It is the first new format being deployed in Vibrant Media’s future thinking approach to brand communications termed “insperience marketing”. ‘Insperiences’ are app-free, immersive branded digital experiences. Vibrant Insperience transforms consumers from passive viewers to active participants using either VR or augmented reality (AR) technology. They prioritise interactivity, personalisation, creativity, contextual targeting and measurable scale to powerfully connect brands with people.
Vibrant Media has identified strong demand for such formats. Their research team found that nearly seven out of ten media planners and buyers (67 per cent) want more Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) ads incorporated into digital marketing campaigns, primarily to improve consumer engagement. Half of these media agency executives (49 per cent) expect the interactivity of AR and VR ads will help to prevent ad blocking.
Already 29 per cent of media agencies are buying AR and VR ads for their clients. The respondents ranked Automotive, Gaming and Entertainment as the verticals most likely to benefit from both AR and VR campaigns. The Travel and Property & Construction sectors are expected to be prime beneficiaries of specifically VR campaigns, and FMCG and Fashion will benefit particularly from AR campaigns, according to the planners and buyers.
Vibrant 360°/VR insperiences are IAB compliant and can be launched from hyperlinked triggers placed natively within the brand-safe, contextually-relevant editorial of over 6600 premium digital publishers reaching 450 million consumers. Vibrant Media can create 360° content from brands’ existing 2D video or develop content from scratch.
Compared to standard 2D video ad experiences, Vibrant 360°/VR insperiences attain 600% higher interaction rates, 700% higher content recall, 2700% higher brand recall and 200% more product intent.
When a consumer chooses to interact with a trigger for a Vibrant 360°/VR insperience they either open a window to a single branded environment between the paragraphs of editorial or launch an interface of multiple brand environments. Each environment can be explored in full screen on desktop and handheld devices or consumers can get the total insperience by using a VR headset or viewer from the format’s one-touch VR mode.
“Vibrant 360°/VR is the first product in our insperience range, as 360 degree VR technology is the fastest growing segment within digital media right now. We’re also seeing strong demand for VR products from media agencies. Our researchers also found that one in ten of planners and buyers have their own VR headset or viewer they can use to experience VR ads, and one in five of them are open to the possibility that VR will be better than the real world,” said Founder and Executive Chairman of Vibrant Media, Craig Gooding. “However, our follow-up to Vibrant 360°/VR is a new AR product we’ll be adding to our insperience offering very soon. Consumers merely observe brand experiences. Insperiences involve them. Insperiences go far beyond enabling consumers to control brands’ digital content. Using very accessible app-free AR and VR technology, insperiences place consumers and their real world lives within branded digital environments. Without the need for additional applications on their device insperiences enable consumers to see themselves within the brand, to become personally connected to and part of the brand.”