Virtual Reality is usually associated with video games, as the original VR Content companies primarily targeted video gamers. However today, Virtual Reality is becoming the next go-to tool for Storytelling; it can either be –
– Film trailers
– Corporate Films
– Game experiments
– VR in healthcare industries
– Tourism ads
We, at XRVio, have been producing films, pictures, and paintings to be able to transport our audience to a whole new world. Visual Storytelling has over the years been upgraded to different mediums as technology advanced. The truth is, these formats are often non-interchangeable which is why films are almost never at par with the great books/ literature they were based on – The story loses its little details, expression and charm when crammed into 90 minutes. The story is best told in its intended format—The same is held true for VR.
What sets VR apart is the feeling of being present in the moment, in the “now“. This creates an entirely new set of opportunities and creative constraints. Virtual Reality lets your audience submerge in live environments, become any character, and experience situations anywhere, and at any time of their lives.
Visual Storytelling is now being used in Virtual Reality Storytelling.
So then why do Corporates not use VR content for their communication strategy?
Immerse your audience
It’s a large part of how we communicate ideas and experiences, and how we form the bond of trust between one another.
In this era of high-tech solutions, the idea of virtual reality storytelling is the marriage between the age-old tradition of storytelling and technical innovation. Virtual reality storytelling is rapidly being adopted by corporations to the government to marketers, aiming to make it the future of storytelling.
The virtual reality technology allows viewers to interact with objects, physically look around within the VR environment, and perform specific actions. So you can have an immersive experience by becoming the characters themselves.
The idea of storytelling via VR or cinema is to convey a story, and move the audience as close as possible to the characters. Initially, moving pictures were used, then color and sound, 3D, IMAX, CGI, and then animation. Now corporate filmmakers are looking at virtual reality content creation as a way to further immerse their audience. The VR technology, provides its audience with an opportunity to move beyond the screen to become the character in the story.
We all have experienced the VR content, and felt the transition from being a viewer to an experiencer, within seconds. Hands-on experiences like the ones VR content companies are trying to achieve, to make us feel like a part of the experience. This small shift can make an enormous impact on the audience making them feel more emotionally connected to the journey, characters and the end. This is because once the experience begins, it’s no longer a VR content, it then becomes the audience’s personal journey since they have already stepped into the shoes of the character/s in the story.
Corporates can easily leverage this emotional connection with their audience by storytelling via VR.
When someone connects with a message through VR, they transform from being the viewer to being a virtual experiencer to becoming an expert about a specific topic.
This outcome is valuable to corporations who are trying to tell a story. Corporates can connect with their audience and experience live feedback about a new product or a service. By taking advantage of the VR Content Companies, corporates can build empathy and a sense of passion in their audience.
The world of VR is just getting started, and as it flourishes, it will only challenge the concept of reality. Good storytelling and good VR content companies will always be vital to the success of VR.
Corporates want their customers to not just buy their goods and services but be involved in a long-term professional relationship.
Unfortunately, most brands today comprehend, and reduce the concept of storytelling to just content creation — blog posts, podcasts, advertisements, videos, and more. Yes, content creation undoubtedly is useful and however, we at XRVio, have a much wider perspective and hence, consider storytelling via VR as the future of marketing and believe that corporations must revamp and optimise their marketing strategy to stay on top of their game.
If you want to maximize the corporate VR content creation process, you must not treat it as any other digital storytelling project.
The beauty of traditional stories (marketing and creating digital TV ads) was that they were based on a concept. Choose a story that you feel will resonate with your customers and targeted audience, and deliver the creative in a way that draws people into the narrative and boosts emotional engagement with the brand. You’re essentially creating a track for consumers and aiming to craft it well enough to get them to the end.
As great storytellers say:- “Show, don’t tell.” But “show, don’t tell” isn’t enough for VR storytelling.
Unlike traditional, passive mediums, VR storytelling is an active experience.
Consumers are not just shown visuals and presented with a story, As a result, you lose a lot of control in how consumers explore your stories—and yet, you still need to reach the same end goal of emotional resonance.
Rather than “show, don’t tell,” storytelling via VR requires an “engage, don’t show” mindset. Corporates must create an environment where their audience can have an immersive experience.
Immersive Experience Is The Way To Go
Storytelling via VR gives you an opportunity to place your customers exactly in the setting you want. Unlike digital content marketing strategies, where the marketer is required to create an image in a consumer’s mind, Storytelling via VR makes settings come to life.
Creating interactive content gives you an opportunity to engage your customers. For example, corporations/brands are creating interactive ebooks with the help of VR content companies that change reading experiences. When interactive content is woven tastefully into an ebook, you can connect with consumers better and at a deeper level.
The most common VR experiences turn users into first-person characters within the story. However, that’s not your only option. You can create VR stories with third-person points of view. Your choice of perspective will depend on your goals and the story itself. The end game is just to have your audience be fully immersed in the experience.
Today, virtual reality is known and used largely for gaming, and in the gaming industry. While gaming has shown the potential of VR storytelling, its implications for brands are widespread.
One major roadblock to virtual reality technologies for storytelling will be a willingness to adapt to self-guided customer experiences. We are accustomed to presenting those story tracks and expecting consumers to follow, however, what happens when the consumers get into your VR experience and don’t interact the way you expected them to?
Avoiding problems with self-guided experiences requires a truly customer-centric approach. Even while using VR for advertising, corporations should focus primarily on providing the audience with an engaging and an immersive experience, instead of sales. A seemingly salesy advertisement could drive the audience away from the company’s goal.
Virtual reality storytelling will quickly become a cluttered space. As more brands take part, it will be harder to stand out amongst other immersive experiences. Soon enough, only the best experiences will win consumer attention.
Corporates may consider investing in VR as too early an approach, however, now is the time to start strategizing how virtual reality storytelling would fit into your larger audience experience plan. The reality is that VR storytelling is just one part of a long-term digital transformation.
Whether you are a VR user, or not, or somewhere in the middle, the next few years are going to be dedicated to exploring the potential for virtual reality.
Join us for a coffee session of Virtual Reality future innovations!
