I love a good book. I love its ability to transport me to a different world. My imagining of these worlds, and how I felt about the places and characters, often stays with me years after the initial reading. And while I can discuss, analyse and share my enjoyment of a book with others who have read it, it’s a personal, solitary experience – and my imagining of its world is unique to me. That’s the power of great storytelling. Over the summer I read Ready Player One, a sci-fi cult favourite that tells the story of a dystopian future in which people would rather spend their time in a virtual reality (VR) game, trying to discover clues to a vast fortune, than face the real world. It’s a great page-turner and it’s no surprise Hollywood has picked it up to turn into a film.
Our fascination with VR is nothing new. Cited as having its roots in the science fiction of the 1950s, it has often raised our hopes for the future, only to frustrate: Avatar fans were rendered suicidal at the thought of not being able to live on the film’s fictional world of Pandora. Soon though, this may all change. With the imminent arrival of Oculus Rift, joining Samsung’s already available Gear headset, it feels like we are on the precipice of VR becoming, well, a reality.
The possibilities seem endless. From gaming and travel to education and journalism, VR may be about to radically change the way we consume and experience content and the stories it tells. The New York Times distributed Google Cardboard to its print subscribers to help immerse them in its virtual reality film, called “The Displaced,” about children uprooted by war, and has been widely lauded as a tipping point in VR going mainstream. Amnesty International used VR to create a VR version of Aleppo, transporting viewers on the streets of London to the devastated streets of the war-torn Syrian city in a bid to increase awareness of the situation and, ultimately, boost donations. But it’s not just hard-hitting topics getting the VR treatment – it’s being used to good effect by TV companies and musicians as well.
The implications for advertisers – who love anything new and shiny that could be used to help them sell products and services – are fascinating. Marriott Hotels used VR to transport users from London to Maui in 90 seconds and Mini’s Backwater, a film about a diamond heist, subtly highlighted the features of the car. Most recently Nivea created a touching ad that brought a mother and son together using VR. But the twist Nivea delivers at the end is that there is no substitute for real life.
Aside from the set-up costs, including the user having to buy all the hardware, the ultimate barrier to VR gaining critical mass, and not just being for gamers and tech-savvy consumers, will be the availability of quality content – see 3DTV as a test case. In a world where the rise of ad blocking tells advertisers loudly and clearly ‘I don’t like your advertising’ brands will need to step up and make compelling content. It must be relevant to the user, it must tell a great story and it must transport them to different world; and this is where brands need to tread carefully. Without that, VR is doomed to fail – because, like a good book that stays with you, VR is a visceral experience that will remain with the user and shape the way they feel towards that brand.
