Skift Take
The opportunities in virtual reality for applications in travel marketing are very real. But targeting audiences and creating effective content for this nascent technology requires bold creativity and a deeper understanding of its limitations, channels, and learning from the mistakes of others.
Today we are launching the latest report in our Skift Trends Reports service, Decoding Use Cases for Virtual Reality in Travel.
“Virtual Reality Is About to Transform the Travel Industry,” proclaimed one breathless 2016 headline. “Travel Marketers Embrace Virtual Reality as the Next Big Thing,” exclaimed another Associated Press story from 2015. “Will Virtual Reality Revolutionize the Travel Industry?” asked yet another over-eager editorial. It seems like no matter what you read, or where you look these days, virtual reality is on the tip of the travel industry’s collective tongue.
Yet, consumers remain confused about what VR means and emphasize that they will need to “try it out in person”, in order to provide a better opinion on whether they want to purchase or use such devices. While there’s no doubt that VR travel experiences evoke strong excitement, the technology remains nascent with some potentially big pitfalls for marketers looking for unique ways to engage new audiences.
Travel industry executives are definitely investing and excited about the potential of such devices to deliver immersive experiences that help them better sell travel products to potential customers, and a range of travel brands like Tourism Australia, Marriott and Thomas Cook have already tried out VR marketing programs.
Skift’s “Decoding Use Cases for Virtual Reality in Travel” digs into the issues and pulls together everything you need to know about VR marketing as it relates to travel.
We outline strategy, successful use cases, sizing of the potential market for VR devices and experiences, gauging consumer perceptions of VR experiences, reviewing the most popular devices and formats in use today and investigating the best examples of how travel brands are putting VR to use for their own initiatives.
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This is the latest in a series of twice-monthly reports aimed at analyzing the fault lines of disruption in travel. These reports are intended for the busy travel industry decision maker. Tap into the opinions and insights of our seasoned network of staffers and contributors. Over 100 hours of desk research, data collection, and/or analysis goes into each report.
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Tags: marketing, research reports, Travel Trends, virtual reality, VR