Virtual reality (VR) has exploded in the Australian market in the last six months, with brands like Tourism Australia, Budget Direct and most recently Getty Images diving into the once-dystopian medium.
Right now, VR is experiencing its second coming. It’s moved past the Matrix and science fiction’s sensational visions to the palm of our hands. But it’s a medium that holds decades of problems.
Speaking at Vivid's Storytelling in a Virtual World event, panellists questioned if mobile is the answer to VR’s accessibility issues.
“Mobile is a gateway drug for VR,” Opaque Media VR expert Norman Wang told AdNews. “Mobile VR is driving cultural awareness of the technology because it’s the most accessible and the most democratised.”
Also speaking at the event, S1T2 MD Chris Panzetta said mobile VR is a trail blazer for the VR industry, adding that Facebook, Samsung and Google are increasingly pushing consumers to become plugged-in to the technology.
He was referring to the mainstream arrival of Oculus Rift, Samsung’s Gear VR, the HTC Vive and Google Cardboard.
Maxus’ director of technology Tom Kelshaw previously told AdNews that VR will get into the hands of real audiences through the force of brands such as Google and Samsung.
“We have an obsessive need to rely on legacy mediums,” Panzetta said.
He explained people are culturally conditioned to media such as cinema, but VR is still being accepted in to the cultural norm.
“VR is in its adolescence, stumbling around to find its niche maturity as a medium,” UNSW senior lecturer Dr John McGhee said.
Storytelling in VR
“There is enormous potential in gaining empathy through the means of VR, which is why journalism can benefit so much from this medium,” Wang said.
Wang is currently working on a VR project for NASA, where it will be used as part of its marketing strategy to gain funds through public support.
On brands using VR in campaigns, Wang says: “The story has to come before the technology. We see people jumping on the novelty time and time again, but you have to have a purpose.”
Wang believes not every brand or business should try VR and the story must match the medium before you invest.
“A great story always makes the most of the unique characteristics of a medium,” Wang said. “Not the other way around.”
Panzetta says people often use VR for the wrong reasons.
“VR needs to be more than a gimmick to gain traction," he adds.
The future
It’s hard to forecast where VR is heading in the next five years, with the technology making leaps and bounds in development.
Right now, Wang is working on development tools to assist in the real-time production of VR for advertising purposes, as he believes it won’t be long until streaming sites, such as YouTube Red, will replace the traditional television model completely.
And when they do, marketers will need the tools to develop live ad units for the platforms.
“Live broadcast and live advertising will be the paradigm shift in how brands communicate with their audiences.
“The platforms are changing and digital streaming platforms will fundamentally effect how users engage with content,” Wang tells AdNews.
He refers to Opaque Media as “tool makers”, developing the set of technology needed to produce live content.
“One day you won’t watch the Voice, you’ll be live streaming it. And when that happens, we’ll have the tools,” Wang says.
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