Advertising will never be the same from the moment augmented and virtual reality became available to content creators. At this point, it appears that consumers are ready to leave behind flat 2D ads and engage more with AR/VR ads. These are the findings of OmniVirt, an AR/VR/3D advertising agency. The company reviewed its own campaigns for 2018 and discovered that interactive ads performed better than traditional ones.
A Critical Analysis of Immersive Ads per Type and Industry
The findings are available in a detailed report published by OmniVirt. The company created a wide range of immersive and interactive ads last year:
- 360° display ads;
- 360° VPAID ads;
- AR ads;
- 3D object ads;
- 3D photo display ads.
These ads promoted products and services from various industries. However, the best performing ones were for the travel and consumer packaged goods (CPG). But the entire analysis showed that AR/VR ads delivered consistently better results than flat 2D ads, especially on mobile phones. OmniVirt identified superior CTRs for immersive ads for:
- the healthcare industry – 2.8x uplift;
- the travel industry – 2.5x uplift;
- the auto industry – 2.3x uplift;
- the retail industry – 2.3x uplift;
- the entertainment industry – 2x uplift.
The KPIs for AR/VR Ads Analyzed by OmniVirt
The agency does not believe that impressions are relevant metrics for advertising. Their analysis focused on KPIs that measure engagement: click through rate, engagement rate and video completion rate.
Click Through Rate
This metric showed the biggest disproportion between AR/VR ads and standard 2D ads. The 360° video ads created by OmniVirt had an average 1.44% CTR, while standard videos have only 0.09% CTR. This means 1,500% more clicks for immersive ads.
Engagement Rate
In this category, the most relevant finding is that mobile 360° content (14.97% ER) clearly outperforms desktops (1.72% ER). This is explained by the presence of the gyroscope in smartphones, which delivers a more complete experience.
Video Completion Rate
AR/VR ads had a nearly double completion rate (46%) compared to standard videos. The analysis also showed that shorter videos (under 15 seconds) have the highest completion rate – 56.53%.
Time to Woo the Consumers with AR/VR Ads
The findings published by OmniVirt should not be surprising to anyone. Consumers are constantly bombarded by all forms of advertising, and learned to become immune to them. However, new technologies like 360° videos, augmented and virtual reality are game changers.
Consumers perceive interactive content as entertaining, not annoying. They are curious to try on products in AR and explore brand stories in VR. They experience gratification and develop emotional attachment to brands that offer them immersive experiences.
In conclusion, we are at the point where people use special software to ignore or block standard advertising. However, AR/VR ads are new, exciting and satisfy the consumers’ needs to be entertained and not just sold products and services. The way ahead is clear for advertisers and brands: immersive and interactive experiences and gamified promotions. AR/VR ads are here to stay and rule the world of commerce at all levels.
