As more and more businesses enter the market, it is becoming increasingly difficult for brands to cut through the noise and be heard. This, coupled with changing consumer expectations, has forced brands to think of innovative ways to get noticed (and remembered) by their target audience – this is where immersive content comes in.
Like a lot of people, you may be wondering exactly what immersive content is, and the answer is a lot less technical than you might think. Unless you’ve been living under (a very big) rock, you will be familiar with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) – and immersive content? Well, it’s simply the use of augmented, mixed or virtual reality to create immersive experiences that help to bring stories to life and deliver a unique and memorable experience.
Aside from AR and VR, other examples of immersive content include interactive webpages (including animation and/ or 360 immersive experiences) and 360 content, which allows users to fully explore content such as video and images.
So, now you know what immersive content is, you’re probably questioning whether it’s of any value to your B2B business. In short: absolutely. And here are just a few reasons why:
- Differentiate your business
- Reach new audiences and drive organic traffic to your website
- Aid understanding by bringing complex ideas to life
- Increase ROI
- Engage employees and customers
To illustrate just how effective immersive content can be, here are 2 B2B companies who have seen impressive results from their immersive experiences.
EY – Employee Feedback
One of the largest accounting firms in the world, EY has a lot of employees. And with a lot of employees comes a lot of demand to get things right. With this in mind, EY began brainstorming innovative approaches to obtain honest and accurate employee feedback – and so came the birth of the gamified employee experience.
They created 3 interactive VR games, each based around one of the 3 Ts (Technology, Talent and Trust) underpinning the organisation. And it’s safe to say they worked an absolute treat.
With over 84% of employees participating and enjoying the experience, EY were able to gain invaluable insights into key areas within their business and deemed their 360 content to be a total success. They argued that the engaging nature of the content not only encouraged increased participation, but also allowed them to gain more accurate insights from their employees who were more than willing to share their honest opinions.
If you want to see gamification in action, be sure to check out the EY 3T experience here.
Cisco – Interactive product catalogues
Leaders in IT, networking and cybersecurity solutions, Cisco are constantly looking for innovative ways to stand out from their competitors. And with the help of AR they were able to not only obtain a competitive advantage, but also drive sales and lower costs, too.
In 2017, Cisco launched a new product catalogue powered by AR which enabled users to access 360-degree lifelike animations on over 800 of their available products. The result? The immersive experience enabled salespeople to access a significantly higher number of products whilst increasing engagement at trade shows, bridging the gap between sales and marketing teams and reducing shipping costs by 65%.
So, could virtual be the new reality? With consumers and businesses alike continuing to look for more innovative ways to approach everyday situations, immersive content will likely become increasingly involved in the world of B2B. Watch this space.
