Even though the Oculus Rift still has yet to see a finalized release date, we do know that it’s coming sometime this year – and it has the potential to be an exquisite marketing tool for certain brands.
The Rift has already been used a number of times before for marketing purposes, with a number of companies utilizing the 3D tech at shows like San Diego Comic-Con to advertise a number of properties, such as movies like Pacific Rim, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Into the Storm. However, according to Adweek, that’s just scratching the surface, as marketers could come up with new methods in terms of using the technology to paint a much bigger picture.
That’s not to say some companies haven’t gotten a jump start on the process. Marriott has already teamed up with Oculus to present a 4D travel experience that allows people to visit another location from the convenience of a kiosk at the hotel. Still, some companies are already planning on thinking bigger.
“We didn’t really have any virtual-reality work this time last year,” said Nancy Bennett, chief content officer for Two Bit Circus, whose agency dabbles greatly in the virtual reality department. “Now we’ve built our own camera rigs, we’ve built our own livestream viewing capability, so directors can actually see the (360-degree) spherical projection while they are on set. It’s a lot of technical geekery going on, but this enthusiasm is not just because the space seems to be blossoming. There’s a lot of forces at work – look at what Facebook has invested in VR.” She is, of course, referring to the company’s record $2 billion investment in Oculus VR.
The device has gained huge buzz at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, and intends to be used greatly at South By Southwest in a few weeks by a number of companies. This could very well open a gateway to new virtual reality-based business.
“I knew that virtual reality would become important to the public at some point, but I thought it would take a much longer time,” said Oculus Rift founder Palmer Luckey, speaking to Adweek. “I did not take into account the fact that unlike some new technologies, VR has already established mindshare as a concept.
“Time travel, flying cars, artificial intelligence and VR are all sci-fi stapes – and we are in the lucky position of bringing one of those things to life.”
With Google, Samsung and other companies delving into their own projects in virtual reality, Oculus probably shouldn’t dilly-dally too long when it comes to release – but, according to the company, we’re “months” away…so the future isn’t too far off.
