Tag: vr

What Marketers Can Learn From VR Developments At Sundance

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Starting last year, the Sundance Film Festival has attracted and showcased the best and newest in virtual reality (VR) content with its New Frontier show. This year, the Utah-based festival featured over 30 VR-related content and experiences, and together they point to the way that content creators are exploring the possibilities of storytelling in virtual reality.

For example, 6×9 offers an immersive experience of solitary confinement to spark debate on prison reform, while Kiya recreates the circumstances of a 911 call, leveraging the empathy-inducing power of VR experiences to shine a light on domestic abuse. On a lighter side, Oculus Story Studio previewed Dear Angelica, a dreamy experience created in virtual reality using Quill, a VR illustration tool developed by Oculus. It is not fully interactive as VR games are, but allows viewers to examine different parts of a scene and move between scenes at their own pace, hence creating a unique experience for each individual viewer.

What Brands Need To Do
Overall, the new VR content that appeared at Sundance this year signals the continued diversification and maturing of VR content development, making it less of a tech novelty and more of a nascent medium to experiment with. Besides, virtual reality content should also get a boost from the proliferation of 360-degree cameras we saw at this year’s CES while companies like Facebook and YouTube have started making a push for spherical videos.

For brands, this should come as a harbinger for the vast potential of branded VR content. Instead of just transporting traditional video content into VR, brands should work closely with content creators to tap into the immersive and empathic power of VR to craft unique narratives to engage consumers with.

 

Source: The Verge

Geico To Sponsor Puppy Bowl In Virtual Reality

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
You can now watch Animal Planet’s annual canine football event in virtual reality, thanks to Geico’s sponsorship. The 360-degree experience will be available through Discovery VR apps, Samsung Milk VR, and Animal Planet’s YouTube page. As part of the sponsorship, viewers will also be treated to an interactive tour of Geico Stadium, where the Puppy Bowl will be hosted.

What Brands Need To Do
As VR technology continues to garner interest and inch closer to the consumer market, brands seeking to engage consumers with immersive experiences should start experimenting with VR content today. It can be done either through sponsorship like Geico did here, or by partnering with VR content creators to develop their own branded VR content, as Marriott Hotel, Birchbox, and JCPenney have done recently.

 

Source: AdAge

CES 2016: What’s New And Hot In VR and AR

Posted on by Lab Team

With Oculus Rift set for its late March ship date, it seems like Virtual Reality is making its first step towards the consumer market. Besides Oculus, the show floor at CES 2016 is abuzz with a number of lesser-known players in the VR and AR spaces showcasing their newest products. Here are some of the Lab’s favorites.

Avegant Glyph
Elegantly designed as a one-piece VR audio-visual headset, Avegant Glyph (pictured) offers users a personal theater experience that integrates the screen into the band of headphones.

Orcam
Designed for those with sight disability, Orcam is a pair of smart AR glasses that read out the name of what you point to.

Solos
Solos showcases their cycling AR glasses that put performance and fitness data right in cyclists’ field of vision.

NASA VR
Using both Google Cardboard and the Oculus DK 2, NASA let attendees experience a few of their VR apps to inspire and educate about space.

Krush Moveo/ooVoo
The Krush products offer a 4D experience with a free-rotating VR simulation pod that allow users to experience virtual reality content in 360-degree.

LeTV’s LeVR Headset
LeTV, a Chinese streaming service is also showcasing a relatively new and lower-end VR headset that uses its smartphone as a display. The company made headlines earlier with its partnership with Qualcomm on its newest phablet LeTV Max Pro.

Immersit
Immersit makes a 4D motion platform that moves furniture in sync with the VR experiences users are watching.

Vuzix
Vuzix is showcasing its newest VR headset named iWear Wireless Video Headphones, which allows users to stream 3D, and 360-degree VR movies directly from the internet, as well as two more industrial-facing AR glasses.

 

For more of the Lab’s CES coverage, click here.

 

Header image courtesy of Avegant Glyph’s Kickstarter Page

CES 2016: The Oculus Rift Finally Reveals Pricing And Ship Date

Posted on by Lab Team

Back in May last year, we learned that Oculus was getting ready to ship its first consumer-facing VR headset in early 2016. Now, we have a ship date and pricing. The Facebook-owned company just announced at CES that its Oculus Rift headsets will cost $599 and start shipping on March 28th.

We here at the Lab are always looking out for new developments in the VR space, and currently we have two VR headsets—an Oculus Rift and a Samsung Gear—ready for demo in the Lab. And of course, we have pre-ordered two more Oculus Rift headsets this morning to add to our collection. VR is unlikely to hit mass adoption in the next few years, but it is increasingly becoming a great tool for brands to employ in event activations. A number of brands, such as Marriott Hotel, Birchbox, JCPenney, and Target had already started developing their own branded VR content to entertain and connect with their customers.

For more of the Lab’s CES coverage, click here.

 

Best Of The Lab 2015: Get Ready To Step Into Virtual Reality

Posted on by Lab Team

Welcome to the Lab’s year-end review, looking back at some of our best and most popular posts from 2015.

In the past year, virtual reality technology has garnered great momentum in its development, and we have seen a number of brands and media owners, including Marriott Hotels, Birchbox, JCPenney, and The New York Times, experiment with VR content to entertain and connect with their audiences. Throughout 2015, the Lab team has always kept our finger on the pulse of VR development. In September, we attended the Oculus Connect 2 event to learn more about VR’s imminent future, and we organized a VR-themed Fast Forward event for our fellow agencies and industry insiders earlier this month. With VR technology poised to break into the consumer market in the next few years, is your brand getting ready to engage consumers with immersive VR experiences?

Fast Forward: What You Need To Know From Oculus Connect 2 Event
Get Ready For Consumer VR: Oculus Headset To Ship In Early 2016
InStyle Magazine To Launch A VR-Enhanced Issue

 

JCPenney Brings In The Holiday Spirit With Oculus-Powered VR Experience

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
JCPenney is getting into the holiday spirit by hosting a virtual reality experience that lets customers take a flight with Santa. Working with Reel FX, the retailer created a VR experience powered by Facebook-owned Oculus headsets, and it is available in four store locations across the nation for now. Product placements from JCPenny’s suppliers, such as KitchenAid and Nike, will be featured in the experience as gifts in Santa’s sleigh.

What Brands Need To Do
In the past year, we have seen more and more brands and media owners experiment with virtual reality technology. Before JCPenney, brands such as Marriott Hotel, Birchbox, and Target had started developing their own branded VR content to entertain and connect with their customers. Last month, the New York Times sent out 1 million Google Cardboards headset to its print subscribers to promote the launch its VR content app. With increasing momentum building in consumer-facing VR, brands would be smart to start developing their own branded VR content today to engage consumers with immersive experiences.

Source: AdAge

You Can Now Watch Jeopardy And The Lion King In 360-Degree Videos

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Following Facebook adding support for 360-degree videos in its iOS app last week, the VR-lite format continues to gain momentum in mainstream media. One of the longest-running game shows, Jeopardy, has announced its plan to create its own 360-degree video, which will let viewers experience the last five minutes of its Tournament of Champions as if they were on set. Similarly, popular Broadway musical The Lion King also created a short 360-degree VR experience which will let viewers watch the opening number from a front seat.

What Brands Need To Do
Considering that the median viewer age of Jeopardy is over 60, it seems safe to assume that the majority of the show’s audience won’t be too familiar with 360-degree videos, and that the show is aiming to attract a younger audience with this move. Along with The Lion King, this example shows that this kind of VR-lite 360-degree interactive video is rapidly becoming an entry point for marketers and media owners to experiment with virtual reality technologies. Some early-adopting brands, such as Marriott Hotel and Target, are already dabbling in producing their own branded VR content. And if Jeopardy can try it, so can your brand.

 

Source: AdAge and Wired

Facebook Adds 360-Degree Video Ads And Expands To iOS

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
In September, Facebook leveraged Oculus’ VR technology to bring 360-degree video support to its news feed in desktop web and Android app, and now it’s bringing those interactive spherical videos to iOS. The technology allows users to change viewing perspective by tilting their iPhones and turning around. Facebook is also opening up the format to advertisers, with the first batch of “immersive stories” coming from AT&T, Corona, Nescafe, Ritz Crackers, Samsung and Walt Disney World.

What Brands Need To Do
When Facebook first introduced spherical videos to its news feed, we expected Facebook to open this video format to branded content soon, which is now confirmed with those aforementioned “branded stories.” Distributing your branded VR-style videos through Facebook can help attract an audience seeking new media experiences and engage them with the added interactivity. For brands looking to stay ahead of the curve, now would be the time to start building a library of 360-degree content that is accessible across devices.

 

Source: TechCrunch

Header image is a promotional image courtesy of Facebook

How Brands Can Make Use Of YouTube’s VR Video

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Yesterday, YouTube officially launched its support for virtual reality videos with an updated Android app, which enables users to watch stereoscopic videos in a ”virtual movie theater” with Google Cardboard. Early-adopters like Lionsgate and TOMS Shoes are already taking advantage of the new feature, putting out VR videos for the “Hunger Games Experience” and “TOMS Shoes Giving Trip.”

What Brands Need To Do
This is the first time YouTube is pitching an immersive video format as virtual reality, although it added support for 360-degree videos in March, and Google Cardboard supported playing them in May. With VR technology poised to break into the consumer market next year, brands that seek to engage consumers with immersive experiences would be smart to start developing their own branded VR content today.

 

Source: Marketing Land

Why Sundance Launched A Program For VR Content Creators

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Aiming to “empower artists on the cutting edge of storytelling,“ the Sundance Institute – the organization behind the famed annual film festival – is teaming up with virtual reality firm Jaunt to launch a residency program to nurture VR content creators. The program is set to run for six months with resources and VR production equipment provided by Jaunt.

What Brands Need To Do
One hindrance in the development of VR technologies has been the lack of quality VR content, and Sundance’s new program signifies the content industry’s recognition of this issue and is taking measures to fix it. Similarly, Facebook-owned Oculus also created its own in-house VR studio, which debuted its first digital short Henry earlier this fall.

With the $99 Samsung Gear VR coming this Christmas and Facebook’s Oculus shipping its first consumer-facing headset in Q1 2016, next year is poised to be a monumental year for virtual reality. Some brands, such as Marriott Hotel and Target, are also dabbling in producing branded VR content. Other brands that seek to engage consumers with immersive experiences should be mindful of the rapid developments in VR.

 

Source: Wired