The Super Bowl draws the attention of roughly one-third of the U.S. population and has some of the biggest brands in the nation fighting for field position in the hearts and minds of viewers.
Nowadays, the game itself seems to take a backseat to the surrounding spectacle of media events, parties, concerts and, of course, brand activations. Ironically, it’s within this context that virtual reality seems to have made its biggest impact. I say “ironically” because, until fairly recently, VR has been a singular, small-scale experience, capable of only engaging one user at a time. But somewhere along the way, VR has evolved and is now just as good at engaging large crowds as it is at engaging single users.
Here's why you should consider leveraging VR for your brand on a larger scale:
1. VR creates presence.
“Presence” is the feeling that you’ve been transported to a new world. Modern VR is capable of taking us on rich, textured journeys to places both real and imagined creating several possibilities from a brand storytelling standpoint.
Imagine a healthcare company being able to take an entire audience on a tour of the human central nervous system or a car manufacturer taking a crowd on a 100-mph sprint down the Autobahn. Thanks to the evolution of VR technology, brands can now take larger audiences along for the ride.
2. The technology is catching up.
One of the inherent challenges with deploying VR at big events is throughput, the number of users that can be engaged at once. In the past, brands could only focus on one user every five minutes or so, missing the opportunity to engage scores of other attendees.
One solution is the idea of multiplayer VR. This involves a hero user who wears a headset and interacts in a gamified environment. Keynotes, live video and social media can combine to share what’s happening inside the headset with other people in the same room or halfway across the planet. What they’re viewing is projected on a screen for a larger audience, and others can use their mobile phones to access the experience and collaborate or compete with each other.
3. VR creates serious fear of missing out.
Whether you’re on a show floor or at a Super Bowl event, the big flashy spectacles are the ones that draw crowds and create FOMO. For this reason, a theatrical VR experience like this one, which Helios created for VMWare's Global user conference, is another great way for a single headset to engage an entire audience.
Here, you have the hero user on stage, manipulating audio and visual elements and creating an incredible virtual world. A large keynote display showcases the experience. Think of it as a concert. If you make the activation broader (and the content show-stopping enough), you invite more people to participate.
4. VR lets you put users in the game.
Access is a big benefit of VR because it’s so effective at making you feel like you’re “there.” The best virtual experiences provide consumers with access to things they don’t normally have (e.g., luxury boxes, sidelines, locker rooms, etc.).
This is especially true in the realm of sports. Most people don’t get to experience the sensation of standing next to Tom Brady while he runs drills, so by giving fans that sort of opportunity, you’re offering them something no other media channel can.
5. VR allows brands to connect with users more deeply.
From a strategic standpoint, VR allows you to layer your brand experience with both entertainment and education. During last year’s Super Bowl, one of the best VR activations came from a data company that curates fantasy stats. The game gave fans the feeling of being on the 50-yard-line of Levi’s Stadium, throwing passes to wide receivers. The game also layered in an interactive lesson about how fantasy stats are tracked.
By using gaze detection technology and a handheld trigger, the game gave users the ability to spot open receivers on the field and throw them passes. A heads-up graphic displayed information for each receiver (completion percentage and yardage), and by projecting the action on a large monitor, spectators were able to see how real-time stats are generated and recorded during a game. The experience gave fans a deeper understanding of the product in a way most marketing activations can’t provide.
6. VR is getting better at queue management.
Hardware plays a big part of any VR-driven brand experience, and the available headsets are usually far outnumbered by the number of people who want to participate. It’s dangerous to leave consumers waiting for a four-minute experience while all this amazing stuff is happening around them.
Visual queuing systems allow users to see their place in line on a large display, so they're free to wander around and interact with the rest of your brand experience. Automated SMS systems allow you to take users’ mobile numbers and send a text when they’re five minutes out. Nuances like this not only leave your audience with a positive impression, but they also allow you to maximize the ROI on other elements of your brand experience.
7. VR is only going to improve at large events.
VR is the most immersive medium that exists today. There’s never been a channel quite like it in marketing, and because of that, there's an entirely new playbook full of narrative and branding possibilities. As the technology becomes better, cheaper and more readily available, we're going to see it become much more of a crowd experience. One look at how many brand activations for Super Bowl LII are VR-driven tells you just how popular the medium has become.
However, as is true with any technology, you can’t just “build it and they will come.” VR experiences still have to be purposeful, relevant and engaging. Like any media, there has to be a story to tell or audiences either won’t remember it or won’t even bother.
