Virtual and Augmented Reality in Marketing

Abstract

This thesis serves as an introduction to Virtual and Augmented Reality and explains how these two different technologies can be used in marketing. I work in marketing and have been following the evolvement of both VR and AR for a few years now. I was personally very curious to learn about how these have been implemented in marketing in the past, and what they will look like in the future, and if there are any reoccurring themes, for both VR and AR, that work best with a specific product or service.

I spent a year reading the latest news and articles about various VR/AR marketing campaigns, and about the updates on these technologies that kept coming almost monthly. I also participated in different VR/AR-themed events in Helsinki to try out headsets and new AR apps, and to listen to the experts view on the potential of VR and AR.

I wanted to create clear guidelines on which technology to use and how, depending on the product or service being marketed, but realized during my research that this was not possible. VR and AR are still in development, but evolving at a very fast pace, and right now it’s important to just bravely test them out without worrying about failing. I give plenty of examples in this thesis that will hopefully encourage marketers to start experimenting now, because we will see some really advanced VR and AR/MR in a few years, and those with the most experience will have great advantage in the marketing field.