A recent study from YuMe and Isobar was released that looked at advertising in virtual reality (VR). The research involved about 60 VR gamers, and compared three different types of ads that are used. Static banner ads, 3D branded ads, and pre-roll video ads. They also compared the ads to traditional digital advertising options.
In the study, the ads were shown to people who were playing a virtual reality trivia game show. 74% of those in the study reported that VR ads are less intrusive than what they would experience with normal digital ads. 69% said that VR ads tend to be integrated well into the overall experience.
The pre-roll video ads had the highest recall rates of all the VR options, with banner ads coming in second, and 3D interactive branded ads coming in last.
The fact that VR is still a somewhat new option undoubtedly contributes to the success of these ads. Anything that is novel is going to be more memorable. That being said, marketers do need to take advantage of newer technologies to capitalize on the fact that consumers will like them and remember them more for the simple fact that they are new.
Over time, as VR use becomes common place, these types of ads may eventually lose their advantage over other formats. For now, and likely for many months to come, however, it makes sense to use VR to keep consumers engaged and help them remember your brand.
