

Creating stunning VR content is great, but not if you can’t measure its impact. As the industry continues to grow and mature, producers and distribution networks will need to show the positive impact of the content they create. With a platform like YouVisit’s, you can get detailed engagement analytics about an experience on-demand to help optimize your content and increase ROI.

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 17 SCALING TO MEET YOUR NEEDS

Despite popular sentiment, you don’t need a VR headset to unleash the power of interactive 360° content. Platforms like YouVisit, YouTube and Facebook support 360° the format, allowing you to deliver your message to audiences at scale across all devices.

Furthermore, savvy marketers have found ways to use their VR content across a variety of different channels. No longer just a branding tool, marketers are now using VR to drive lift across their entire marketing mix, from experiential to programmatic display.

INBOUND OUTBOUND EXPERIENTIAL EARNED

Quickly increase your time on site Distribute VR experiences through Leverage your VR experience to Compelling VR experiences get numbers with experiences that social media, digital video, mobile tell your brand story at events or people talking, providing dividends engage and educate. VR apps, and programmatic 360° tradeshows. in unpaid impressions. ad display networks.

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 18 AMPLIFY YOUR MESSAGE Virtual reality improves the efficacy of your marketing efforts through every stage of the sales funnel.

AWARENESS 35x more effective than static images alone, with an average CTR of 4.51%

CONSIDERATION 13.5x CONVERSION more organic reach % on Facebook 10.4 190 in increased YoY revenue minutes spent, for Thomas Cook by using VR to on average, with a VR showcase destinations. experience compared to % just seconds on images & videos 18 increase in conversion rates for Grand Velas Resorts.

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 19 CHAPTER 4

How Brands Use Virtual Reality

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 20 HOW BRANDS ARE USING VIRTUAL REALITY

Visit Houston: America’s fourth-largest city launched a marketing effort Hong Kong Airlines: Using a third-party panoramic, programmatic that included virtual reality and 360° video and photographic content advertising partner, Hong Kong Airlines leveraged mobile VR to place in 2016. The campaign focused on dispelling the notions that Houston potential business-class travelers into the fuselage of one of their is all cattle and tumbleweeds, showing off the hidden gems across airplanes, giving them an intimate recreation of what it’s like to fly in the city. Visit Houston saw a 100% increase in engagement and their their aircraft. The campaign returned a click rate 35x that of traditional conversion rate increased to 15% of site visitors. display, with the audience spending 9x more time with the content.

“How you consume information and the quality of that “ We are thrilled to be the first advertiser to launch content is extremely relevant, especially if you are in the 360° ad unit programmatically in Asia Pacific to the travel experience business...The ultimate goal is showcase our business class offering. This allows us to for visitors to enjoy what they see and inspire them to bring the experience directly to the mobile screen of come visit Houston in person.” our target audience.”

Mike Waterman, president, The Greater Houston Ming Chan, general manager, Brand Centre at Convention and Visitors Bureau (GHCVB) Hong Kong Airlines

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 21 HOW BRANDS ARE USING VIRTUAL REALITY (CONT.)

Grand Velas: Luxury resort hotel Grand Velas Riviera Maya used an THOMAS COOK: Thomas Cook was one of the first major companies interactive virtual experience on their website to increase retention to adopt VR. The European agency tested adding a VR headset in its and improve inquiries and booking rates of existing site visitors. Their Bluewater shopping mall location. The test proved so successful that effort helped them increase booking revenue by 23%, and increased the company expanded its program to 10 select brick-and-mortar their conversion rate for the site to 18%. stores. The company reported its VR-promoted New York excursion revenue increase by 190 percent.

“The YouVisit virtual experience is an extraordinary “Before travellers just had a brochure or information on the solution that helps our clients experience the best our website to inform their choices. Virtual reality allows them resorts have to offer from the comfort of their own to get a true sense of the hotel and the excursions they can offices and homes.” go on—it’s been a real game changer for us.”

Gaston Arellano Galicia, multimedia director, Marco Ryan, chief digital officer, Thomas Cook Grand Velas Resorts

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 22 CHAPTER 5

How to Start a Virtual Reality Campaign

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 23 BRAINSTORM YOUR CONCEPT Once you’ve identified your audience, you’ll need to determine what it is you want to convey to your audience, and the best way to do it in VR. Should it be a game? Should it be a passive experience they simply watch, or something interactive that requires their full attention and engagement?

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 24 IDENTIFY A VIRTUAL REALITY PARTNER

Some questions you should ask are:

HOW EXPERIENCED IS YOUR VR TEAM? CAN I SEE EXAMPLES?

Producing a VR experience is significantly different from creating Ask for several examples of VR experiences the studio created for other types of content. You want to work with a company that has other clients, or even pet projects they’ve done for themselves. You extensive experience with the technical aspects of shooting in VR. want to make sure the studio not only understands the industry, but also has created beautiful, immersive experiences. A professional VR company will send you an inexpensive VR headset so that you can see their examples.

WHAT’S THE PROCESS FROM WHAT DATA DOES YOUR BEGINNING TO END? COMPANY TRACK?

Make sure the company you choose to work with can clearly Ask what data points the company tracks and how it relates to your articulate their process. This will ensure your VR experience is specific goals. A partner worth their salt should have integrated delivered on time and at the quality you expect. Companies should analytics they can provide on-demand. have well defined stages for the project, including pre-production, production, and post-production. Don’t be afraid to get into the details about each stage.

HOW SCALABLE IS YOUR SOLUTION? WHAT SUPPORT DOES THE COMPANY OFFER?

In terms of distribution, a competent VR studio should have the means VR is constantly evolving. It’s also highly technical. You’ll want to work to spread your experience around to multiple devices and platforms. with a company that updates your experience with changes in the There are numerous VR headsets on the market. Your experience technology as quickly and smoothly as possible. should be on as many as possible. Ask your potential partners to explain their distribution model for your content.

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 25 DEVELOP A DISTRIBUTION PLAN VR is growing rapidly, but not everyone has headsets yet. You’ll need to develop a way to distribute your content. There are a few existing options, and many more in the works. Do you want to hand out headsets at trade shows? Mail headsets to select people? Are you going to tease the experience on your site? One way to get the most out of your VR experience is to make sure it can be viewed on 360°-enabled social media sites like Facebook and YouTube.

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 26 CHAPTER 6

YouVisit Advantage

YouVisit works with marketers and agencies to leverage virtual reality experiences that create strong emotional connections between audiences and brands. We’ve worked with 1,000+ brands and institutions to produce memorable, immersive experiences that help increase awareness, engagement, and total conversions.

Tweet this ebook www.youvisit.com 27 The New Engagement Paradigm

Just a Story

A 360° Story Just a Scene Videos (Dynamic)

Available Media

360° Video Photos (Immersive) (Static) 95% Active Immersion (All media types + Interactive scene elements = Active immersion)

Low Maximum Engagement Engagement

youvisit.com 28 The Immersive Interactive Experience YouVisit’s software enables the user to interact with the content, creating an even more immersive and engaging experience.

Visitors spend 10+ minutes exploring YouVisit interactive experiences, compared to 2-3 minutes on 360° video

youvisit.com 29 Technology Built for Optimal Distribution

Delivers 360° content in up to 5x higher resolution

<< Peripheral Vision >>

YouVisit’s Adaptive Focus algorithms mimic human vision by dynamically increasing pixel density based on the direction the user is looking in the experience. *Patents Pending

youvisit.com 30 Analytics: Actionable Data at Your Finger Tips

The Minute Maid Park scene was viewed 12,027 times 15 percent of users have who viewed Minute Maid, clicked Travel Planning

46 percent of users who visited Minute Maid Park clicked on an interactive element

Our analytics platform provides real-time insights. It allows you to see what consumers are most interested in as well as learn which parts of your experience lead to positive outcomes and how to best optimize.

youvisit.com 31 Award-Winning Content Team

YouVisit is one of the largest and most experienced production companies in the world. We have created immersive VR experiences for leading global brands and organizations on six continents.

youvisit.com 32 THANK YOU