Although virtual reality is newly available to the average consumer, it feels like the question itself has been discussed for over a decade.

Does virtual reality have a future in companies’ branding strategies, and if so, how? It’s a question we’ve been asking ourselves for a while. Being a bit of a tech geek, one our employees ponied up the funds and bought an HTC Vive during its one-year anniversary. Once it was all set up, we explored various apps and programs, both sitting and standing experiences, to see what VR has to offer.

Virtual Reality’s Role In Branding

VR provides a breath-taking experience as you’re put into the world you loaded up. VR doesn’t just offer a new way for brands to tell stories. It also offers companies the ability to immerse the consumer in a brand’s mission and work hands on with their products.

Tom’s created a visual trip to Peru for viewers to experience how they’re making a difference with their “One for One” deal. The video also shows how they live up to their mission to help people in need. The trip to Peru highlights a shoe delivery to a school and the personal story of a student who walks miles to go there. Tom’s released a YouTube 360 video, but the VR experience is available in their flag store in Venice.

Lowe’s offers their shoppers the ability to put real Lowe’s products, from the refrigerator to the paint, into virtual rooms of a home. Shoppers hand pick every detail, load it in, and use VR to see the results. A technician stands by to change paint colors and appliances at the shopper’s request. Lowe’s believes that this allows customers to take the ideas in their head and put them in visual format.

Our Take On Virtual Reality

So what’s our take on VR’s role in a company’s branding strategy? From what we’ve seen made by various companies so far, and what we’ve experienced first hand, branding with the current generation of VR is more than possible. But that’s not what’s important. What is important is where VR is heading. If it gets anyway near where Oculus, Samsung, AMD, and HTC are aiming, we’d argue it’s going to be a must for most companies down the road.