Immersion changes you. Who hasn’t relocated from one place to another and found themselves transformed? Children move schools and eventually adapt mannerisms stereotypical of the institution. Probinsiyanos come to the metro and become city slickers in a year’s time. People visit a different region or country and they learn the language faster than via study alone. There are thousands of examples.
If immersion can make people learn languages, cultures, and mannerisms quickly, what can it do for brands? Well, an awful lot! Experiential marketing has become a buzzword for events. Seeing, hearing, touching, and even smelling and tasting products encourage sales.
A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research entitled, “The Effect of Mere Touch on Perceived Ownership,” found that consumers who were able to touch products were more inclined to pay more for them.In the same study, consumers who imagined touching the product had similar reactions. In other words, immersion can also work virtually via social media.
Brands can’t be everywhere physically. But you can be virtually everywhere with the help of social media.
The Philippines has 48 million active social media users and almost half of Pinoy internet users are on online every day. They are immersed in social networks and one of your posts can potentially reach all of them.
The problem lies in convincing people to stop scrolling and to imagine the product is in their hands. The answer is in making it easy for their minds to take that leap. Fortunately, these four ways are effective in encouraging the jump.
GIF | Tetris
GIF
Most image formats are static. On the other hand, a GIF allows images to move like a soundless video. Motion makes GIFs more noticeable. It’s also closer to real life, which shows individuals your product as if they we’re seeing it in real life.
Video | Post Facebook
Video
The trick to immersion is to occupy as many of the senses as possible and adding noises creates more depth. Movies and television have manipulated music for decades to incite a reaction, whether it’s sympathy, fear, or emotional resolution. A social media video can have the same effect on viewers to see your product in a favorable light.
360 Degree Video
360
Humans do not see the world in 2D and therefore a picture on the screen will always seem incomplete. Enter 360 photos and videos, which can complete the world for our eyes. With the right gear, people won’t have to use their imagination to feel that they are actually in another place. Virtual Reality (VR) is coming. Already, a poll found that 64 percent of smartphone owners are interested in using VR to see items as they actually are when shopping.
Facebook Chat
Chat
Immersion can be achieved in very simple ways. A conversation can easily pull people in to another world. All it takes is good dialogue and a responsive listener. Once you can make a strong connection, you can transport your listener to where you want them to be. On social media, you can do this via live chat or Q and A.
Is immersion the answer to your marketing problems? Contact us and let’s see what it can do for you.