Inspiring uses of Virtual Reality in Marketing
Hopefully you’ve already checked out our top ten marketing VR use cases article, and now you want to dig deeper.
So here are some more amazing virtual reality marketing case studies to get your creative juices flowing!
DP World – London Gateway
DP World is a leading enabler of global trade operating a portfolio of 78 marine and inland terminals. Their port, London Gateway is a state-of-the-art semi-automated deep-sea port terminal. It’s the UK’s most integrated logistics hub and situated just 30km from London. This makes it the largest consumer market in Europe. The company commissioned Mbryonic to create a Virtual reality marketing experience to communicate the benefits of routing trade through the port. Mbryonic imagined London Gateway as a living tabletop model. We created the ultimate model city but one which is alive – conveying the buzz of activity on the site. Cranes pick up containers, ships come into port and lorries scurry around the site. You can explore the port by yourself or if you prefer a virtual guide can guide you through the experience.
You even get to visit space to view how the port links up to the international shipping routes!
Marriott – The Teleporter
Imagine being able to transport yourself to a beach paradise whenever you wanted?
Framestore VR Studio writes that it’s, “A Revolutionary 4D Tourism experience for Marriott Hotels, teleporting you first to a Marriott Hotel and then to the beach in Hawaii.” Inside a telephone booth-like structure, they used Oculus Rifts, heaters, and wind jets to take users on a trip to Hawaii and London. Whilst it’s not quite the same as actually being there, it might help you decide on your future trips. It also helped Marriott position themselves as a forward looking and relevant brand in the market. For more information, you can view the case study here.
The virtual reality marketing experience combined visuals with the other senses. We liked it because it’s more innovative than just showing a 360 video. Whilst, not a cheap campaign to produce, it was successful enough for Marriott to commission a second experience. Showing VR is more than a one-off gimmick but something that can be core to a sales strategy when used properly.
Michelle Obama’s VR Video
Moreover, the Whitehouse invited The Verge to do a video on Michelle Obama’s success with social media. She talks about her efforts to popularise healthy eating and exercise. The 10-minute video is a 360 video that has After Effects like animation on it to help illustrate Michelle’s point. The video is the best VR infographic explainer video I’ve ever seen. For marketers reading this right now, if you need to explain a company’s mission or a new service, this is definitely a video you should watch.
It solves the big problem marketers have with VR. Mainly, how to properly make use of the 360 space. It also creates a narrative flow that anyone can follow along with. This is a huge challenge because it is difficult to capture someone’s attention when they can look anywhere. The Verge creates these infographic pop-ups that guide your attention. Even when you’re not looking at the speaker, they’ll reproduce Michelle’s face on the other side. This lets you continue to follow the story whilst exploring the space. This video masterfully engages you on Michelle Obama’s social media story.
Jaguar – Feel Wimbledon
This is an ambitious work by Jaguar as part of their Wimbledon sponsorship. In it you get to fly over an intricate CG reconstruction of the Wimbledon site before landing in centre court to a highly charged moment in time. Andy Murray provides the voice over and describes the feeling of playing in such a prestigious venue. The experience ends with entering the body of Andy and slamming the final match point. The experienced toured around the country in the run up to tournament. It was also released as a 360 video for wider viewing.
If you are going to go big, then this is how to do it. It’s a very cinematic sales experience that allows you to experience as close as possible what its like to score in front of a centre-court audience at Wimbledon. It’s what VR is designed for!
MSI Electric City – MSI
Gaming hardware specialists MSI wanted something special to launch its new motherboard, so why not create an entire new city? MSI Electric City is a VR trip into a futuristic world, influenced by sci-fi film classics such as Bladerunner and Tron. It’s got neat gaming elements and the 21st-century marketing twist is that the MSI Electric City is based on the actual motherboard design.
With an uber-cool original soundtrack and some delicious visual effects powered by Unreal Engine 4, this is a very slick VR advert. We love the sensations of speeding round the Electric City. It’s a very neat way of making a usually invisible product (the motherboard) come vividly to life. Game on, MSI.
Reimagine – Etihad Airways
You might expect something special when a hugely ambitious airline wants to promote flights on the world’s biggest passenger aircraft, the Airbus a380. Etihad Airways pulled out all the stops to feature actress Nicole Kidman in an immersive VR film called Reimagine. In the film, Kidman takes a flight from New York to Abu Dhabi and viewers with Google Cardboard headsets are invited to step on board. It’s all about the luxurious experience! Viewers are invited to enjoy the company of characters including an opera singer, a film director and even a falcon travelling in first class. Stay a while and you’ll even get access to the private three-room cabin known as ‘The Residence’, complete with personal butler.
With its ability to transport you somewhere entirely new, travel marketing is an obvious fit with VR technology. But Reimagine, with its A-list star, takes the synergy to a new level. The sensations of sound, light, motion and conversation are all beautifully evoked. Special filming techniques were also used to create a seamless experience. For anyone who’s ever missed out on an upgrade, here’s your chance to fly in style.
Immersive VR – Apollo 11 Mission
The Apollo 11 Mission was the iconic mission in 1969 that landed Earth’s first human on the moon. Immersive VR Education decided to educate enthusiasts to re-create this event in virtual reality under the same name. The result is the best history lesson since Crash Course decided to start their amazing YouTube series. The project started on Kickstarter and has now published the final result to its backers.
This isn’t really a virtual reality marketing application, as it was made by fans. But we love it so much we think this is precisely the kind of project an organisation like NASA should be embracing!. Education is a big part of marketing and this gets props for the clever integration of education and awe. The use of historical audio throughout the experience sells the authenticity.
Disney – Star Wars
Disney released a 360 VR fly through experience of one of the locations in the new upcoming Star Wars movie. In it you feel like you are inside one of the speeders during an epic battle. This content was also released using Facebook’s new 360 videos feature, which got over 6 million views.
To be fair, Star Wars probably doesn’t need any help marketing itself. However, we picked this because it gives users a taste of the movie in a different way than a trailer can. It’s also an intelligent re-use of assets that would have already been created as part of the production of the movie.
Paul McCartney – Live Concert
Jaunt produced a 360 Video Recording of Sir Paul McCartney’s performance at Candlestick Park. You can download the app on iOS or Android to experience the event (spot the 360 camera rig in the right corner of the picture).
Allowing the audience to go on stage with you as a musician is a great idea. This got no end of publicity – not that Mr. McCartney needs it of course!