Tag: vr

American Family Insurance Works With AOL For VR Series And 360 Video Ads

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
American Family Insurance (AFI) is teaming up with AOL for a first-of-its-kind partnership that dives into immersive branded content. AFI will be working with AOL’s Partner Studio and HuffPost RYOT to develop a three-part, branded VR series on inspiring dream-chasers, 360-degree video ads that will be served across AOL’s ad network, as well as research on new metrics for 360 and VR video engagement.

What Brands Should Do
This partnership marks a big step for AOL as it looks to build a leading content creation platform for brands. And AFI is smart to leverage the power of VR and 360-degree content to tell inspirational stories that are tied to its brand message. As VR and 360-degree content continue to gain traction among consumers and publishers, brands need to start working with content creators to craft narratives that engage and resonate with their audiences.

The Lab currently has four VR headsets — an Oculus Rift, an HTC Vive, and two Samsung Gear VRs — ready for demos. Virtual reality is something that has to be experienced to be understood, so come by the Lab and ask for a VR demo to get a hands-on experience and figure out how your brand can use it to excite and engage with consumers.

 

Source: BusinessWire

Taco Bell And Sony Set Up NYC Pop-Up To Showcase PlayStation VR Experiences

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Taco Bell is teaming up with Sony to combine the power of tacos and virtual reality in a joint marketing campaign. The two companies set up a pop-up arcade in New York City this week to promote the upcoming PlayStation VR headset along with its own products. Visitors are invited to try out two fun VR experiences, escaping a shark tank or riding on a luge, make custom taco GIFs at a DIY station, and sample various Taco Bell products for free.

There’s also a taco truck outside the pop-up serving visitors cheddar habanero quesaritos, a limited-time product from Taco Bell. Starting Thursday, Taco Bell diners that purchase a $5 Big Box meal will receive a code to enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win one of over 3,300 Sony PlayStation VR headsets, which will go on sale on Oct. 13.

What Brands Need To Do
Taco Bell has a history of partnering with Sony for this type of joint marketing effort. Sony even created a limited-edition gold version of the PS4 that was only available through Taco Bell. This new campaign enlists the immersive power of VR to deliver a fun, engaging experience for consumers while also promoting their products. As VR technology continues to mature, they are becoming a popular choice for experiential marketing. Brands should consider striking mutually beneficial partnerships to create memorable experiences for customers.

The Lab currently has four VR headsets — an Oculus Rift, an HTC Vive, and two Samsung Gear VRs — ready for demos. Virtual reality is something that has to be experienced to be understood, so come by the Lab and ask for a VR demo to get a hands-on experience and figure out how your brand can use it to excite and engage with consumers.

 

Source: AdWeek

Header image courtesy of Taco Bell’s Promotional Video

Fox Sports To Broadcast Live Football Games In VR

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Following the deal it inked with NextVR in February to develop VR content from sports events it broadcasts, Fox Sports is now teaming up with live-streaming startup LiveLike to broadcast some of its upcoming collegiate football games in virtual reality. Viewers can download the Fox Sports VR app, which is available on iOS, Android, and Gear VR, and sign in with their cable provider credentials to watch games in several immersive settings. Besides standard 360-degree views from different viewpoints, the app also features a Virtual Suit mode that simulates a viewing experience from a VIP suite.

Why Brands Should Care
By combining the immersion that VR technology provides and the immediacy of live streaming, Fox Sports is creating a powerful viewing experience that more content creators and media owners should explore to fully engage their audience. With the quickening pace of VR content development and an increasing number of ad platforms testing new formats in VR and 360 video, brands need to start working with content creators today to produce branded 360-degree and/or live video content.

The Lab currently has four VR headsets — an Oculus Rift, an HTC Vive, and two Samsung Gear VRs — ready for demos. If you’re interested in getting a hands-on demo and figuring out how your brand can employ VR to excite and engage with consumers, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: UploadVR

Swedish Chainsaw Company Develops VR Lumberjack Game

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Swedish chainsaw brand Husqvarna is trying a unconventional way to promote its products. Working with DigitasLBi Nordics, the company created a virtual reality game that lets people safely experience what it feels like to be a chainsaw-wielding lumberjack. The VR game, which runs on HTC Vive headsets, is part of the company’s on-site activation at this weekend’s World Logging Championship in Poland. Attendees will play the game with actual chainsaws attached to the HTC Vive controls to achieve a more authentic experience.

What Brands Need To Do
This is a good example of how brands may leverage VR technology to deliver a fun experience that doubles as a virtual product demo. As consumers get increasingly familiar with VR and 360-degree video content and mainstream social media platforms start supporting the immersive formats, it is time for brands to start working with content creators to develop interesting branded VR content.

The Lab currently has four VR headsets — an Oculus Rift, an HTC Vive, and two Samsung Gear VRs — ready for demos. Virtual reality is something that has to be experienced to be understood, so come by the Lab and ask for a VR demo to get a hands-on experience and figure out how your brand can use it to excite and engage with consumers.

Source: AdWeek

Header image courtesy of Husqvarna UK’s YouTube Video

How Rebecca Minkoff Used VR And AR To Promote Its New Line

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Rebecca Minkoff leveraged virtual and augmented reality technologies to engage online shoppers and promote its Fashion Week event. The NYC-based fashion brand broadcast a 360-degree live video to allow fashion lovers to experience its fall preview show at Fashion Week this past Saturday from the front row. Viewers could also see how new items would look on themselves thanks to integration with AR try-on app Zeekit. Fans could upload a full-body photo of themselves and Zeekit would overlay selected items on them based on the color and size they chose.

What Brands Need To Do
The fashion industry has been quick to embrace 360-degree videos and live streaming to reach a wider audience for their fashion shows. Brands such as Balenciaga, Hussein Chalayan, and Dior have all tried their hands with 360-degree videos or live streams to reach customers. The partnership with Zeekit brings some interactivity to Rebecca Minkoff’s online experience to further engage fans.

The Lab has extensive experience in designing interactive experiences for beauty and fashion brands. Our recent work with NYX Cosmetics includes a digital beauty bar that uses AR technology to create a virtual sampling experience. If you’d like to advance your strategy to incorporate new technologies and further engage shoppers, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: TechCrunch

Header image courtesy of Rebecca Minkoff’s YouTube video

Best Buy To Push VR Headsets Into Mainstream

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Best Buy will be shining a spotlight on Facebook’s Oculus Rift during the upcoming holiday shopping season. The consumer electronics retail chain will be putting Oculus headsets in 500 stores nationwide in what is considered as the first mainstream push for consumer-facing VR products.  Best Buy started rolling out in-store demonstrations for Oculus Rift headsets in May and also has 200 demos for Sony’s PlayStation VR in rotation between locations.   

What Brands Need To Do
With consumers becoming increasingly familiar with VR and 360-degree video content and now Best Buy reading to push VR headsets into the mainstream consumer market, it is time for brands to start working with content creators to develop interesting branded VR content that appeals to target audiences.

The Lab currently has four VR headsets — an Oculus Rift, an HTC Vive, and two Samsung Gear VRs — ready for demos. Virtual reality is something that has to be experienced to be understood, so come by the Lab and ask for a VR demo to get a hands-on experience and figure out how your brand can use it to excite and engage with consumers.

 

Source: AdAge

Citibank Promotes Credit Card With VR Concert Initiative

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Citibank is working with NBC’s The Today Show to create a virtual reality concert experience to promote the Private Pass live event tickets program for Citi cardholders. As part of the ongoing Citi Concert Series on Today, this Friday’s show featuring pop group DNCE will be available via 360-degree livestreaming. Fans that showed up at the show will receive Citi-branded Google Cardboard headsets so that everyone can get a “front row view.” The branded VR headsets have also been distributed in advance to fans who cannot be there in person but requested a headset so they can watch the show live in virtual reality.

What Brands Need To Do
Virtual reality and live video enable brands to engage their audiences with immersive and intimate experiences, but the technical difficulties and relatively high cost they present at the moment have stopped some brands from exploring them. Yet with both formats gaining support on mainstream platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, consumers are getting increasingly familiar with and intrigued by VR and live video content. For brands that wish to stay ahead of the curve, now is the time to start working with content creators to develop interesting branded VR experiences.

The Lab currently has four VR headsets — an Oculus Rift, an HTC Vive, and two Samsung Gear VRs — ready for demos. Virtual reality is something that has to be experienced to be understood, so come by the Lab and ask for a VR demo to get a hands-on experience and figure out how your brand can use it to excite and engage with consumers.

 

Source: GeoMarketing

 

Intel Dives Into Virtual Reality, Works With Microsoft To Bring HoloLens To Windows PCs

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Virtual and augmented reality technologies were the star of the show at Intel’s annual developer conference on Tuesday. Intel announced a series of new VR and AR initiatives that mark the company’s full-speed charge into the VR and AR fields.

• To begin with, the company unveiled an all-in-one VR headset named Project Alloy, which packs everything – from cameras to battery, sensors to input controls – into the wireless headset without the need for a PC or smartphone to power it. Alloy will also be integrated with Microsoft’s Windows Holographic platform, allowing it to run holographic apps much like a HoloLens.

• Intel is launching a VR studio in Hollywood dedicated to producing 360-degree sports and entertainment experiences. The studio will utilize Intel’s 360 Replay technology, which was employed in the NBA Finals this year to showcase the action from all angles.

• Intel announced it is working with Microsoft to bring the augmented reality experience generated by HoloLens to Windows 10 PCs, which are expected to work with a head-mounted display and run all Windows Holographic applications starting next year.

Why Brands Should Care
Intel is diving deeper into the VR and AR fields because it plays to its strength, namely making chips with high processing power needed to run VR and AR devices. These initiatives inject some momentum into the development of VR and AR technologies and push them one step closer to mainstream consumer adoption. As more and more consumers become familiar with these types of immersive and interactive content, now is the time for brands to start working with content creators to develop branded VR and AR content.

The Lab currently has three VR headsets and a HoloLens ready for demo. Come by the Lab and request a demo to see how engaging and magical VR and AR experiences can be, and understand why consumers would be excited by them.

 

Sources: various sites as cited in article

 

Jaguar Devises Winning VR Experience At Wimbledon

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
British automaker Jaguar won over 97 million impressions with its first VR campaign at the Wimbledon tournament. Designed to allow viewers to experience the moment Jaguar ambassador Andy Murray delivers a winning shot, the branded VR experience #FeelWimbledon aims to strike an emotional chord with viewers and inspire them to check out the Jaguar models strategically placed in the experience. Jaguar rolled out the VR initiative in a number of ways, including setting up an on-site activation at London’s Waterloo station, handing out 20,000 Google Cardboard headsets to Wimbledon attendees, and delivering VR headsets to its 104 U.K. showrooms during the tournament.

What Brands Need To Do
Jaguar is commendable for devising a campaign that leverages both the emphatic power of VR experience and the event tie-in to elicit positive emotional responses from its viewers and lift its brand affirmation. As consumers get increasingly familiar with VR and 360-degree video content and mainstream social media platforms start supporting the immersive formats, it is time for brands to start working with content creators to develop interesting branded VR content that appeals to target audiences.

The Lab currently has four VR headsets — an Oculus Rift, an HTC Vive, and two Samsung Gear VRs — ready for demos. Virtual reality is something that has to be experienced to be understood, so come by the Lab and ask for a VR demo to get a hands-on experience and figure out how your brand can use it to excite and engage with consumers.

 

Source: Digiday

Header image courtesy of Jaguar’s YouTube Video

NBC Teams Up With Samsung For VR Programming During The Olympics

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Ever wanted a more immersive way to watch the Olympics? Well, you’re in luck. On Thursday, NBC announced that it will broadcast 85 hours of virtual reality video during the upcoming Rio Olympics. The VR content will include the opening and closing ceremonies as well as a variety of games, such as gymnastics, track and field, and fencing. Partnering with Samsung, NBC’s VR coverage will be available to owners of compatible Samsung smartphones and Gear VR headsets. No support for other VR headsets or video platforms were announced at the moment.

What Brands Need To Do
This VR initiative from NBC marks the first large-scale VR content at a global event of this magnitude, albeit with limited availability. Sports are a natural match for VR viewing, and this coverage can entice more mainstream consumers to seek out VR experiences. As more and more media companies start exploring VR and 360-degree video content to attract and engage with the audience, brands should follow the lead and start developing branded VR content.

The Lab currently has four VR headsets — an Oculus Rift, an HTC Vive, and two Samsung Gear VRs — all ready for demo. Virtual reality is something that has to be experienced to be understood, so come by the Lab and ask for a VR demo to get a hands-on experience and find out why consumers would be excited by this technology.

 

Source: TechCrunch