Virtual reality and future advertising

Even now, the most important profit model for media is still advertising. As the next generation media of virtual reality VR technology, what will be its main profit model? People who are starting a business in the VR industry must be thinking about this issue. Will advertising become a source of revenue for virtual reality? How will virtual reality change the advertising industry? This may also be a topic of concern to the media.

Eye-catching digital billboards during football games

From watching shows in the front row of fashion week to 360-degree city tours, virtual reality technology is revolutionizing the way consumers experience video. Since there are so many die-hard fans who cannot watch live football games, virtual reality technology will make the sports industry crazy again, and in turn, virtual reality will become more popular as a result. NextVR, the industry's leading virtual reality solution provider, is working hard on this. Allowing more fans to "visit" football matches is only the first step. According to the US "Adweek" (Adweek), NextVR executive chairman Brad Allen believes that VR technology has brought new advertising opportunities.

｜VR equipment for live broadcast of NBA｜

In every game, the audience will notice some billboards around the competition venue, but the specific advertising content may not attract the audience to read it carefully, and because the seats are fixed, not all the content of the billboards can be seen by every audience. Virtual reality technology can bring advertising to every experiencer.

Brad Allen said: "We know where you are looking, what you are looking at and what you are paying attention to. This will affect the placement of advertising or projection equipment." For example, NextVR compiled a viewership hot map for the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game to be held in Rio de Janeiro in October. This map marked the places with the highest attention in red, which is probably the position of LeBron James on the court.

Brad Allen said: "Theoretically, advertisers can use this information to purchase specific space and then insert digital ads. Because of the immersive nature of VR equipment, it is similar to the look and feel of live audiences seeing billboards on the court. We have interviewed many experiencers who praise the billboards that appear in live VR because these billboards make VR games more realistic."

Minion hot air balloons floating in the game

Compared with football games, there are often more people wandering in the virtual world of games. This world may soon be like the real world - advertisements can be seen everywhere. As Zhuang Yan, vice president of Crystal Stone Technology, said, "Wouldn't that make garbage everywhere?" MediaSpike is good at creating product placement in games, making them look like part of the game world.

Now, MediaSpike plans to do the same kind of product placement for virtual reality, so that the emerging platform will not suffer from banner ads and other intrusive ads and be less intrusive to users.

MediaSpike CEO Blake Commagere said: "We are trying to weaken the damage caused by the banner advertising industry to users. Once virtual reality gains widespread consumer attention, brands will want to display on virtual reality platforms. We adapted our advertising platform for devices like Oculus to avoid the user confusion caused by banner ads in the past." MediaSpike CMO John McCrea believes that once virtual reality devices become mainstream products, it will create the highest value digital advertising, and advertising on such immersive platforms will be very effective.

｜Minions billboards and airships in VR display｜

｜Minions billboards in VR videos｜

｜Computer equipment and head-mounted devices｜

The most successful case is the VR display made to coincide with the release of the "Despicable Me" movie. In this small game, Mediaspike has integrated "outdoor advertising" into the game: as shown in the picture, users can see a three-dimensional city with a movie poster hanging on the outer wall of the building. Users can also see a giant screen playing video ads.

After watching the MediaSpike demonstration on Oculus Rift, an experiencer said, "The car shuttles through the city and stops in front of a giant screen showing "Despicable Me." Watching ads through Oculus is like watching a movie in a drive-in theater in real life. There is also a Minion-themed airship flying in the sky. This video demonstration is very attractive."

Another experiencer believed, "Due to the immersive experience and 3D effect, the experience of this advertisement is impressive. Unfortunately, this profoundness is more derogatory. Of course, this form of advertising is still much better than the pop-up window that pops up suddenly on the web page."

In an immersive experience, the impact of images is much stronger than in reality. For advertising in virtual reality, this is an advantage or a disadvantage. More testing is needed to bring a good feeling to the experiencer. Perhaps when the virtual reality advertising platform combines user big data to deliver accurate and real-time advertising to different audiences, it may be a different story to allow audiences to see ads of their favorite brands while experiencing VR.

Google Earth VR

Yes, it is the Google we are familiar with. On November 17, Google officially released Google Earth VR on the Steam platform. Users can use the HTC Vive helmet to experience the natural scenery around the world.

Following the usual practice, like all popular platform applications produced by major manufacturers, technology enthusiasts from all over the world have started endless praise, discussion and controversy around this VR software from the first hour it was put on the shelves: some people firmly believe that this is Google's feat of changing the world again, a repeat of "from one victory to another"; some people think that this software looks beautiful, but there is very little content that is truly worth experiencing, and at most it can only be regarded as "reaffirming VR" It's just an embroidered pillow that looks too good to be reused."

Who is the famous Google Earth VR? Specifically, we only need to put on the headset and start this program, and what is presented to us is a global VR landscape that can be freely positioned, rotated and zoomed. "The world is at my disposal" has become a reality.

Although this VR application does not have any fighting and killing elements, for all humans who have been longing to get rid of gravity and yearn for the sky since the time of Icarus, Google Earth VR has obviously made us take a visible step towards the goal of our dreams. Due to technology and equipment, there is still a big gap between people's actual perception and the promotional video, but the feeling of free flying and God-like perspective have made countless people cheer for joy. Doesn't the birth of every new technology begin with a toddler?

｜Select a city through supporting equipment｜

｜Google Earth VR landscapes around the world｜

Although Google Earth VR does not yet provide any interface to the outside world, it currently serves as a platform for players to view landscapes around the world. However, with the example of the "Minions" in the previous article, I believe readers already know the feasibility of "outdoor advertising" in the VR world. As a company with the ability to change the world, let us wait and see whether Google can open up a new advertising battlefield in the future.

Brand Killer, Adblock for Real Life

Interestingly, while many people see the value of VR in advertising, some also see that this type of technology is also a powerful weapon in resisting advertising. Not long ago at the PennApps Winter 2015 hackathon at the University of Pennsylvania, a team of four built a prototype-looking headset they called the "Brand Killer, Adblock for Real Life."

｜Brand Killer Demonstration Effect｜

As far as this prototype device is concerned, the function is actually very simple, which is to block those trademarks that can be seen everywhere in daily life. Before it reaches the line of sight, this helmet has already processed it into a mosaic, and as the line of sight changes, the mosaic will always cover the trademark.

The same VR technology is also targeting the advertising industry. Two groups of people see different shining points: one side wants to explore new forms of advertising through new technologies, and the other side wants to use technology to present us with a clean world without advertising. It can be expected that the power of the former will be obviously stronger, and advertising is also an indispensable product of commercial society.

Strictly speaking, consumers don’t hate advertising, they just hate ads that are vulgar, boring and full of lies. It would be great if VR technology could be used to create new ways of advertising so that consumers can appreciate advertising like art. Fundamentally speaking, whether it is VR advertising, AR advertising or new types of advertising after the further development of technology, whether it can be accepted by the audience ultimately depends on the quality and perspective of the advertiser. The medium is just an extension of people. The future VR technology will build a broader world for outdoor advertisers, and we also look forward to seeing excellent works on this platform.

Source: Thunderstorm