The most compelling of experiences are also the most immersive.
In the interest of a hot tub that’s summoning me for a soak, I’m going to temporarily skip over the menagerie of inspiration cultivated by a conversation with Jason B. this morning and jump to another topic — translation of experience.
While looking for a home for a few submissions on Reddit, I discovered this magnificent video from Value who was demonstrating their new virtual reality (VR) system. This isn’t a new technology by any means, but—unlike anything that’s come before—you truly need to experience it to understand it’s potential… at least you did. Virtual reality is fully immersive so watching a screencast or a video of someone wearing an awkwardly large mask on their face is unlikely to get you excited to go out and purchase the system.
Even the most compelling of game reviews—a hilariously tormenting video—lacks any true connection to the experience you connect with in using the device yourself.
Value—and the marketing agency they hired—took an approach that was as unique as it was powerful. They enabled the viewer of this video—the potential customer to which they’re marketing—to slide into the environment of the user through those watching live.
The conversation within the comments of the submission echoed my awe. One commenter stating, “videos like this are going to be a catalysts to help non-gamers buy into VR.”
Here’s the full dialogue:
Whether you’re selling a product or sharing a story, are you broadcasting a perspective or are you communicating your experience and making people feel what you feel?
Where do you struggle in connecting someone to your experience?