Live creative technologies are transforming the world of brand experiences. Leading the way is virtual reality (VR), and it’s little wonder. It’s been half a century since computer graphics pioneer Ivan Sutherland declared that immersive technologies such as VR could “literally be the Wonderland into which Alice walked,” but VR now provides brands with a dramatic way to stand out from the crowd and engage with consumers who crave the unexpected.
Brand owners need to open their eyes to a brave new world, one where live and virtual experiences can combine. Live creative technology offers an infinite number of previously impossible experiences, such as the chance to travel back in time or the ability to explore unchartered territory. For marketers, there’s the opportunity for every fibre of a brand to be touched, felt or engaged with.
It will be the growth of simple – even free – VR devices that will truly transform the technology’s power and potential scope. The future lies in immersive educational content that can be enjoyed by viewers as simple as a cardboard cut-out.
As human beings, we learn by seeing, hearing and above all, sensing. You can achieve exactly that through the virtual experience; the Boursin Sensorium 4D experience offers a flavour of this. Live events and interactions are destined to be changed forever, as wholly-immersive experiences can be created in very small spaces.
Face-to-face marketing will still be central to guiding consumers through experiences, but live creative technology and 360-degree digital streaming will soon allow that brand experience to be extended to anyone, anytime and anywhere.
Augmented and virtual reality can push open the doors to deeper sensory experiences. These fast-growing technologies can rapidly enhance the personal impact of live experiences, encouraging consumers-turned-fans to extend the reach of these experiences through incredible, sharable content.
Live brand experiences can and should be immersive, coming full circle to shine the spotlight right back on the audience, where it belongs. Merging the live and the virtual is the future, and the future is now.
Joss Davidge is director of the unexpected at BEcause Brand Experience
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