Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) glasses are not recent concepts. Still, many brands do not bet on the power that this type of enabled and specialized technology for creating experiences holds. In a constantly digital market, it is the duty of marketing CMOs to explore the potential of these resources to create a share of memory in their target audiences, contributing to enriching experiences and a significant increase in customer attraction and retention.
Although they may seem to be quite modern technologies, their fundamental ideas were already being explored in the 20th century, with various attempts to create devices similar to those we have on the market today. Oculus Rift, for example, was one of the pioneers in popularizing VR, with its first version released in 2013, 12 years ago. Meanwhile, augmented reality is also gaining ground with devices and applications that integrate digital elements into the physical environment, further expanding the possibilities for interaction and immersion.
An example ofcaseWhat was carried out involving the RA was a campaign undertaken by IKEA, a well-known international brand in the furniture industry. Nela, a app was developed by the brand itself that allowed users to visualize the furniture they wanted in their environment, so they could have more confidence about the space it would occupy and how it would fit into the overall setting of the place. Through this AR app, IKEA took a big step in solving a persistent pain point for all the people who are captivated by furniture they discover online.
Another example that can be highlighted is the campaign carried out by Volvo. The company used virtual reality to offer users atest driveBook the XC90 model directly through your phone, promoting the experience of a "weekend getaway" via an app. THEtest drivevirtual inserts the user into the driver's database, guiding them along a road amidst the mountains. The campaign generated a significant increase in information requests about the vehicle, surpassing 20,000 app downloads.
In the face of so many companies that have already explored these technologies, achieving quite positive results, the entire market is projecting significant advances and investments in their applications. According to a study published by ResearchAndMarkets.com, as proof of this, the Virtual Reality market is expected to jump from $43.58 billion in 2024 to $382.87 billion by 2033, driven by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.31% between 2025 and 2033.
As a field still in development and with forecasts of continuous growth, it is time for medium and small-sized companies to start investing and take advantage of the benefits that advertising actions related to this technology promote. As technology increasingly dominates the market and there is little fundamental differentiation in product composition, creating an unforgettable experience for your audience can be a decisive factor for aLifetime Valuecolossal. Remember, of course, that acquiring new customers will always be more expensive and difficult than retaining the existing customer base.
In this sense, seeking to utilize the new technologies that are increasingly being integrated into people's lives is not only an interesting strategy but also a necessary one for companies aiming for continuous growth. Virtual reality is just one of the "new" tools available in the marketing companies' toolkit to be implemented, once entrepreneurs approve such actions that break the norm.
