Best uses of Virtual Reality this month
This month Topshop customers had the opportunity to ride a giant water slide down Oxford Street and Guinness drinkers could enhance the taste of their beer by watching a video of specific shapes and colours.
How is this possible? Virtual Reality of course.
Virtual Reality is a powerful marketing tool because it allows brands to give their consumer something exciting, new and limit-defying. Massive companies are adopting this exciting technology to give their customers a brilliant brand-enhancing experience. The Topshop slide and the Guinness sensory experience were two uses of VR that particularly stood out this month. They stood out because they were both intelligent, creative and helped to strengthen their consumer relationship.
Alongside their promotion of 3 new products, Guinness created a sensory VR tasting experience. The new products include Guinness Draft, West Indies Porter and Hop House 13 Lager. In selected Tesco stores, Guinness fans are able to taste the beer whilst watching a video in VR. The intelligent cup is connected to the VR image helping to ensure the customer experiences the right image at the right time. The images and sounds displayed are made up of different shapes, noises and colours, all used to enhance the taste of the drink. This displays the benefits of technology for the brand and their consumers.
Topshop created a fantastic VR experience at their flagship store on Oxford Street in London. It is part of their ‘Topshop Splash’ summer campaign which will run from 25th May – 4th June alongside other events such as an ice-cream parlor and swimwear personalization. The VR experience is a massive waterslide down oxford street similar to the Barlcay card advert back in 2008. The experience starts with an actual slide in store and then the VR video takes over. Through VR, Topshop are able to give their consumer an unimaginable experience which will help them to retain their loyal fan base of summer-loving, thrill-seeking individuals.
There really are no limits to VR and the experiences it can create. As brands become more familiar with this technology, these exciting creations will only continue to improve and inspire.
References
Image 1 HALL, E. Guinness Uses VR to Boost Drinkers’ Taste Sensations [viewed 30 May 2017]. Available from: http://creativity-online.com/work/guinness-guinness-tasting-vr-experience/51822
Image 2 OXFORDSTREET.CO.UK, 2017., THE ULTIMATE VR EXPERIENCE AT TOPSHOP SPLASH [viewed 30 May 2017]. Available from: http://www.oxfordstreet.co.uk/ultimate-vr-experience-topshop-splash/
Bibliography
GLENDAY, J., 2017. Guinness tantalises Tesco shoppers with VR tasting experience [viewed 30 May 2017]. Available from: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/05/18/guinness-tantalises-tesco-shoppers-with-vr-tasting-experience
HALL, E. Guinness Uses VR to Boost Drinkers’ Taste Sensations [viewed 30 May 2017]. Available from: http://creativity-online.com/work/guinness-guinness-tasting-vr-experience/51822
HILLS-DUTY, R., 2017. Topshop Slides Into Summer With VR Waterslide. [viewed 30 May 2017]. Available from: https://www.vrfocus.com/2017/05/topshop-slides-into-summer-with-vr-waterslide/
TOPSHOP.COM, 2017., Events [viewed 30 May 2017]. Available from: http://www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/category/topshop-at-oxford-circus-6530258/home?TS=1493046708959