Hype or Help?
The future of marketing storytelling is often portrayed through Virtual Reality (VR), but the real question is, does it help small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) customers understand and trust your brand better?
Immersion Wins
VR has revolutionized the marketing storytelling landscape. Immersion is the biggest strength of virtual reality. PwC research shows that VR experiences are remembered more by customers as they are vivid and feel emotionally connected as compared to passive media. From marketers’ perspective, storytelling has become more customer experience centric, rather
than customer telling.
VR in Action
Practical opportunities open doors here for SMBs. A local real estate company can offer virtual property walkthroughs, saving time and effort. Product manufacturing can virtually be shown by a manufacturer. Customer journeys can be stimulated before purchase. This experience will remove the biggest conversion barrier for smaller brands, i.e., uncertainty.
The Costly Mistake
However, traditional storytelling cannot be replaced by VR, but it will change the overall experience and positioning. If the message is not clear, VR can be an expensive novelty. Initially, many campaigns holding VR failed, but why? The answer is simple: marketers were focusing on technology rather than solving customer problems.
What Comes Next
VR will impact the future selectively, and not universally. As easy to deploy and affordable tools will be available, SMBs that use VR strategically, where visualizations, education, or trust are key, will benefit the most. Trend chasers with no clear strategy will struggle to justify the investment.
